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

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is looking into 275 additional COVID-19 cases, of which 125 were detected by nucleic acid tests and 150 were identified via rapid antigen tests.

Among the new cases, 48 are imported while the rest are locally infected.

Since the onset of the fifth wave of the epidemic, 1,199,739 people have contracted the virus and 9,165 people passed away.

Of the newly reported cases, 11 involve people who had recently patronised the Iron Fairies & J.Boroski bar on Hollywood Road and eight others include those who visited the Zentral bar on D'Aguilar Street.

The accumulated cases of the two bars reached 22 and 23 respectively.

Centre for Health Protection Principal Medical & Health Officer Dr Albert Au said the number of people who patronised the two bars may have exceeded the customer capacity limit.

“So for the 700 or over 700 customers recorded through the vaccine pass data - the accumulated number of customers who had visited these two bars during the whole period - we are not certain whether there was any violation of the maximum capacity. It needs further investigation by the law enforcement authorities.”

The risk of virus transmission may have been increased due to the fact that some customers took off their face masks, he explained.

“There might have been an infectious person who was carrying the virus and who had patronised these two bars and caused the transmission in an enclosed environment with inadequate or poor ventilation.

“And also, for many of the people, because they took off their masks, this would have increased the risk of virus transmission or caused the outbreak.”

Separately, the Government made a restriction-testing declaration to cover Un Shing House of Un Chau Estate in Sham Shui Po and Shek Tsui House of Shek Wai Kok Estate in Tsuen Wan. People in the restricted area are required to undergo compulsory testing before the specified deadline.

Due to a number of positive cases, 43 specified places are included in a compulsory testing notice. The Government will set up a mobile specimen collection station at Lung Yan Court in Ma Hang tomorrow and reopen the mobile collection station at Wah Kwai Estate in Pok Fu Lam on June 1.

As there were positive sewage test results with relatively high viral loads in several buildings and housing estates in Wong Tai Sin, Yau Tsim Mong and Central & Western districts, the Housing Department and respective district offices will distribute COVID-19 rapid test kits to relevant residents as well as cleaning workers and property management staff working there.

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