Timeline of countermeasures against COVID-19 (2)

■ Epidemic Development

■ HA’s Countermeasures

2020.3

3.4-5

Medical team of HA joined the team of Government officials to bring back 469 Hong Kong residents stranded in Hubei Province to Hong Kong.

3.11

WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

3.13

UV sanitisers are provided in various hospitals for staff to disinfect their gadgets.

3.17

The Government issued the Red Outbound Travel Alert on all overseas countries / territories.

3.19

HA staff with travel history, even if they are asymptomatic, could conduct voluntary saliva tests for COVID-19 at eight staff clinics within 14 days upon arrival.

3.20

HA set up test centres at AsiaWorld-Expo and North Lantau Hospital, providing tests for people with symptoms upon their arrival.

3.25

COVID-19 triage and test stations have been set up in AEDs in hospitals where tests are arranged for suspected patients.

3.25-26

HA deployed the medical team to bring back 558 Hong Kong residents stranded in Hubei Province to Hong Kong.

3.29

New requirements to reduce gatherings came into effect. It limits the distance between tables and number of people in catering premises, and closes premises such as fitness centres, party rooms and places of public entertainment.

3.31

HA converted general wards into second tier isolation wards, offering an additional 400 negative pressure beds.

2020.4

4.3

Worldwide confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 1 million with more than 50,000 deaths.

4.5

HA consolidated the test services of two test centres at AsiaWorld‑Expo.

4.11

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong hit 1,000 mark.

4.12

Hong Kong’s new confirmed cases dropped to single digit for the first time since mid-March.

4.15

Worldwide confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 2 million with more than 120,000 deaths.

4.19

In view of the declining number of travellers arriving Hong Kong, the operation of test centre at AsiaWorld-Expo was suspended from noon.

4.21

Patients recovered and discharged from hospital have tested positive again. It was suspected that residual viruses were left in the patients’ bodies.

4.22

HA began using a new coronavirus rapid test kit to obtain faster diagnostic results for COVID-19.

4.24

HA introduced locally produced NASK respirators for clinical use.

4.28

Worldwide confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 3 million with more than 200,000 deaths.

2020.5

5.10

Worldwide confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 4 million with more than 270,000 deaths.

5.12

The addition of a local confirmed case broke the record of zero local infection for 23 consecutive days. Some family members of the patient who lives in Lei Muk Shue Estate were also infected.

5.12

Admission screening is offered to institutional residents and patients admitted to psychiatric wards. Inpatients presented with influenza-like illness symptoms will also be tested. And there was an update on discharge criteria for COVID-19 patients.