China will help Hong Kong deal with an expanding Covid-19 outbreak by providing testing, treatment and quarantine capacity, Chief Secretary John Lee said on Saturday, adding that there are no plans for the mainland to do a lockdown. for now.
Hong Kong and mainland China are among the few places in the world still aiming to suppress all Covid-19 outbreaks, but the Omicron variant has proven difficult to keep under control.
Lee, Health Secretary Sophia Chan and security chief Chris Tang were part of a delegation that visited neighboring Shenzhen on Friday and Saturday to discuss support measures with mainland Chinese officials.
The measures will give Hong Kong breathing space as medical capacity is tested on all fronts, although there are no specific details of the plans and it is unclear how quickly they can be implemented.
“At the meeting we were all on the same wavelength,” Lee said on his return from Shenzhen. “All support will be provided. Rapid testing and help with building isolation facilities are things we agree on.”
“There are no plans for a lockdown at this stage.”
Laboratory personnel, hospital beds and protective equipment were included in the support potentially offered, Lee said. Chinese authorities also pledged to ensure supplies of fresh vegetables and produce to Hong Kong after the city faced a shortage of such items in the earlier this week when truck drivers who tested positive for Covid-19 were unable to bring them.
Hong Kong reported a record 1,514 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, up from 1,325 on Friday, despite the strictest social restrictions so far. Another 1,500 or more have tested positive in preliminary tests that could be added to the count in the near future. Three more people died in the last 24 hours.
Source: CNN Brasil
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