Hong Kong confirmed 113 new coronavirus or COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, which is a daily record, including 105 that got transmitted locally, adding to a slew of new cases that have hit the global financial hub in the past two weeks.
The city is expanding strict new social distancing measures from midnight Wednesday, mandating face masks in all indoor public areas including malls and markets, Health Secretary Sophia Chan said.
COVID-19 in Hong Kong
The deadly novel virus outbreak has claimed the lives of more than 616,000 people worldwide in more than 170 countries and is currently spreading like wildfire. The US is the worst affected nation due to the outbreak followed by Brazil and India.
The virus that probably originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan located in the Hubei province has affected more than 14.9 million people globally. Scientists around the world are currently working to find a cure for the disease.
(With agency inputs)
