Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor addresses the media ahead of a weekly Executive Council meeting at the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong on June 8, 2021. (RAYMOND CHAN / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government is studying the feasibility of introducing antibody tests for arrivals from overseas to reduce the risks of imported cases, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters ahead of her weekly Executive Council meeting, Lam said the government would extend the city’s current social distancing rules beyond Thursday in light of untraceable cases featuring a mutated strain.
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Hong Kong reported three imported COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, pushing the city’s tally to 11,868
“In principle, we agree with having antibody tests in place. The Centre for Health Protection is studying when and in which way to roll out (such tests),” Lam said.
A 17-year-old Hong Kong girl was confirmed infected by the Alpha variant which first emerged in the United Kingdom. Her sister and mother were also infected. None of them had been vaccinated.
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Meanwhile, Hong Kong reported three imported COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, pushing the city’s tally to 11,868.
The three infections involved a 19-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman from Colombia and a 42-year-old woman from Indonesia, according to a statement from the Centre for Health Protection.
The man developed symptoms on Sunday, while the other two were asymptomatic, the CHP added.