Hong Kong Disneyland closes, indoor dining limited amid resurging coronavirus cases

香港迪士尼樂園關閉，因冠狀病毒病例復發，室內用餐遭限制

Expert warns local transmissions now significant challenge facing Hong Kong


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hong Kong Disneyland is closing for the second time this year, and tightened rules have been imposed on the city’s residents amid a fresh surge in coronavirus cases.

Hong Kong Disneyland announced Monday (July 13) it would shut its doors on Wednesday (July 15) “as required by the government and health authorities in line with prevention efforts taking place across Hong Kong.” The resort hotels will remain open with adjusted services while enhanced health measures are being implemented, the company said in a statement.

The Chinese semi-autonomous territory recorded 52 new cases on Monday, 41 of which were locally transmitted. Of these, 21 were associated with cluster infections reported earlier, including at Sun Fat Restaurant (新發茶餐廳), Green River Restaurant (翠河餐廳), and the Kong Tai Care for the Aged Centre (港泰護老中心), according to Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection.

The new outbreaks have prompted the Hong Kong government to reinstate restrictions and adopt new containment measures. Effective Wednesday, restaurants are banned from providing dine-in services between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m., and face masks are mandatory on public transportation, Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) announced Monday night.

Other measures to go into effect Wednesday and last at least one week include: visitors to the city being required to present a negative COVID-19 test result upon arrival; migrant worker arrivals being subject to a 14-day quarantine at hotels; public gatherings being limited to four people, down from the current 50; the closing of 12 types of recreational venues; and Hongkongers living in the high-risk countries of India and Pakistan returning in stages, wrote CNA.

Gabriel Leung (梁卓偉), dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and a public health expert, warned on a radio show Sunday (July 12) that the worst is yet to come. He suggested that Hong Kong is only just starting to experience a wave of local transmissions.