Hong Kong executive chief Carrie Lam said on Sunday a "critical" situation in the fight against the coronavirus, the former British colony having identified more than 100 new infections in 24 hours, a record.
LIVE - Coronavirus: follow the situation on Sunday July 19
108 new cases identified on Sunday
The semi-autonomous region was one of the first areas affected by the epidemic that emerged in central China. But it initially recorded very good results in the fight against the Covid-19, to the point that it had almost ended in June in the local contaminations. However, the number of cases has gone up in the past two weeks and doctors are struggling to identify the chains of transmission of the coronavirus in the very densely populated territory of 7.5 million inhabitants.
Carrie Lam announced Sunday that more than 500 new infections have been recorded in the past two weeks. A total of 108 new cases were identified on Sunday, a record. This brings the total in the city to 1,886 cases, including 12 deaths.
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"I think the situation is really critical and there is nothing to suggest that it is being brought back under control," Lam told reporters.
New measures of social distancing
Authorities last week ordered further social distancing measures, including the closure of sports halls or nightclubs, further imposing the wearing of masks on public transport. The restaurants can only be used to take away from 6 p.m.
Carrie Lam announced new measures on Sunday, including a plan to make it mandatory to wear a mask in public indoor spaces, or the obligation to work from home for non-essential public service personnel.