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Hong Kong officials announced new public health measures to combat the novel coronavirus' further spread on Sunday, as the global death toll from the disease has now topped 600,000.
The measures in Hong Kong expand restrictions and sanitation procedures already implemented as means to address virus transmission in the city. They include work-from-home requirements for nonessential government employees, limit food service establishments to takeout between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m., and extend capacity caps for public gatherings, the Hong Kong Free Press reported.
Amusement parks, gyms and other close contact venues will also remain closed, and residents are expected to wear face coverings in all public areas. The latter order broadened a face mask requirement previously applied to public transportation.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam outlined the mitigation policies, which are effective until early next week, during a Sunday press conference.
"It's tough, but – still – we need to fight this epidemic together. I must appeal to the public to be patient," Lam said at the conference, according to Hong Kong Free Press.
"The situation is really critical and there is no sign the situation is coming under control," she added, in reference to Hong Kong's most recent COVID-19 figures. "We have a new wave of transmission, and this one is far more critical."
Hong Kong confirmed its first few COVID-19 cases in late January and went on to report a relatively moderate local outbreak during the months that followed. However, it began to see an uptick in new infections early last month, alongside dozens of other cities across the world.
News of expanded regulations in Hong Kong came as the city's virus statistics broke records, consistent with global trends. More than 14.3 million positive cases and 602,000 deaths from the respiratory illness were confirmed worldwide as of Sunday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 tracker. The U.S. leads among nations in coronavirus cases (3.7 million) and deaths (140,000). Brazil and the United Kingdom follow the U.S. in terms of the global death toll from the disease.
Health authorities in Hong Kong confirmed 100 new cases of the novel coronavirus between Saturday and Sunday, marking the city's most significant increase in infections reported over a 24-hour period. The record trailed roughly six weeks of rising case counts among Hong Kong residents.
More than 1,770 people have now tested positive for the virus in Hong Kong since the pandemic began, according to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), an agency within Hong Kong's Department of Health. Its latest situation report, which reflected data collected through Saturday, noted 12 total deaths from the disease.
Newsweek reached out to Lam's office for additional comments about Hong Kong's new COVID-19 policies, but did not receive a reply in time for publication.
