A family in a makeshift field hospital held at the Asia World Expo on August 1, 2020 in Hong Kong.
Photo: Anthony Cowan / Getty Images
Hong Kong reported 115 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, the largest one-day increase in cases since August 2, when the city also recorded 115 cases, according to city health officials.
Of the 115 new cases, 109 were transferred locally while the remaining six cases were imported from abroad, according to Dr. Chuang Shukkuan of the Health Protection Center. Of the 109 locally referred cases, 62 were linked to the nightclub group, bringing the total number of cases in the group to 479. The origins of 24 cases could not be traced.
“The epidemic is taking a turn for the worse,” said Dr. Chuang, urging people to reduce social gatherings and limit the spread of the virus. Dr. Chuang added that the high number of cases is “very worrying” and according to the trend, the current situation is “more dangerous than the last wave.”
The new cases bring the total number of infections in the city to 6,239, while the number of deaths remained at 109, according to Dr. Chuang.
The city will suspend all face-to-face classrooms in kindergarten, elementary and high schools from Wednesday onwards.
“On Wednesday (December 2), live classes and school activities in all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools will be suspended until after the Christmas holidays,” the government said in a statement released on Sunday.
Hong Kong has been a city praised for its swift and effective response to the coronavirus pandemic, but health authorities warned in July of the potential “exponential growth” in new cases of Covid-19.
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