With widespread testing, contact tracing and population behavioural changes, Hong Kong appears to have managed to contain the first wave of COVID-19 without resorting to drastic measures like complete lockdown which now threaten to damage economies of several countries around the world, say scientists in a Lancet study.
A combination of border entry restrictions, quarantine and isolation of cases and contacts, together with some degree of social distancing helped the city with a 7.5 million population avert a major COVID-19 outbreak up to March 31, said the study published in The Lancet Public Health journal.
“By quickly implementing public health measures, Hong Kong has demonstrated that the virus transmission can be effectively contained without resorting to the highly disruptive complete lockdown,” said professor Benjamin Cowling from the University of Hong Kong, who led the research.
