More Time Needed To See If Curbs Are Working: Expert

Microbiologist Ho Pak-leung has cautioned that although the number of local cases is down slightly in the past couple of days, it'll take around five more days to see if current social distancing measures have been effective in controlling the coronavirus outbreaks in the city.

The University of Hong Kong professor said that the government should also consider making it mandatory for people to wear face masks in outdoor areas as a precautionary measure.

This comes as the Executive Council is holding a special meeting to discuss details of a mask requirement for all public indoor areas.

Ho also urged the authorities to extend its ban on dining-in to cover day-time as well. He says these "draconian" measures are necessary to prevent a collapse of the healthcare system because of the coroanvirus pandemic.

He said he’s worried about group outbreaks in places like correctional facilities, with a lot of people in one place, because the government’s measures don’t target those places.

Commenting on reports of progress made in some vaccine trials, Ho said he thinks preliminary data for vaccines will be released before the end of the year.

But the expert said whether any serious complications linked to these trials are still unknown. But the current technology used by Oxford University and the mainland studies will ensure safety, he added.