Hong Kong tightens coronavirus restrictions, new cases hit record high

A subway station in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), July 14, 2020. /Reuters

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has ordered most of its 180,000 civil servants to work from home from Monday as the city registered a record high of 108 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.

The HKSAR government has also decided to extend compulsory mask wearing to cover all public indoor areas, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a press briefing.

The move comes as the financial hub tightened social distancing measures to battle the recent resurgence of local coronavirus infections.

Lam said the government will only provide essential and emergency services, returning to the service level in February.

Hong Kong has registered 1,885 COVID-19 cases as of 5 p.m. local time on Sunday, with 12 deaths.