The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today said it is investigating 26 additional COVID-19 cases, of which nine are confirmed and 17 are asymptomatic cases. One of them is related to Moon Palace, Festival Walk.

The new cases consist of 25 imported cases and one possibly import-related case.

Among them, 24 involve mutant strains while the mutation test results of the remaining two cases are pending.

The cases involve seven males and 19 females, aged one to 61. Nine patients of the imported cases arrived from high-risk places with enhanced surveillance and 16 were from high-risk places.

Twelve of them tested positive upon arrival at the airport and 10 tested positive during quarantine.

Another two patients are close contacts of previous imported cases. They tested positive at the Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre and a hospital.

The remaining imported case involves a local aircrew member who developed symptoms on December 29. She consulted a private doctor the next day and tested positive for the virus.

The CHP said that one of the above imported cases involves a 27-year-old woman who had stayed in Hong Kong during the incubation period. She lives at Kornhill Block K in Quarry Bay.

The patient left Hong Kong on December 24 for Finland after testing negative the day before. She returned to the city on December 31 from Finland via the Netherlands and Thailand by flight KL819, and her specimen collected upon arrival tested positive and carries the N501Y and T478K mutant strains.

The places where she lived and visited in Hong Kong during the incubation period have been included in a compulsory testing notice.

For the possibly import-related case, the 50-year-old female patient dined in Moon Palace from around noon to 2pm on December 27. She was arranged to undergo quarantine on December 31 and her specimen collected on the same day tested positive.

Including this case, there are so far four positive cases related to that restaurant.

Meanwhile, the CHP is investigating another preliminarily positive case related to the same restaurant.

It involves a 38-year-old woman who is the wife of the patient of case 12654, a construction worker. The couple had a meal at Moon Palace from around 2.30pm to 4pm on December 27.

The woman got tested at a community testing centre on December 29 in accordance with the requirement of a compulsory testing notice and tested negative. She was classified as a household close contact and was sent to the Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre on December 30.

She developed sore throat on January 1 and her specimen collected today tested preliminarily positive with a cycle threshold (Ct) value larger than 30. The test results on mutant strains are pending.

The woman had received two doses of the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong. She works at 15/F, Sandoz Centre in Tsuen Wan and last went to work on December 30. Her workplace and venues where she had visited during the incubation period will be subject to compulsory testing.

Regarding the cases related to Moon Palace, the CHP has so far arranged about 340 close contacts and household contacts of the close contacts to undergo quarantine at a quarantine centre, including 22 restaurant staff members and about 170 customers who were in the restaurant during the same period of time.

People who had meals at the restaurant from 1pm to 3pm on December 27 are urged to call the hotlines at 2125 1111 or 2125 1122 as soon as possible.

In view of two preliminarily positive import-related cases who had stayed in Hong Kong during the incubation period, one possibly import-related case and one case tested positive overseas who had stayed in Hong Kong, 19 specified places are included in the compulsory testing notice. Those who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course still need to get tested.

Meanwhile, the Government will set up or reopen mobile specimen collection stations at various locations tomorrow for citizens subject to compulsory testing.

A total of 148 positive cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days. Four of them are import-related cases and the rest are imported.

Separately, as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight KL819 arriving from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on December 31 and Cathay Pacific flight CX216 from Manchester, the UK, on January 1 had passengers on board who tested positive upon arrival, the Department of Health has prohibited the landing of these airlines' passenger flights in Hong Kong from the relevant original ports from today to January 15.

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