'Curbs May Be Tightened If More Bar Cases Emerge'

An infectious diseases expert who advises the government on its anti-epidemic measures said the government will have to tighten social distancing measures soon if more Covid-19 cases related to bars emerge.

Professor David Hui from the Chinese University said it was worrying that the number of cases with no known source is quite high, and the situation showed that there were many invisible chains of transmission in the community.

Hui told RTHK's Millennium programme that the reported infections linked to bars was worrying. But he said the cases of two students getting infected was not serious enough to ask all schools to suspend classes for the time being.

He warned that the new coronavirus is still highly contagious and social distancing measures are only effective if the bar sector sticks to the rules.

Speaking on the same programme earlier in the day was the chairman of the joint association of licensed bars and clubs, Leung Lap-yan, urged those in the bar sector to strictly implement anti-epidemic measures at their premises, because the government has always "closed bars first, and re-opened them last".

Leung said that representatives from the sector recently had a meeting with officials from Food and Health Bureau. He said the officials expressed concerns about ventilation in bars and issued guidelines for them to increase the number of air changes.

He said that although the officials did not mention the possibility of shutting the bars soon, they did say that if a fourth wave of infections occurs there will be no compensation for the sector.

Leung said the sector was willing to abide by a number of anti-epidemic measures including requiring guests to wear protective clothing, masks, or provide straws for drinks.

The comments come after health authorities and experts warn of a rebound in Covid-19 cases following the mid-autumn and National Day weekend. One of the main clusters in recent days concern the China Secret bar in Tsim Sha Tsui which has so far infected 10 people.

On Thursday, health authorities reported 18 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the city to 5,161.