A boy plays near a metal installation in Central district, Hong Kong, July 28, 2020. (PARKER ZHENG/CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong logged 70 new coronavirus cases on Friday, including 64 local cases, of which 25 were untraceable. 

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Two more patients have died, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths to 129. The latest victims were aged 84 and 85, and died on Thursday night and Friday morning, respectively, according to a Hospital Authority statement.

Two more patients have died, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths to 129

The health authorities identified a new cluster at Billy Sir — a music classroom in San Po Kong — after a teacher, five students and four of students’ close contacts were confirmed infected, Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said at a briefing.

The city’s total number of confirmed infections stood at 7,969. Chuang said more than 70 people tested preliminarily positive on Friday.

An emerging infection cluster, which has involved at least three medical workers, was also reported on Friday. Those affected included a nurse at Kowloon Hospital, a doctor at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and a nurse at Tung Wah Hospital, as well as their family members, Hospital Authority’s Chief Manager Linda Yu said at the same briefing.

They were believed to have contracted the virus during a birthday party on Sunday, Yu said.

The HKSAR government announced that Canada will be placed on the list of very high-risk places from Dec 25, following 19 countries including the United States, Britain, France, India, the Philippines and South Africa

According to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority, 1,115 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized, including 61 in critical condition.

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Also on Friday, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced that Canada will be placed on the list of very high-risk places from Dec 25, following 19 countries including the United States, Britain, France, India, the Philippines and South Africa.

Visitors who have stayed in those countries during the past two weeks should have a negative test result for coronavirus within 72 hours before their departure and book a room in a designated quarantine hotel for no less than 14 days.

A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau of the HKSAR government said as the global pandemic situation is becoming increasingly severe, Hong Kong cannot afford to drop its guard on entry prevention and control measures.

Meanwhile, inbound travelers from overseas who arrived in Hong Kong on or after Dec 2 are required to have their specimens collected on the 19th or 20th day of their arrival, the government said in a statement. The change had been earlier suggested by experts who believe some infected people may have an incubation period longer than two weeks.

With Xinhua inputs