Hong Kong recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus infections Wednesday for the first time since the pandemic began and its first virus deaths in six months as the surge of the omicron variant challenges the city and China’s broader zero-COVID policy.
Fearing a medical-capacity crunch, authorities said recovered patients would no longer have to wait 10 days to be discharged from hospital and could spend two weeks under medical surveillance at home, the South China Morning Post reported.
Hong Kong is cracking down on the virus with business closures that begin Thursday and new testing and vaccine-pass rules as cases multiply.
The 1,161 infections reported Wednesday are double the previous day’s total and two patients died, heaping pressure on city Executive Carrie Lam as Beijing refuses to tolerate any sign of the virus.
“We are now facing the most dire situation,” Ms. Lam said Tuesday. “We have seen a surge in the number of confirmed cases and some are worried the real number would be beyond thousands each day.”
Scientists wonder how sustainable China’s policy will be, especially given the social and economic costs.
An open letter from a Facebook group known as HK Moms underscored public frustration.
“We have done all you ask. We sat quietly as mental health takes a toll, as families are torn apart and as businesses close down because it is all in the hope of China reopening our borders,” the letter reads.
“You have tried for two years, and failed,” the moms wrote. “When does the goalpost stop moving further and further away every time we get closer? When do we say enough is enough Carrie Lam?”
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
