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| © (Kin Cheung/AP) A man wears face mask to protect himself from possibly contracting the coronavirus COVID-19, in Hong Kong, Wednesday, April 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) |
By Matthew Keegan, U.S. News & World Report
HONG KONG — On Monday, for the first time in more than six weeks, Hong Kong reported zero new cases of COVID-19.
It was a sigh of relief for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, which has so far managed to avoid the high death tolls plaguing other cities and countries across the globe. Despite its close proximity to the mainland, the city of 7.5 million had recorded 1,033 confirmed cases of coronavirus and only four deaths tied to the pandemic as of Wednesday.
Monday's report of no new cases comes after Hong Kong experienced a second wave of the outbreak last month after residents returned to the city from coronavirus hot spots in Europe and the U.S. Cases in Hong Kong nearly tripled.
What's notable about Hong Kong's success, experts say, is that the city managed the first wave of COVID-19 without resorting to the kind of complete lockdowns that are paralyzing economies elsewhere. And now that the infection rate is slowing, some locals are beginning to see signs of "life as usual" on the horizon.
"Life for many people here has got back to normal, except that they wear masks," says local restaurant owner Wing Fat Yau. "I see lots of people in the street, in the shopping mall, in parks. Kids are chasing, playing. People dine in restaurants, packed and crowded, lining up outside the shops and stores and restaurants."
Some experts attribute Hong Kong's success tackling the pandemic to its experience with severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed 299 people and infected 1,755 in the territory in 2003.
Whereas the Hong Kong government responded slowly to SARS, it's reaction to COVID-19 was much faster.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Hong Kong was announced on Jan. 23. Later that month, the government began intense surveillance for infections, not only for incoming travelers, but also in the local community. Extensive efforts were also made to track down and quarantine all close contacts an infected person had seen two days before becoming ill.
Holiday camps and newly built housing estates were repurposed into quarantine facilities.
By early March, the government was giving hundreds of tests every day.
The territory also began adjusting immigration policies. Anyone crossing the border from mainland China, as well as travelers from infected countries, were required to undergo 14 days of mandatory quarantine at home or in designated facilities.
To encourage social distancing, the city also enacted flexible working arrangements and school closures. Public gatherings were limited to four people and restaurants were required to ensure a distance of about at least 5 feet between tables.
Still, even though 11 types of entertainment and leisure venues, including bars, karaoke lounges, cinemas and gyms were told to close, the city didn't resort to the "stay at home" orders common in parts of Europe and the U.S.
But with a population primed to take the threat seriously, experts say it didn't necessarily need to.
According to a recent study in the Lancet, for example, 85% of Hong Kong residents who responded to a survey in March reported avoiding crowded places, and 99% reported wearing face masks when leaving home.
"Hong Kong is better equipped to contend with an outbreak of COVID-19 than many other countries," says Dr. Peng Wu of Hong Kong University's School of Public Health. "Improved testing and hospital capacity to handle novel respiratory pathogens and a population acutely aware of the need to improve personal hygiene and maintain physical distancing put them in good stead."
Yau, the restaurant owner, agrees.
"I think Hong Kong's success in controlling this epidemic is largely driven by its people,'' Yau says. "The experience of SARS in 2003 taught us a lot. This time we took our own measures. I know myself and my family have all been wearing masks from mid-January. We were quick to act."
While the situation seems to be stabilizing in Hong Kong, health experts still recommend some level of caution.
Despite Monday's hopeful news, Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection urged the public to keep practicing social distancing and avoid unnecessary gatherings and trips out of their homes. The government also recommended that everyone wear surgical masks when in public. Social distancing measures that were originally set to expire on April 23 were extended to May 7.
"Given that the situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong," a spokesman for the center said.
"The situation can only be considered under control if there are no more local cases in the following 28 days," professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory diseases expert at Chinese University, told a local television program on Sunday.
At that point, he says, schools could reopen and civil servants could return to work.
Even when restrictions are eased, Hui says the public should continue to wear masks on public transportation and in crowded places, as there would still be a risk of new cases in the community and a vaccine wouldn't be available until mid-2021 at the earliest.
Before that vaccine arrives, Dr. Peng Wu believes that it is going to be very challenging to completely avoid a second wave of COVID-19.
"We might expect a relaxation of some of the existing restrictions, as long as case numbers remain low," she says. "But as a consequence, we may then risk (having) more imported cases and more community transmission, requiring restrictions to be tightened again."
