A new wave of the Covid-19 outbreak has hit Hong Kong with nearly half of the latest cases coming from the city’s Kwai Tsing Container Terminals.
The Centre for Health Protection reported that Hong Kong recorded 74 new Covid-19 infections on Sunday, reversing the recent downward trend in cases. There are 34 cases linked to the cluster at the Kwai Tsing Container Terminal, of which 33 patients work for the same company.
In a press conference, the centre’s communicable disease branch head, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, said that as of Sunday, 55 people working at the container terminal were confirmed to have contracted the virus. Among them, 41 are staff of Wang Kee Port Operation Services.
The centre has sent more than 100 Wang Kee employees into quarantine, while Covid-19 testing is underway for more workers at the terminal. More than 10 subcontracted companies in the terminal have each had at least a few employees test positive for the coronavirus so far.
According to Dr Chuang, the centre is still discussing whether to shut down the terminal if the Covid-19 situation worsens in the cluster, something that has been strongly opposed by local unions.
The Kwai Tsing Container Terminals, located in the north-western part of Hong Kong, have nine container terminals with a total handling capacity of over 20m teu a year.
The resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong is also expected to make crew changes even more difficult.
