LKF In Spotlight Again As Band Catches Virus

The bar area of Lan Kwai Fong was again linked to new coronavirus cases in Hong Kong on Tuesday, a day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam warned she is planning to ban alcohol sales in thousands of establishments.

Health officials said five members of a band which had recently been playing in the entertainment district in Central are among the city's 30 new Covid-19 patients. The bandmates hadn't worn face masks while performing.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre For Health Protection described musical performances a high-risk activity as she reminded people of the importance of "social distancing".

"Of course, the government can do something to ban certain places, to prevent gatherings. But it is the responsibility of the general public to avoid gathering. Because you can ban some public events, but you can't ban private gatherings," she said.

Chuang said at her daily press briefing on the pandemic that another of the new cases involved a waitress in Lan Kwai Fong, which has been linked to numerous cases since first emerging as a coronavirus hotspot last week.

Nineteen of the other new patients had been out of Hong Kong recently, including a man who went to Macau for some gambling, a tour guide who led a group of 20 people to Spain and Turkey, two students, and a Cathay Pacific flight attendant.

The new infections brought Hong Kong's total tally to date to 386, with four fatalities.

Officials at Tuesday's briefing also revealed that more than 400 warning letters have been issued to people found to be violating home quarantine orders. They said if sufficient evidence is collected, such offenders will face prosecution.