HK Hits 1,000 Virus Cases, But Growth Slows

Hong Kong reported just one locally transmitted case of coronavirus on Saturday, although a further 10 imported cases took the total in the SAR past 1,000.

At just 11, the number of confirmed cases was the lowest in several weeks, although officials warned against complacency despite the downward trend.

"If you take a seven-day moving average, the trend is downward," said Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection. "I hope that this is a persistent trend, not a temporary trend, and we will not have a rebound.

"Because of the long incubation period, the situation now is reflecting about one or two weeks before. I'm not sure about the coming trends so we need to maintain vigilance."

She also urged people to stay home during the Easter holiday.

"I observe that, during the Easter holiday, a lot of people are going out, either to the restaurant or to other places, so if they take public transport and go to crowded places, I think they need to maintain social distancing. Avoid going out as much as possible."

The only patient who had no travel history was a 29-year-old-woman who'd been to the All Night Long bar in Tsim Sha Tsui, which has been linked to a cluster of cases. Her partner was diagnosed with the coronavirus on Friday.

The other patients, who are aged between 19 and 59, had travelled to countries including Britain, the United States and Japan.

Meanwhile 37 people who've completed 10 days in quarantine centres have been allowed home to spend the rest of their 14-day quarantine at home. It's part of an effort to relieve the pressure on quarantine facilities.