Hong Kong needs to stick to its “dynamic zero” coronavirus strategy, focused on reducing infections, severe illnesses and death, a senior Chinese health official said, as the city braced for details of an expected mass testing plan this month.
“Reducing infection, severe cases and deaths is Hong Kong’s most urgent and top priority at the current stage,” it quoted him as saying. “After we achieve the first target, we will then move on to the second and third goals.”
Dynamic zero does not mean zero infections with COVID transmissions so strong, Liang said. However the city should do its best to reduce infections and take measures to cut off further transmissions.
Liang’s comments come as infections in the Asian financial hub have surged to record highs with a total of around 500,000 cases and more than 2,200 deaths – most of which have been in the past two weeks.
Authorities have given contradictory and confusing messages about a compulsory mass testing scheme and whether it would coincide with a city-wide lockdown.
