(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 38 additional COVID-19 cases, including one which is related to Moon Palace restaurant in Festival Walk.

Among the new cases, 34 are imported, three are epidemiologically linked to previous imported cases and one is local.

One of the linked cases involves a 13-year-old girl who was announced as a preliminary positive case yesterday. Her mother had been infected earlier and they had lunch at Moon Palace on December 27.

The local case involves a 42-year-old surveyor whose specimen tested preliminary positive with mutant strains yesterday. He developed a fever and headache on January 2 and consulted a private doctor on January 3. His specimen submitted on the same day tested positive. He has no recent travel history.

At a press briefing this afternoon, the centre’s Controller Dr Edwin Tsui said it is investigating whether the places visited by the surveyor are linked to another few cases that are related to a previous infection case numbered 12754.

The surveyor walks through Victoria Park on his way to work and case number 12754 would dance there with a group of friends.

“There are maybe two links that we have found right now. The first link is Victoria Park that he walked through in the morning, when he was going to work. And the distance is quite far away from the groups of ladies who were dancing at that time. It is far away, 20m apart. And both of them were wearing masks at that time. So there are possible risks because of the Omicron transmissibility issue. This is one of the areas we have to investigate.”

Dr Tsui said other possible links include places which may have been visited by the cases at similar times like Moon Palace.

“We are also investigating other common routes, like common places visited by this surveyor and other cases and also the transportation. So we are now checking the Octopus cards to see whether there are common paths and common places they have visited.”

He added that of the cases related to case number 12754, the transmission risk of the one involving a foreign domestic helper is concerning.

“For the risk of transmission of the domestic helper, indeed, we consider the risk of spreading (the virus) is quite high. Because at the time we discovered this case, the Ct (cycle threshold) value was 13 which means that the viral load was quite high at that time. She had visited a number of places which were quite crowded areas, like Victoria Park, and she also visited some places with her friends, and also a church.

“At present, there are about 50 people who went to the same church with her on one day and then another 80 people went to the church on another day. And there are some 10 collaterals who shared the common hostel with her at that time. So the risk of spreading (the virus) is quite high.”

Dr Tsui appealed to the foreign domestic helpers to take note of the Government’s compulsory testing notice and get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Government made a restriction-testing declaration in three districts this evening due to the detection of preliminary positive cases.

The first declaration covers Serene Court in Causeway Bay where the 59-year-old female patient linked to case number 12754 lives. A co-living 37-year-old family member is also a preliminary positive case.

Another one is for Rock View Gardens, Yau Yat Tsuen in Kowloon Tong where a preliminary infection case involving a 62-year-old woman in the Moon Palace cluster lives.

While the third restriction-testing declaration was made at Block 15, Provident Centre in North Point where two preliminary infection cases were detected. One of them, a 62-year-old woman, is a close contact of case number 12754. Another patient is a 63-year-old man who is a household contact.

People within these specified restricted areas are required to undergo compulsory testing.

The centre noted that case number 12754 and the two women linked to the case had a meal at Six Garden Restaurant in Tin Hau on December 31. The latest epidemiological investigations revealed that the above-mentioned surveyor also had a meal at the same restaurant during a similar period.

It appeals to those who had meals at Six Garden Restaurant from 8.50am to 9.50am on December 31 to call its hotlines at 2125 1111 or 2125 1122 as soon as possible to facilitate epidemiological investigations and contact tracing.

The restaurant’s staff members are classified as close contacts and will be placed under quarantine.

In view of five possibly import-related cases, 41 specified premises are included in a compulsory testing notice. The Government will set up or reopen mobile specimen collection stations at various locations to provide free testing services.

Separately, the Department of Health has prohibited the landing of passenger flights in Hong Kong from the relevant original port of three airlines from January 5 to 18.

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