Yuen Kwok-yung says people should stay home amid short supply of face masks

The Chair of Infectious Diseases of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, Yuen Kwok-yung, said today people should stay at home as much as possible as there is currently an insufficient supply of face masks in Hong Kong.

In a press briefing today, the leading microbiologist said the city could become an affected area of the Wuhan coronavirus at any time and the next 14 days is key. He said people should wear face masks when going outside and carry hand sanitizer to sanitize before eating or touching eyes.

On concerns of the level 1 masks – the lowest barrier of protection – provided by the Hospital Authority, Yuen said the protection is sufficient for medical workers who are not dealing with confirmed or suspected Wuhan coronavirus cases.

He also said it is hard to estimate the time needed to develop a vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus as it takes at least half to one year to perform experiments on animals and that experiments on people can only go ahead upon the approval of the regulatory authority.