Get Ready for the Fourth Coronavirus Wave

Hongkongers' test samples will be analyzed in these temporary labs

Today Hong Kong recorded 18 new coronavirus cases, and residents being able to dine in restaurants until 9pm got a slow start. It seems people are not as eager to eat out again, or don't have the financial means to do so.

It must be a struggle for restaurants to stay in business, though many did not expect staying open another three hours would have a dramatic effect on their revenues.

Yuen warns people to prepare for the fourth wave in the fall

As if that wasn't enough bad news, an infectious diseases expert who advises the government on the pandemic, says we should be prepared for a fourth wave coming in the fall, because the cool, dry weather makes it easier to spread respiratory diseases.

"Summarizing Hong Kong's anti-epidemic experience over the last seven months can help us to prepare for the fourth wave of infections in the autumn-winter season this year," Professor Yuen Kwok-yung of the University of Hong Kong said on a radio program today.

He said even if the pandemic eased after two more weeks, it could only be called a "pyrrhic victory".

This latest wave, Yuen said, showed in the gene sequencing that the strain came from southeast Asia and was likely spread in the city by taxi drivers and restaurants.

"So, our border control must be almost 'watertight', and the number of people exempted from quarantine should be minimized as far as possible. All exempted persons should have virus tests in Hong Kong after arrival," he said.

Hui is hoping 5 million people will get tested these two weeks

Yuen also advised residents to minimize the time they spent taking their masks off to dine or chatting in a group, noting over half of the infection clusters were related to restaurants, bars, karaoke lounges and the like.

There were also clusters in wet markets, elderly care homes, construction sites, dormitories for domestic helpers, and the city's port.

To speed up contact tracing, Yuen suggested people take down the license plate numbers of transport that they take, as well as the addresses and phone numbers of restaurants and shops where they spend more than 15 minutes.

It sounds tedious but a good tip to help investigators track down possible close contacts as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, today is the first day people can register online for universal virus testing that starts on Tuesday. So far 220,00 people have signed up. The government says there is no expected number of participants, though it is strongly urging people to take advantage of the free test, and even took full front page ads of all the Chinese-language newspapers -- except Apple Daily -- to promote the testing.

Chuang is now towing the line, advising people to get tested

Another adviser to the government, Dr David Hui Shu-cheong is hoping 5 million people will get tested during the two-week period.

Will his wish come true?

When it was first reported that the central government would send manpower and fund the universal testing scheme in Hong Kong, the Centre for Health Protection's Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan didn't even know about it.

But this afternoon she recommended that people get tested...

Officials are finally falling into line. But will they take the test themselves?

That's the real test.