‘No room to relax just yet’: Sophia Chan

The Secretary for Food and Health, Sophia Chan, has appealed to health professionals to ensure that they’re ready for any possible rise in coronavirus after face-to-face classes resume later this month.

In a statement issued late on Thursday, the government said Chan met with representatives from healthcare professional bodies, medical organisations and medical institutions via video conferencing and updated them on the pandemic, warning them not to lower their guard.

“While the epidemic has stabilised recently, there is no room for us to relax,” Chan said.

Chan admitted that confirmed Covid cases may rise after Easter break, and urged the medical and health sector, “especially Chinese and Western medical practitioners in private practice, can assist in treating Covid-19 patients.”

The government has set up an online platform enabling private doctors to obtain Covid-19 oral drugs.

The Food and Health Bureau said it’s launched a special support scheme through the Chinese Medicine Development Fund, co-ordinated by the Federation of the Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Chinese Medicines Traders Association, to provide subsidies to Chinese medicine (CM) practitioners to provide free CM telemedicine services and delivery service of CM drugs to Covid patients at home.

The government plans to ease social distancing measures next week.

Restaurants can operate until 10pm and each table can sit up to four people, instead of the current two. Banquets of no more than 20 people will also be allowed, but bars will remain shut.

Most other premises that were previously ordered to close – including beauty and massage parlours, gyms and sports venues, as well as cinemas, entertainment, recreational and religious venues – will be allowed to reopen. They are required to operate at 50 percent of their capacity.

Cinemas can also serve food and drinks at certain theatres if their staff and all visitors inside the venue are triple-jabbed.