Hong Kong reports 164 new COVID-19 cases

HONG KONG, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong on Thursday recorded 164 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The newly reported cases consist of 48 imported cases and 116 local cases.

Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), told a press conference Thursday that the existing social distancing measures will be extended by another two weeks to last until Feb. 17, and some schools will suspend face-to-face classes until Feb. 21.

Lam also said the HKSAR government will move to accelerate the inoculation program to achieve a 90-percent first-dose vaccination rate.

As of Thursday, about 5.3 million people, or 78.6 percent of the eligible population in Hong Kong, have taken at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Lam said Hong Kong will introduce a "vaccination passport" scheme on Feb. 24 and make more venues not accessible to those unvaccinated.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong will extend its suspension of incoming flights from eight countries, originally set to run from Jan. 8 for 14 days, to Feb. 18.

The ban affects passengers from Australia, Britain, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United States, including transferring passengers.

Lam also said Hong Kong will shorten its 21-day quarantine requirement for inbound travelers to two weeks from Feb. 5.