- Fifteen patients among fresh cases had recent travel history
- Figures follow closure of beauty and massage parlours as authorities continue to tighten social-distancing measures
Hong Kong recorded 25 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, including a two-month-old baby and a staff member of a public clinic, bringing the city's infection tally to 960.
Fifteen people who had recent travel history were also among the fresh cases, according to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection's communicable diseases branch, who spoke at the daily press briefing.
Chuang said the infected staff member from Shek Wu Hui Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic in Sheung Shui did not travel recently, nor were there any Covid-19 cases at the facility.
So far five other employees at the clinic and the two sons of the infected woman were considered as close contacts and would be placed under quarantine.
Chuang said one of the patient's sons was sent to North District Hospital, but had tested negative for the coronavirus.
Dr Sara Ho Yuen-ha, the Hospital Authority's chief manager for patient safety and risk management, said the infected staff member, who is an operations assistant, developed a cough and sore throat on April 3 but did not have a fever.
"She mainly helped with the cleaning work at the clinic. She did not have direct contact with patients and had no contact with any deep-throat saliva samples," Ho said.
The Shek Wu Hui clinic and another one in Ta Kwu Ling have been closed down as the woman had worked in both places.
Patients at the Shek Wu Hui branch, numbering about 260, would be contacted, with follow-up checks for them arranged at other clinics.
Forty-six other staff members who had worked in both clinics were also tested, and results are pending, but some of them had displayed signs of upper respiratory infection, including three with more serious conditions who were sent to hospital.
Forty samples from the environment of the Shek Wu Hui clinic were also collected and tested for the virus.
Hong Kong to close beauty and massage parlours amid Covid-19 spread
Other cases on Wednesday included a two-month-old baby boy, who went to Britain with his parents and their domestic helper. The helper was earlier confirmed to be infected.
One more Marks and Spencer employee, who worked at the same Causeway Bay branch as two other infected colleagues linked to a karaoke bar cluster, was also found to have contracted the disease.
"They did not have close contact, but there might be factors in the environment causing the infection," Chuang said, adding that the remaining 17 staff members at that store would be listed as close contacts and sent for quarantine.
A former Marks and Spencer employee who joined the karaoke session was also among the new cases.
An earlier reported cluster involving bars in the city and performing musicians at such venues also recorded one more infection, a close contact of a previous case, bringing the total in this group to 98.
The new tally of confirmed cases came as the authorities on Wednesday ordered the closure of beauty and massage parlours for 14 days from Friday, adding them to a list of leisure venues already asked to close down.
At least four previously reported infections were linked to beauty parlours.
While Wednesday was the fifth straight day the city had reported a daily tally of fewer than 30 cases, Undersecretary for Food and Health Dr Chui Tak-yi warned against making light of the situation.
"This is because the pandemic can develop abruptly and turn quickly," Chui said, adding: "It's hard to estimate the number of infections or close contacts related to a single case. It can be a lot. So we should keep making full preparations for possible challenges."
Chui added that the government would introduce different testing mechanisms in phases and adhere to social-distancing measures.
Regarding returnees from the mainland city - and initial outbreak epicentre - of Wuhan, where the lockdown was lifted on Wednesday, Chui said arrangements for them to only send their deep-throat saliva samples for tests after returning home were proper and based on risk assessment.
"Among the first batch of returnees from Wuhan earlier, only one person tested positive among some 400," Chui said.
"So far, we are confident about the arrangement for returnees from Hubei province, including Wuhan or from other ports on the mainland, to return the bottles with their samples later," he said. Chui added the government would keep monitoring the situation and adjust arrangements when necessary.
Asked whether returnees from Wuhan needed to wear the electronic tracking wristbands while under compulsory home quarantine, Chui only said people returning from the mainland had to report their real-time location through mobile apps.
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