Hong Kong is bracing for a 2nd wave of coronavirus cases brought by people traveling from outside the city

• Hong Kong reported 48 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, on Friday.
• Of the newly infected people, 75% had a recent travel history.
• Facing a potential surge of infections over the next several weeks, the city is considering whether to bar outsiders from entering the city.
• "This is the worst time to relax because we're at the highest risk since this began," said University of Hong Kong medical dean Gabriel Leung.
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Hong Kong could face a new surge in cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, experts warn.

The semi-autonomous city, which shares a border with mainland China, reported 48 new cases of the virus Friday. It's the largest increase in infections over a single day since testing began.

Thirty-six - or 75% - of the newly infected people had recently travelled, according to Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection. One of them is a cab driver who had made trips to and from the airport. All but one of 48 are Hongkongers.

Some health authorities warn that unless city officials restrict travel, the virus could spread quickly. Health Minister Sophia Chan Siu-chee told legislators to consider preventing non-Hong Kong residents from entering the city, according to the South China Morning Post.

"As some of the cases had travel history a few days before ... with the incoming number of residents returning to Hong Kong, we may see a high number of cases for at least two weeks or more," Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan, chief of the Centre for Health Protection, told the Post.

Hong Kong now has 256 COVID-19 cases, 98 of which are recovered. But the spate of new cases is a warning sign that the virus could continue to spread quickly. The Hospital Authority, which oversees government hospitals in Hong Kong, said it might jettison additional non-urgent services to prepare for another outbreak.

"This is the worst time to relax because we're at the highest risk since this began," Professor Gabriel Leung, the dean of the University of Hong Kong's medical faculty and a member of Chief Executive Carrie Lam's expert panel on the epidemic, told the Post.

"It is absolutely critical especially as we have this influx of Hong Kong returnees starting from a few days ago and continuing for the next few days. This is the highest risk and we must be extra vigilant," Leung continued.

Another expert at the university, microbiologist Ho Pak-leung, warned that 200 new cases could emerge in the coming weeks from travellers alone.

"When one patient passes the virus to two people in the community to form an unknown number of hidden transmission chains, then it's very likely that we will have 400 to 600 cases in the next two weeks," Ho told the Post.

A massive number of travellers enter the city each day. On Thursday, more than 13,100 people arrived in Hong Kong, over 90% of whom are residents.

• Read more:
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