Hong Kong authorities have said that they will ban all non-residents arrivals for 14 days from entering the financial hub from Wednesday, in order to curb the outbreak of coronavirus.
Chief executive Carrie Lam said, “From midnight of March 25, all non-Hong Kong residents flying in from overseas will not be allowed into the city.”
Carrie Lam also announced the suspension of the sale of alcohol by more than 8,000 restaurants and bars but will, for now, be allowed to remain open.
Hong Kong health officials had become increasingly alarmed about people gathering in large numbers in the city’s entertainment districts in recent weeks.
Earlier, a slew of infections was found among patients who had all been out in Lan Kwai Fong – the city’s most famous nightclub street.
The city has seen rising number of coronavirus cases as foreign and local residents returned from overseas ahead of a government deadline last week imposing a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all arrivals.
Hong Kong announced 39 new cases of coronavirus today (Monday), 30 of which had a recent travel history, bringing its total to 357.