Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Coronavirus: top Hong Kong microbiologist urges government to make masks mandatory, step up social-distancing enforcement

‘Mask wearing works. It can block the spread of the virus from people who may not show symptoms yet,’ HKU’s Dr Ho Pak-leung says. Chinese University professor echoes call for tougher measures unless daily infection tally dips back down to single digits

The government should make mask wearing mandatory and step up enforcement of social-distancing laws to prevent Covid-19 transmission, the University of Hong Kong’s top microbiologist has said.

Dr Ho Pak-leung’s comments came a day after HKU infectious disease expert Yuen Kwok-yung warned of a third wave of infections as mainland Chinese gradually return to Hong Kong, and senior government adviser Bernard Chan suggested the possibility of a strict lockdown.

Ho on Monday urged the Hong Kong government to set up emergency laws making mask wearing mandatory in all public places.

“Mask wearing works. It can block the spread of the virus from people who may not show symptoms yet,” he said on an RTHK radio programme. “There are already regulations in place for masks in restaurants other than when customers are eating. The rules should be extended to hospitals and other public places.”

Hong Kong has since late March banned public gatherings of more than four people, while cinemas, fitness centres, bars, pubs and other leisure venues have been ordered to close for two weeks. Restaurants also are required to keep tables 1.5 metres apart. As of Sunday, the city has 890 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

Executive Council convenor Bernard Chan on Sunday said preventive measures could be extended to limit restaurants to takeaway service, or even see non-essential businesses closed entirely, leaving most residents little choice but to stay home for two weeks.

Ho echoed Chan’s call for stronger measures, suggesting existing measures should also be extended beyond the two-week period, while tough enforcement of social-distancing regulations were needed to stop people from flouting the rules.

“If we drag our feet and do not take action to break the transmission chain now, the effect on small businesses will be even worse in the future,” Ho said.

Speaking on the same programme, Dr David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory disease expert at Chinese University, said tougher measures would be needed if the number of infections continues to surge this week.

“If the cases only increase by single digits, we may not need stronger rules, but if not, then it should be considered,” he said.

Hui also said Hong Kong’s first possible case of hospital transmission of the coronavirus could have been caused by contaminated medical equipment.

More than 200 patients and health workers at Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long have undergone testing for Covid-19 after a 93-year-old stroke patient was infected during his stay. It was later found he had contracted the disease from a 33-year-old man in the same ward who had first tested negative but was later confirmed sick.

Of the 174 people who received testing, 171 have returned negative results, the hospital’s chief executive Dr Chong Yee-hung said on Monday.

Speaking about the case, Dr Hui said medical equipment could have been contaminated, as it was unclear whether the two men had personal contact.

“We would need to confirm with hospital staff whether the [33-year-old] man may have come in contact with the older patient. Ideally, he would be placed in a transition ward after the first negative test, but with isolation wards reaching full capacity, it is difficult to do so,” Hui said.

The suspected hospital transmission raised fears of a repeat of the large-scale outbreak in ward 8A of Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin during 2003’s severe acute respiratory syndrome crisis. That case saw a patient infect 11 health care staff before eventually spreading to a total of 137 people.

But Dr Arisina Ma Chung-yee, president of the Hong Kong Public Doctors’ Association, said the ventilation systems had improved since then, making a repeat of that scenario unlikely.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×