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Hong Kong to ban dining in restaurants from 6pm,

HONG KONG --Even as the new wave of the Covid-19 outbreak moves towards its peak, people in Hong Kong feel safe enough to be out and about, prompting authorities to issue a grim warning and reinstate harsh measures rolled out just four months ago.

With a rebound in infections in the last two weeks of November, Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday (Dec 8) morning warned of

Officials are also

tougher measures to curb the flow of people in public

Hours later, Secretary for Health Sophia Chan announced that from Thursday (Dec 10) till Dec 23, dine-in services will be stopped between 6pm and 4.59am the next day. The cap on patrons per table during dine-in hours will remain at two --same as the limit on public gatherings.

More businesses such as gyms, sports centers, beauty and massage parlors that are currently open will be closed.

Banquets now capped at 40 will be halved, while more civil servants are to work from home.

On Tuesday, Hong Kong recorded 100 new infections, bringing its total to more than 7,000 with 112 deaths. Of the new cases, 95 are local and 27 have unknown sources.

Health officials noted that in the past two weeks, there were 1,074 new cases or 15 per cent of all infections, and more than 90 per cent are local.

They said there are now at least seven clusters with more than 10 cases, including the dance club cluster that now has about 650 patients.

Prof Chan said the government now has the power to seal off areas hit by Covid-19 for up to seven days, so that tests can be carried out on people who are affected.

She said health officials would decide what areas are to be sealed off and for how long. Food and basic necessities will be given to those affected.

Officials repeatedly warned that there are now more patients who are younger in critical conditions this time round.

Said Mrs Lam: “Before this wave, the number of critical cases had dropped to a single digit. Now there is a sharp rise to 36, 40 patients in serious condition.

“More ICUs (intensive care units) have to be mobilised. Of the critical cases, six are under the age of 60 and two are under the age of 50. For serious cases, nine of them are under 60 and two of them are under 50.”

She noted that in the last wave, most of those in serious and critical conditions were the elderly.

“From the observation of experts and our observation, it seems that the situation is more complicated, much, much more than the last one because we’re talking about different people of different jobs living in different districts all over the territory," she added.

The decision comes as the city’s streets remained busy most part of the day in recent weeks in a sign that business continues as usual, as people go about their daily routine.

The closure of leisure premises such as cinemas, karaoke lounges, bars and pubs is among the few hints of the pandemic's impact.

Come nightfall, it is lights out for the city of nightlife as eateries shutter from 8pm or 9pm with a government ban on dining-in services from 10pm.