Covid-19: All Hong Kong ferry staff to be tested after captain contracts virus

All Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry staffers will be tested for Covid-19 after a ferry captain became infected.

Three other members of staff were also among Sunday’s 31 additional cases.

lamma ferry — Lamma ferry. File photo: Wikicommons.

In a press release on Sunday night, the company said that the captain was last on duty on Thursday and other staff as recently as Saturday. “All ferries and piers have been cleaned and sterilised thoroughly,” the statement said.

The Head of the Centre for Health Protection’s Communicable Disease Branch Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said the staffers became infected due to close contact, such as eating together. She said the captain was responsible for the route between Central and Peng Chau, Central and Lamma Island, and also between Tsuen Wan and the third airport runway.

Sanatorium centre evacuated

Meanwhile, the second floor of the Hung Hom Yi Wo Yuen Aged Sanatorium Centre was evacuated and dozens quarantined after a night worker tested preliminary positive, health authorities said on Sunday.

Among Sunday’s cases, three were imported and 28 locally-transmitted. 19 were linked to previously known cases whilst nine had unknown origins. The new cases bring the total number of infections to 9,243.

Coronavirus virus covid-19 mask — Photo: GovHK.

A 71-year-old male patient died on Saturday from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 153.

A Centre for Health Protection said: “Given that the situation of Covid-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.