Hong Kong authorities to unveil additional COVID-19 relief measures after $37bn package

Hong Kong authorities are planning to unveil a new set of COVID-19 relief measures later this month in order to support businesses and residents. As per South China Morning Post reports, the new relief measures specifically target those that have been negatively impacted by social-distancing measures implemented to stop the spread of COVID-19 infection.

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New COVID relief packages planned

According to reports, Hong Kong had previously unveiled a relief package worth $37 billion which included cash handouts as well as wage subsidies to help struggling businesses stay afloat. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc, Hong Kong in an attempt to return to normalcy has reached out to destinations like Thailand and Japan in hopes of creating travel bubbles.

A sharp fall in cases in the city is reported to have resulted in authorities slowly lifting restrictions, as well as increasing the number of people allowed to gather in public from two to four. The drop in cases has also prompted the authorities to allow beauty salons and gyms to reopen. Even with restrictions being eased, authorities have urged citizens to maintain vigilance. Since the start of the pandemic, Hong Kong has recorded nearly 5,000 virus cases and has reported 100 virus-related deaths.

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Mass testing in Hong Kong

Meanwhile, about 500,000 Hong Kong residents have signed up for free COVID-19 testing under the city government's mass testing campaign. The free universal coronavirus tests provided by the authorities began on September 1. About 80 testing sites that have been prepared by the government in gymnasiums and community centres have already been completely booked days before the testing started.

The COVID-19 pandemic which saw its first outbreak in a wet market in Wuhan, China last year has now spread all across the world. The virus, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation, has infected over 28 million people worldwide with the global death toll reaching over 900,000.

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