'Partial Lockdown Needed If Virus Spread Continues'

A respiratory disease expert who advises the government on the pandemic warned on Sunday that a partial lockdown may be needed if the city remains unable to rein in the spread of the coronavirus.

Speaking after attending a TV programme, professor David Hui from the Chinese University said while there were fewer people out on the streets during the week, shopping malls and parks were again packed at the weekend.

He said if lots of people continue to go out, it’d be difficult for the city to break the chains of transmission, adding that he believes the current social distancing measures will have to be extended for a longer period of time.

And unless case numbers start falling soon, the government may have to impose the most stringent measures yet, the expert warned, such as requiring people to stay at home for several hours a day, and designating one person per household to go out for groceries.

Professor Hui suggested that more non-essential businesses like clothing stores may have to be ordered shut, and opening hours for all stores may have to be restricted to six hours a day.

The expert also urged people to exercise self-discipline and not hold private gatherings during the Christmas holidays.

He added that if there continues to be double-digit daily infections and the number of untraceable cases remains high, it’d be difficult for schools to resume face-to-face classes.

He said students in the senior forms could be allowed to resume face-to-face lessons first when the virus situation improves.

With the government having secured vaccines against Covid-19 from mainland manufacturer Sinovac, Hui said he believes people could get vaccinated against the virus as early as mid to late January.

He said Sinovac is expected to announce the phase 3 clinical trial results of its coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, and experts from the Department of Health will hold a meeting in mid-January to decide whether the vaccines are safe for use.