Hong Kong will check its complete inhabitants of seven.5 million individuals for COVID-19 in March, the town's chief says, because it grapples with its worst outbreak pushed by the omicron variant.
The inhabitants will likely be examined thrice in March, Hong Kong Chief Govt Carrie Lam stated.
She stated testing capability will likely be boosted to 1 million a day or extra.
"Since we have now a inhabitants of some 7 million individuals, testing will take about seven days," she stated.
Hong Kong has reported about 5000 new day by day infections since February 15, with the circumstances threatening to overwhelm its healthcare system.
For the reason that present surge started originally of the yr, the town has recorded practically 54,000 circumstances and 145 deaths.
The order for citywide testing comes after mainland Chinese language authorities dispatched epidemiologists, well being employees and different medical assets final week to assist comprise the outbreak within the semi-autonomous Chinese language metropolis.
Hong Kong has largely aligned itself with mainland China's "zero-COVID-19" coverage, which goals to completely stamp out outbreaks, whilst many different international locations are shifting their method to residing with the virus.
Lockdowns of complete cities have been imposed in quite a lot of areas of the mainland, however Lam stated no such measure is at present being thought-about in Hong Kong as a result of it's "not sensible."
She additionally denied that the central Chinese language authorities is giving directions to Hong Kong on the best way to deal with the epidemic.
"I reiterate that the central authorities by no means issued any directions on our anti-epidemic work," she stated.
"The central authorities will provide assist as wanted or upon our request, however in fact we'll at all times change our views."
The "zero-COVID" technique signifies that Hong Kong authorities typically take measures akin to locking down residential estates for mass testing when optimistic circumstances are detected, imposing strict quarantine necessities on travellers and ordering the shuttering of companies.
Well being officers stated final week that hospitals have been already at 90 per cent of capability and isolation amenities have been full.
Individuals who check optimistic for the virus in Hong Kong should both be admitted to a hospital or a quarantine facility.
Ms Lam acknowledged on Tuesday that the town's isolation amenities are "severely insufficient" and that it's "working very exhausting with the total assist of the central authorities" to construct extra.
Present social-distancing measures, akin to a ban on eating at eating places after 6pm and the closure of companies akin to gyms and bars, will likely be prolonged till April 20.
"This isn't excellent news to the sectors affected, however actually at this stage of the pandemic we have now no selection however to take these measures," Lam stated.
She stated the town hopes to spice up its vaccination fee to 90 per cent by early March.
Different measures introduced on Tuesday embody ending the varsity yr early and transferring the conventional July-August summer season holidays ahead to March and April in order that faculties may be became amenities for testing, isolation and vaccination.
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Flight bans from international locations categorized as excessive danger, together with Australia, Canada, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Britain and the US, will likely be prolonged to April 20.