Residents have themselves tested for COVID-19 at the Temporary Testing Center in Yau Ma Tei on January 19, 2021. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government extended until Jan 27 its social distancing rules to fight the pandemic as the city reported 56 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday.

The government also announced that the Lunar New Year fairs would proceed but with restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. 

Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi announced the extension of social distancing rules at a briefing on Tuesday, citing the resurgence of infections.  

The city also saw 365 locally transmitted cases from Jan 12 to 18, a sharp increase from the 243 local cases found the week before, of which about 33 percent were untraceable, Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi said

There were 107 new cases recorded on Monday, the highest since Dec 19. The city also saw 365 locally transmitted cases from Jan 12 to 18, a sharp increase from the 243 local cases found the week before, of which about 33 percent were untraceable, Chui said.

The extended rules, which had been in place since Dec 10 and was set to expire on Thursday, include a ban on dining at local restaurants after 6 pm, a ban on public gatherings involving more than two people, as well as the closure of a string of leisure venues.

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Asked whether the rules will be eased for the Lunar New Year holidays, Chui said, “people should consider (infections risks) seriously when they gather with family members and friends for holidays.”

To avoid the spread of new coronavirus variants that were reported in Brazil and Ireland, travelers from these two countries will be banned from flying to Hong Kong starting Saturday, Chui said.

Meanwhile, all but one of Tuesday’s new cases were locally transmitted, including 23 that were of unknown origin, Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch, said at the same briefing. 

Hong Kong’s tally of confirmed cases rose to 9,720. Chuang added that there were also more than 60 preliminarily positive cases awaiting confirmation.

Of the new infections, 31 involved residents of Yau Tsim Mong, a district that has more than 20 residential buildings with confirmed COVID-19 cases.

READ MORE: HKSAR govt: Vaccines must satisfy safety requirements

An 80-year-old woman with chronic illnesses died from the disease on Monday night after having been hospitalized since Nov 29 last year, according to a statement issued by the Hospital Authority. She was the city’s 164th coronavirus-related fatality.

Luna New Year Fairs

Also on Tuesday, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee announced that the upcoming Lunar New Year fairs, which had originally been called off due to the pandemic, can go ahead but the number of stalls will be halved.

To manage the crowds at the sites and reduce infections risks, infrared detectors will be installed to monitor the flow of people in the annual fairs, which are also known as flower markets, Chan said at a separate press conference after consulting flower farmers.

Chan said they decided to proceed with the fairs “to reduce the inconvenience caused to the farmers and also we reckon that people in Hong Kong would also like to buy new year flowers as a cultural practice.”

Flower vendors can use the sites free of charge but they have to undergo virus tests offered by the government before setting up the stalls, Chan added.