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Special prayers in Macau as coronavirus batters Hong Kong

Hong Kong has recorded about 540,000 cases and more than 2,300 deaths, mostly in the past two weeks
Special prayers in Macau as coronavirus batters Hong Kong

A general view shows a temporary isolation facility to house Covid-19 patients in the Tsing Yi district of Hong Kong on March 8. (Photo: Dale de la Rey/AFP)

Published: March 09, 2022 05:44 AM GMT
Updated: March 09, 2022 08:25 AM GMT

Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang of Macau has appealed to local Catholics to join in a week-long special novena prayer for citizens of Hong Kong as the former British colony struggles to contain its worst-ever outbreak of Covid-19.

From March 11-19, in addition to the Prayer to St. Roch, a prayer released earlier by Pope Francis will be recited in all parishes after public Masses, "with the special prayer intention for our brothers and sisters in neighboring Hong Kong in the midst of the worsening epidemic,” says a notice from Father Cyril Jerome Law, the chancellor of Macau Diocese, issued on March 7.

Hong Kong has been recording alarmingly high numbers of new cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant of Covid-19 over the past few weeks.

The Asian financial hub has recorded 540,000 infections and more than 2,300 deaths, mostly in the past two weeks, Reuters reported.

On March 8, Hong Kong registered more than 43,100 new cases after city authorities launched an online contact tracing app, Leave Home Safe, for people to record infections. The massive surge in infections has seen the city recording the highest deaths globally per million people in the week up to March 6, according to Our World In Data.

On the day, the city reported 160 deaths in the previous 24 hours.

"Reducing infection, severe cases and deaths is Hong Kong's most urgent and top priority at the current stage. After we achieve the first target, we will then move on to the second and third goals"

In an effort to control the pandemic, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam has announced a mass testing plan for the entire population. It will start on March 26 and continue for nine days, local media reported.

A senior Chinese health official has called on Hong Kong to stick with its coronavirus strategy and insisted that the situation must be turned around as soon as possible.

Hong Kong "must persevere with its dynamic zero strategy," Liang Wannian, an expert from China's National Health Commission, told the state-run Xinhua news agency.

"Reducing infection, severe cases and deaths is Hong Kong's most urgent and top priority at the current stage," said Liang, who is in Hong Kong to oversee coronavirus countermeasures. "After we achieve the first target, we will then move on to the second and third goals."

The new outbreak has panicked residents in the city of 7.4 million. Its hospitals, isolation center and funeral parlors have been outstretched. Public transport, shopping malls, markets and pharmacies are struggling to run amid an acute shortage of manpower.

The virus surge has triggered a hike in food prices. Panic buying by shoppers has seen supermarket shelves run out of stock every day.    

Hong Kong’s Catholic Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan has expressed unease over services as virus cases surge and appealed to Catholics to live up the Lenten spirit despite the health emergency.

Bishop Chow has also asked the government to provide more options for isolated elderly people at shelters and hospitals.

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