Govt to strictly enforce two-person limit: CE

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Friday that her government will strictly enforce the two-person gathering limit in public, as the Covid-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating.

Speaking at a press conference announcing the postponement of the upcoming CE election, Lam said she doesn’t think the current outbreak has reached its peak, adding that it will likely take a couple of months before the situation stabilises.

She urged employers to discourage their foreign domestic helpers from going out on their days-off, saying officials will strictly impose the gathering ban from Sunday.

“We will not show mercy in law enforcement,” she warned.

Lam added that with the help of mainland authorities, the SAR government is now in a better position to fight the virus, with “tougher” measures in the pipeline.

One of the administration’s plans, for example, is to conduct several rounds of mandatory testing for all Hong Kong people in order to “fully eradicate” the virus.

“Mandatory testing and a complete city lockdown may not need to go hand-in-hand. It depends on the actual situation. In our case, having examined unique situation in Hong Kong, we probably will just go for universal testing of everyone, multiple times,” the CE said, adding that officials will conduct the testing based on people’s ID cards.

She stressed plans are also in the pipeline to build makeshift isolation and treatment facilities to cope with a surge in the number of Covid patients.

Lam also said its saddening to see elderly people waiting outside public hospitals before they could be admitted, saying “it shouldn’t have happened and it’s unacceptable”.

The CE called on residential homes not to refuse taking back senior citizens who have been deemed suitable for release by hospitals.