Hong Kong reports no new local COVID-19 cases for 17 consecutive days

Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported no new local confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the 17th consecutive day that no local infections were recorded in Hong Kong.

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday local time, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong remained at 1,040, the CHP said.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said on Wednesday that she felt relieved that the epidemic situation in Hong Kong was stabilizing, but stressed that the HKSAR government will continue closely monitoring the situation overseas and intercepting imported cases at the airport.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on Tuesday the relaxation of social distancing measures, including allowing some entertainment venues to reopen and schools to resume classes, as the COVID-19 epidemic is subsiding in Hong Kong.

The HKSAR government started to resume public services in phases since this week. Some leisure venues, libraries and museums administered by the HKSAR government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department partially reopened starting from Wednesday.

The HKSAR government announced on Tuesday to distribute locally-invented reusable face masks to Hong Kong residents for free to ease the shortage of protective gears.

As of 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday, nearly 1.38 million Hong Kong residents had applied online for the free reusable masks.