The announcement Monday got here as the federal government reported 1,347 new circumstances, all however two of them domestically acquired.
The wave blamed on the omicron variant has already prompted new restrictions limiting in-person gatherings to not more than two households. Hong Kong residents have been dashing to grocery tales to fill up on greens and to hair salons to get haircuts.
Authorities have imposed lockdowns on residential buildings wherever clusters of infections are recognized, and have already banned public eating after 6 p.m. Solely vaccinated folks will probably be permitted in buying malls and supermarkets, whereas locations of worship, hair salons and different companies have been ordered to shut.
Immunizations utilizing Chinese language Sinopharm vaccine for kids aged 3 and up will begin being administered on Tuesday. Hong Kong has absolutely vaccinated 73% of its eligible inhabitants, not together with youngsters.
With a inhabitants of about 7.5 million, Hong Kong at the moment has greater than 7,000 folks being handled for Covid-19 or awaiting admission to hospitals.
Hong Kong has adopted mainland China’s “zero tolerance” method to coping with the pandemic that requires quarantines, masks mandates, case tracing and lockdowns of buildings, neighborhoods and whole cities, even when only some circumstances are detected.
Beijing officers and Chinese language state media say adopting a “dwelling with the virus” coverage as some international locations have performed would overwhelm Hong Kong’s medical system.
The town has as recorded a complete of twenty-two,980 Covid-19 circumstances and 219 deaths from the virus.