'Elderly Victims With Unknown Sources Rising'

Health officials have urged elderly housewives to avoid going out, warning that a growing number of people among them are becoming coronavirus victims with no obvious infection source.

CHP's Chuang Shuk-kwan noted that many of the untraceable cases are elderly housewives and urged them to go out as little as possible, especially for daily chores like market visits.

Among the cases added on Friday are a resident at the Salvation Army Lung Hang residence for senior citizens in Tai Wai and one member of staff at the Cornwall Elderly's Home in Tuen Mun.

Lung Hung was at the centre of one of the clusters after it emerged that two employees there who shared facilities but had no direct contact with the elderly contracted the virus.

Chuang said residents of that home are going to be moved to a quarantine facility, as the home is not a suitable place for on-site quarantine for elderly people.

Hong Kong also recorded eight imported cases on Friday, some of whom were seafarers and flight attendants who arrived from the Philippines and India.

When asked if the CHP had investigated whether any of the six seamen – whose positive tests were revealed on Thursday – had ventured out into the city, Chuang said: "Even if they are preliminarily positive, tested positive, we’ll trace their whereabouts, but sometimes because the phone they gave does not work, and we need to liaise with many parties to locate them sometimes.

"Most of them are staying in the hotel, some have already left Hong Kong, so that’s why it’s difficult to locate them because they are going to Hong Kong to transit to other places."

The comments come amid calls from experts urging the government to close loopholes that have allowed some groups of people – including airline and shipping personnel – to be exempt from undergoing mandatory virus tests and 14-day quarantine.

This loophole came under the spotlight on Thursday when the CHP revealed that around 140 sailors on six different ships were made to undergo quarantine in their vessels anchored off Lamma Island after six crew members tested positive.

Meanwhile two more victims linked to banquet in Tuen Mun and four more from Mong Kok restaurant clusters emerged on Sunday while a diner at a Chiu Chow restaurant in the western district, a person working a restaurant in Ho Man Tin, and a staff of restaurant in Tuen Mun were also among the new patients.

The CHP also confirmed that at least one cleaner and a dried goods vendor in Hung Hom Market, and a seafood stall vendor at the To Kwa Wan Municipal Services Building were also among the confirmed cases on Friday.