Tsuen Wan Shop Owner Latest Diagnosed With Virus

Health officials say they are trying to trace the customers of a watch repair shop in Tsuen Wan, after the owner was confirmed to have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said the city's latest coronavirus patient, a 62-year-old man, is the husband of a 66-year-old woman who was diagnosed on Wednesday along with their five-year-old granddaughter.

The cases have ended a three-week streak of no local transmissions in the city, and bring the total number confirmed in Hong Kong to 1,051.

Chuang said the husband has shown no symptoms, and like his wife and granddaughter, had no recent travel history.

She said that the man usually travelled to and from home by car to his small watch repair shop on Tsuen Wan Market Road. She said it may prove difficult to trace all his customers as no records were kept.

Chuang said the shop had been quiet due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but officials are still looking for ways to find those customers he did have recently.

She also admitted that it may be difficult to track down the exact source of infection for this family cluster, and called on people to get tested even if they just feel slightly ill.

Health officials at Thursday's Covid-19 briefing also said they have handed out around 100 bottles to contacts of the patients for deep saliva testing.

Around half have been given to residents of Cheuk Ming Mansion where the granddaughter lives.

They also said that with the help of the Housing Department, they are trying to collect saliva samples from residents of 850 units in the block at Lei Muk Shue Estate where the couple live.