 |
| Two recently arrived Indonesian DHs were among those found with Covid-19 (file photo) |
There has been a resurgence in the number of travelers
arriving in Hong Kong with the novel coronavirus disease, with 13 of the 44 new
Covid-19 cases reported today, Aug. 17, classified as imported.
The biggest group comprised eight returning residents from India , two foreign domestic workers from Indonesia , two from Russia
(one of whom is a seafarer), and one air crew from Ethiopia
This is the biggest group of imported cases reported since
new travel restrictions were imposed on Jul 25 for travelers from nine
high-risk countries including India ,
Indonesia and the Philippines
Everyone who flies in from these countries is required to
produce a certificate showing a negative result for Covid-19 through a nucleic
acid test conducted within 72 hours before their flight, as well as proof of
booking in a Hong Kong hotel for the 14-day
quarantine.
The rise in the number of infected travelers coming in from
the high-risk places could indicate either a quick reinfection, or faulty testing.
But as Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health
Protection has said, the false negative results from the travelers could still
be remedied by the second testing conducted for all new arrivals at the
airport.
 |
| PRESS FOR MORE INFO |
The maid tested preliminary positive yesterday, and was the
third Indonesian worker who had stayed in boarding houses in the building to
have been found infected.
A family member of the person running at least two boarding
houses in the building also tested positive, so everyone found living in both
premises have been put under quarantine.
The CHP has distributed specimen bottles to all residents of
the building to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Also among the new cases were two workers at the Kwai Chung
container terminal, one is a crane operator, and the other, a truck driver.
Chuang did not name the company there work with, but said
they were not connected to Wang Kee company, where the biggest cluster of cases
at the port has been found. The company has suspended its operations from today
because of the contamination, believed to have started from its resting room.
 |
| A crane operator is one of 2 cases today from the Kwai Chung container port (RTHK photo) |
Another notable case was an IT (information technology) executive
who was found infected for a second time after testing negative twice for the
virus before his discharge from hospital in April. The 33-year-old patient who
flew in from Spain and Australia
There has been a respite, however, from the daily deaths
from Covid-19 being reported, nearly all of them elderly patients with
pre-existing conditions.
Dr Lau Ka-hin of the Hospital Authority said the death toll
has remained steady at 67. A total of 4,525 confirmed cases have now been
recorded.
As of 9am today, 783 confirmed patients are receiving treatment in 21 public hospitals and the treatment facilities at Lei Yue Mun and AsiaWorld-Expo. Among these, 29 are in critical condition, 39 are serious, and 715 are in stable condition.
