“We are worried that there will be a massive community outbreak, with so many sources of infection,” said Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Center for Health Protection (CHP), according to the South China Morning Post.
Chuang’s concern comes as the city recently reported 14 new confirmed cases of the novel virus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19. Health officials determined that nine of the 14 cases reported on Tuesday were local and did not involve any recent travel history, according to the Post.
In Hong Kong, there are currently over 1,285 confirmed cases, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker, along with at least seven deaths.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Chuang described the increase in cases as a “third wave.” Dr. Wong Ka-hing, controller of the CHP, told the Post that “since last weekend, the local epidemic situation has changed quickly. The situation is very critical.”
The CHP said it will begin testing people in Hong Kong who were not required to quarantine following their arrival in the city, as well as those who did not have to undergo virus screening, according to the Post.
During the press conference, Wong also said all people traveling to Hong Kong by air or sea and those entering the city’s airport will be required to take a saliva sample to be tested for the novel virus.
Just a day before the 14 new cases were reported on Tuesday, the CHP said it was investigating 17 others.
“The newly reported cases announced today involve 12 males and five females aged between 3 and 78,” a CHP press release said. It added that all but one of the cases involved a travel history during the virus’s incubation period.
“Given that the situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong,” a CHP spokesperson said in the press release.
Newsweek reached out to the CHP for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
