Visitors to Deep Water Bay Beach told to get tested

The Centre for Health Protection has issued a compulsory Covid-19 testing order for anyone who visited Deep Water Bay Beach on April 25 and May 1, as it tries to combat the spread of a more infectious strain of coronavirus.

A variant with the N501Y mutation is believed to have been brought into Hong Kong recently by a man who flew in from Dubai and then passed on the virus to a female friend.

Health officials said on Thursday that relatives of this friend held gatherings on Deep Water Bay Beach on April 25 and May 1. They said anyone who was on the beach on either of those two days must take a Covid test before Saturday.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong reported two new imported coronavirus cases on Thursday, involving people flying in from the Philippines and Indonesia.