Covid Outbreak Suspected At Ferry Company

Health authorities said on Sunday there may be an outbreak at the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry company, after a captain came down with Covid-19 and three sailors tested preliminary positive for the virus.

The captain, 59, works on several routes, from Central to Peng Chau or Yung Shue Wan in Lamma Island, as well as from Tsuen Wan to the airport's third runway artificial island.

He began showing symptoms on January 8.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said health officials are investigating how he may have been infected.

"It's possible that there's an outbreak [at the company]. But we can't delineate who's the source yet. We have to investigate a bit more who has the earliest onset and even those who have the earliest onset may not be the actual source of infection," she told a regular press conference.

She said the company had been advised to test all employees to find out if there are asymptomatic infections.

A total of 31 coronavirus cases were recorded by health officials on Sunday – of which 28 were locally transmitted. Officials said nine of the local cases, including the ship captain, don't yet have a clear source of infection.

Authorities also said 46 people at an elderly care home in Hung Hom have had to be quarantined, after a caretaker there tested preliminary positive for Covid-19.

"She mainly works on the second floor and took care of the residents. Sometime she worked on night shift, so she had to take care of all the residents on the same floor. We consider all 31 residents on the same floor as close contacts and we will send them to quarantine centres," Dr Chuang said.

She added that specimen bottles will be distributed at the care home to find out if there are other infections.