Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive leader, has warned the city of the collapse of its hospital system.
Hong Kong was "on the verge of a large-scale community outbreak" which she said might "lead to a collapse of our hospital system and cost lives, especially of the elderly," Lam said in a Jul. 28 statement, according to BBC.
Lam also urged those in the special administrative region to strictly follow the social distancing measures and stay at home as much as possible.
This was the way to protect their loved one and healthcare staff, she said.
Toughest measurses yet
Her statement comes as the city's toughest measures to rein in Covid-19 take effect on Wednesday (Jul. 29).
SCMP reports that the new regulations will see:
- Gatherings of more than two people banned, unless they are members of the same family
- No dining in at restaurants, except for exempted establishments like eateries at public hospitals
- Mask-wearing made mandatory in outdoor public places, no exemptions for exercising or smoking
- Sports facilities and swimming pools suspending operations
These measures will be in place for at least seven days and were announced on Monday (Jul. 27) after Hong Kong confirmed 145 new Covid-19 cases — a record high.
142 of these cases were the result of local transmission, which is also a record high.
In the midst of what SCMP has described as the third wave of infections for the city, over 100 people confirmed to have Covid-19 were still waiting to be admitted to hospital on Jul. 27.
This is due to the tight supply of isolation beds.
Aircrew subjected to "extremely difficult conditions"
New measures introduced on Wednesday also tightened testing and quarantine arrangements for sea and aircrew members.
The union representing FedEx Corp pilots had earlier on Tuesday asked the company to suspends its operations in Hong Kong, reported Reuters.
According to a CNA article, they cited the "extremely difficult conditions" union members were subject to in government-mandated quarantine.
The Air Line Pilots Association International said that three FedEx pilots had been put in mandated hospital facilities in Hong Kong for up to 10 days.
Though they were infected with Covid-19, they were asymptomatic.
Other pilots who had tested negative, but were in contact with infected individuals were put in government camps.
Dave Chase, chairman of the FedEx ALPA Master Executive Council was quoted by Reuters as saying that the situation posed "unacceptable risks to our pilots' safety and wellbeing".
"They also created added stress and distraction for flight operations."
FedEx has released a statement to say that it is working with Hong Kong authorities to provide support to crew members that require medical treatment or self-isolation.
Top image by Alison Pang via Unsplash