Hong Kong bar cluster sends Covid cases to highest in six weeks

Hong Kong reported 515 cases on Sunday, the most since April 23. - AFP

HONG KONG (Bloomberg): Hong Kong is seeing Covid-19 cases climb again, with the number of new infections at a six-week high amid a growing cluster that originated at a group of nightclubs in the financial hub’s Central district.

The city reported 515 cases on Sunday, the most since April 23. More than 200 cases have been linked to the outbreak associated with four bars, thought to have emerged after the latest round of social-distancing curbs were loosened about a week ago. The cases have been linked to Shuffle nightclub in Lan Kwai Fong, as well as Zentral, LINQ and Iron Fairies, all located in Hong Kong’s Central district.

The clusters are most likely to be the predominant BA2.2 strain, the city’s health official said. CentraliSed quarantine is enforced for those carrying non-prevalent BA2.2 sub variants.

The health officials said that although there has been higher case counts in recent days, there’s been no change in the number of hospitalisations and serious infections.

The rebound comes after weeks of daily caseloads below 200, and a sense of relief in Hong Kong that the city may finally be through what has been its most lethal and disruptive Covid wave.

The uptick will add to concerns that Hong Kong may backtrack on some of its pandemic easing, particularly as the handover of power from Chief Executive Carrie Lam to her successor, Beijing loyalist John Lee, looms.

Hong Kong has in recent weeks forced patients with even mild infections caused by new Omicron sub-variants and their close contacts into government-run isolation, backing away from a practice that has seen most positive people able to quarantine at home over the past few months.

The backpedaling was criticised by business groups and even a local public health expert. While authorities claimed the move didn’t signal a wider change in policy, international chambers of commerce in Hong Kong said it was another blow to the city’s already damaged status as a global financial centre.

"We will continue to lose international talent and businesses, impacting Hong Kong’s competitiveness even further,” said Joseph Armas, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

Ongoing pandemic border curbs remain one of the biggest issues for foreign business and expatriates.

While some of the incoming travel curbs have been eased in recent months, mandatory hotel quarantine is still required for anyone entering Hong Kong, unless they’re coming from mainland China. A resurgence in Covid cases may give less of an incentive for authorities to further reduce curbs that are isolating the financial hub.