The Hong Kong Public Medical Doctors Association has joined a global campaign urging citizens to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
On Sunday, the group shared dozens of photos of medics holding signs saying “I stay at work for you, you stay home for us.”
An accompanying message on its Facebook read: “Dear Hong Kongers, please keep good personal hygiene, wear [a] surgical mask, wash your hands, avoid social activity. If you are under quarantine order and medical surveillance, please stay home, DO NOT GO OUT!”
First detected in Hubei, China, more than 311,988 people globally have been infected with Covid-19, whilst over 13,400 have died from the SARS-like disease.
A recent surge of the virus in Hong Kong continued on Sunday, with 44 new cases reported by the local health authorities. Of the new infections, 29 involved people who had recently returned to the city from abroad. In total, the city has seen 317 confirmed cases.
On Saturday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that most civil servants will once again work remotely from Monday in response to the uptick. Key secondary school exams will also be postponed.
Libraries, museums and leisure facilities will also close on Monday after reopening at the start of March. Lam urged private sector employers to roll out work-from-home arrangements.
Over the weekend, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council and the authorities in Macau recommended against travel to Hong Kong.
