Hong Kong reports 4 new COVID-19 cases, all imported

HONG KONG, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, all of which were imported, taking the total tally to 11,740.

A total of 155 cases have been recorded in the past 14 days, including 37 local cases. Of the 37 local cases, 17 are from unknown sources, according to the CHP.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Monday announced that the "Return2hk" travel scheme will be extended to Hong Kong residents staying in other mainland provinces and municipalities starting from April 29.

The scheme, which allows Hong Kong residents returning from neighboring Guangdong Province or the Macao Special Administrative Region to be exempted from a 14-day quarantine on meeting certain requirements, is as a first step to resume normal cross-boundary activities amongst residents of the three places in a gradual and orderly manner, a spokesman for the HKSAR government said.

Over 135,900 passenger trips have been made by Hong Kong residents to return to Hong Kong under the scheme, which has been implemented since Nov. 23, 2020, according to the spokesman.

Furthermore, the "Come2hk" travel scheme which will facilitate non-Hong Kong residents staying in Guangdong and Macao to come to Hong Kong without being subjected to compulsory quarantine requirement upon fulfillment of specified conditions, is scheduled for launch in mid-May, the spokesman said.

Hong Kong launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb. 26. About 842,800 people have received the first dose of vaccine, and about 432,500 have received the second so far.