Hong Kongers rush for haircuts, produce ahead of new curbs

HONG KONG, Feb. 9 (BNA): Hong Kong residents queued outside hair salons and drank fresh vegetables on Wednesday, a day before tightened coronavirus restrictions came into effect, as the city’s number of new daily cases swelled to more than 1,100.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Tuesday that places of worship and hair salons should close from Thursday until at least February 24, when a “vaccine permit” will be issued allowing only vaccinated people to visit places such as malls and supermarkets. .

In an unprecedented move, she also said private gatherings would be limited to no more than two families, according to an Associated Press report.

Hong Kong has joined mainland China’s “no virus spread” policy, which aims to completely stamp out the outbreak, even as many other countries change their approach to coexisting with the virus.

The strategy means that authorities often take drastic measures such as closing residential properties for mass testing when positive cases are discovered, imposing strict quarantine requirements on travelers and ordering businesses to close.

An outbreak among truck drivers transporting vegetables from China to Hong Kong has prompted authorities to impose strict testing measures and order some drivers to quarantine, causing prices for fresh produce to soar.

Officials have appealed to residents to get vaccinated and avoid going outside, while ramping up testing capacity and ordering tests for anyone considered close contact with the city’s thousands of cases.

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