'Mini-outbreak' Triggers Quarantine At Care Home

Health authorities on Sunday ordered around 100 residents and staff of a care home for the mentally disabled in Lei Muk Shue to be quarantined after a social worker and two staffers were confirmed with Covid-19.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) described it as a “mini-outbreak”, and said authorities don’t want to take any chances because residents of the home typically suffer from moderate to severe mental disabilities.

“Because of the physical and mental condition of the residents, sometimes it’s very difficult to ask them to wear the mask properly. That’s why there’s a chance of transmission in the care home”, she said.

The infected patients started falling ill on Tuesday last week, before their infections were confirmed via routine tests arranged by the Social Welfare Department.

Altogether, Chuang said there are 45 residents at the facility, along with 50 members of staff.

“It is possible there is some unknown transmission in the home so that’s why we need to quarantine and test all the residents and the staff”, Chuang explained.

In all, authorities confirmed 25 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday – a fifth straight day where infection numbers were below 30.

Nineteen of these cases were locally transmitted, but the source of infection for eight of the patients remains unknown.

The CHP also reported fewer than 10 preliminary positive cases – suggesting that Monday's confirmed figure could be low.