See more at U.S. News & World Report
HONG KONG — On Monday, for the first time in more than six weeks, Hong Kong reported zero new cases of COVID-19.
It was a sigh of relief for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, which has so far managed to avoid the high death tolls plaguing other cities and countries across the globe. Despite its close proximity to the mainland, the city of 7.5 million had recorded 1,033 confirmed cases of coronavirus and only four deaths tied to the pandemic as of Wednesday.
Monday's report of no new cases comes after Hong Kong experienced a second wave of the outbreak last month after residents returned to the city from coronavirus hot spots in Europe and the U.S. Cases in Hong Kong nearly tripled.
What's notable about Hong Kong's success, experts say, is that the city managed the first wave of COVID-19 without resorting to the kind of complete lockdowns that are paralyzing economies elsewhere. And now that the infection rate is slowing, some locals are beginning to see signs of "life as usual" on the horizon.
"Life for many people here has got back to normal, except that they wear masks," says local restaurant owner Wing Fat Yau. "I see lots of people in the street, in the shopping mall, in parks. Kids are chasing, playing. People dine in restaurants, packed and crowded, lining up outside the shops and stores and restaurants."
Some experts attribute Hong Kong's success tackling the pandemic to its experience with severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed 299 people and infected 1,755 in the territory in 2003.
Whereas the Hong Kong government responded slowly to SARS, it's reaction to COVID-19 was much faster.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Hong Kong was announced on Jan. 23. Later that month, the government began intense surveillance for infections, not only for incoming travelers, but also in the local community. Extensive efforts were also made to track down and quarantine all close contacts an infected person had seen two days before becoming ill.
Holiday camps and newly built housing estates were repurposed into quarantine facilities.
By early March, the government was giving hundreds of tests every day.
The territory also began adjusting immigration policies. Anyone crossing the border from mainland China, as well as travelers from infected countries, were required to undergo 14 days of mandatory quarantine at home or in designated facilities.
To encourage social distancing, the city also enacted flexible working arrangements and school closures. Public gatherings were limited to four people and restaurants were required to ensure a distance of about at least 5 feet between tables.
Still, even though 11 types of entertainment and leisure venues, including bars, karaoke lounges, cinemas and gyms were told to close, the city didn't resort to the "stay at home" orders common in parts of Europe and the U.S.
But with a population primed to take the threat seriously, experts say it didn't necessarily need to.
According to a recent study in the Lancet, for example, 85% of Hong Kong residents who responded to a survey in March reported avoiding crowded places, and 99% reported wearing face masks when leaving home.
"Hong Kong is better equipped to contend with an outbreak of COVID-19 than many other countries," says Dr. Peng Wu of Hong Kong University's School of Public Health. "Improved testing and hospital capacity to handle novel respiratory pathogens and a population acutely aware of the need to improve personal hygiene and maintain physical distancing put them in good stead."
Yau, the restaurant owner, agrees.
"I think Hong Kong's success in controlling this epidemic is largely driven by its people,'' Yau says. "The experience of SARS in 2003 taught us a lot. This time we took our own measures. I know myself and my family have all been wearing masks from mid-January. We were quick to act."
While the situation seems to be stabilizing in Hong Kong, health experts still recommend some level of caution.
Despite Monday's hopeful news, Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection urged the public to keep practicing social distancing and avoid unnecessary gatherings and trips out of their homes. The government also recommended that everyone wear surgical masks when in public. Social distancing measures that were originally set to expire on April 23 were extended to May 7.
"Given that the situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong," a spokesman for the center said.
"The situation can only be considered under control if there are no more local cases in the following 28 days," professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory diseases expert at Chinese University, told a local television program on Sunday.
At that point, he says, schools could reopen and civil servants could return to work.
Even when restrictions are eased, Hui says the public should continue to wear masks on public transportation and in crowded places, as there would still be a risk of new cases in the community and a vaccine wouldn't be available until mid-2021 at the earliest.
Before that vaccine arrives, Dr. Peng Wu believes that it is going to be very challenging to completely avoid a second wave of COVID-19.
"We might expect a relaxation of some of the existing restrictions, as long as case numbers remain low," she says. "But as a consequence, we may then risk (having) more imported cases and more community transmission, requiring restrictions to be tightened again."
See more at U.S. News & World Report
