A slew of measures has been taken by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to tackle the outbreak of coronavirus across China, including suspending flights and trains to Wuhan indefinitely, canceling major Chinese Lunar New Year events, extending health declaration policy to all of the city's entry points, and the declaration of a state of emergency.
In addition, two prominent amusement parks in Hong Kong, including Disneyland and Ocean Park, have announced their shutdown until further notice as part of the efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus.
"As a precautionary measure in line with prevention efforts taking place across Hong Kong, we are temporarily closing Hong Kong Disneyland park from today out of consideration for the health and safety of our guests and cast members," said in a statement issued by Hong Kong Disneyland.
"In response to the Government's enactment of Emergency Response Level for the severe respiratory disease associated with a novel infectious agent, putting the safety of our guests and staff first, Ocean Park will be temporarily closed from today," said Ocean Park in a statement online.
In both cases, the companies are providing refunds for those who had booked tickets online.
A prominent singer from Hong Kong Andy Lau has also announced to cancel his 12 concerts in Hong Kong.
Temple fair attendance marks record low
The number of visitors to the temple during the Lunar New Year, which has been a tradition in Hong Kong, saw a sharp decline.
In Won Tai Sin Temple, where locals make their wishes on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, the number of tourists was cut in half, largely due to the spread of the deadly virus.
"Last year, I had to wait for half an hour to get into the temple. It seems easier this year, but due to the coronavirus people are more concerned and [try to] avoid the crowded places," said James Liu, a local resident.
"Everywhere [are] people, and it's easy to get infected… I think I'll stay at home," said another resident in Hong Kong.
Shortages in surgical masks
Mask shortages have been a big concern all across China. Hong Kong residents all rush to stock up on surgical masks, only to find out the price tags on these daily necessities are times higher than usual. Some shops have put a quota on how many packs of masks each individual can purchase at one time.
"Only five packs of surgical masks are allowed for each customer, and each pack contains 20 masks," said a shop owner to CGTN.
"They shouldn't rip off customers at this juncture… Earlier I prepared some masks, but I don't know if I'll be able to buy any when they run out. There are some shops who are helping though… They are promising to sell masks at reasonable prices," said a local resident who tried to purchase masks but was put off by the high price.
Chief Executive of the HKSAR Carrie Lam earlier sent a letter to Beijing, in the hope of importing surgical masks from the Chinese mainland, though Hong Kong Secretary of Labor and Welfare went on record as saying the masks in Hong Kong could sustain for another three months.
Back in 2003 when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) broke out across Asia, nearly 300 people were killed in Hong Kong alone.
Carrie Lam held a news conference on January 25 regarding coronavirus prevention in the region: click here to watch the rebroadcast of the news conference.