39 COVID-19 cases identified

January 4, 2022

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today said it is investigating 39 additional COVID-19 cases, including one which is related to Moon Palace restaurant in Festival Walk.

 

Among the new cases, 36 are imported and three are epidemiologically linked to previous imported cases.

 

One of the linked cases involves a 66-year-old woman who had lunch at Moon Palace from around 12.30pm to 1.30pm on December 27. She tested positive while undergoing quarantine at Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre. There are so far six positive cases that are related to Moon Palace.

 

There is also a preliminary positive case related to Moon Palace involving a 13-year-old girl who is the daughter of a previous infection case. They had dined at the restaurant from around noon to 2pm on December 27.

 

Her specimen collected on December 31 at the Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre where she underwent quarantine tested negative. She was admitted to a public hospital after developing a fever on January 3 and the specimen collected after admission preliminarily tested positive with the N501Y and T478K mutant strains.

 

The CHP has successfully contacted all of the 207 customers who went to the restaurant from 1pm to 3pm on December 27 and have arranged for them to undergo quarantine at a quarantine centre.

 

Meanwhile, the CHP is tracing the source of infection of a local case involving mutant strains.

 

The 42-year-old male patient developed a fever and headache on January 2 and consulted a private doctor the next day. His specimen tested preliminary positive with the N501Y and T478K mutant strains. Whole genome sequencing needs to be conducted to confirm whether he carries the Omicron variant.

 

He works at Unit A, 13/F, Lee & Man Commercial Center, 169 Electric Road in North Point and last went to work on December 31.

 

Initial investigations revealed that the patient has no recent travel history and did not visit Moon Palace or Festival Walk where the restaurant is located. The CHP has not found any close contacts between this case and other recent positive cases.

 

The centre is identifying the places he had visited in the past 21 days to ascertain the infection source so as to terminate the transmission chains in the community.

 

Since the patient carries a mutant strain, the Government made a restriction-testing declaration this evening for Block 2, Tsui Ning Garden in Tuen Mun where he lives. People within this specified restricted area are required to undergo compulsory testing.

 

At the same time, people who live or work at the building will be subject to more frequent compulsory testing. The places where the patient had visited in Hong Kong during the incubation period will also be included in a compulsory testing notice requiring specified people to get tested.

 

Citizens in the restricted area have to get tested before midnight. The Government aims to finish the exercise at around 6.30am tomorrow. Those in the restricted area who have undergone virus testing from January 2 to 4 and are able to provide a proof are not required to take the test again.

 

However, people who had been in Block 2, Tsui Ning Garden for more than two hours from December 12 to January 4, even if they were not present in the restricted area at the time when the declaration took effect, must undergo compulsory testing on or before January 6. Vaccinated people will not be exempted.

 

In view of one local case who tested preliminarily positive involving mutant strains, one import-related case and two possibly import-related cases, 56 specified places are included in the compulsory testing notice. Those who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course still need to get tested.

 

Additionally, any person who had been on the cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas during the period from 1.30pm on January 2 to January 4 for more than two hours has to undergo testing on January 5 and 7. They may not leave the cruise before having undergone the test on January 5 and upon agreement of a health officer and should stay at his or her place of residence and avoid going out as far as possible before the test result on January 7 is ascertained.

 

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.

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