Hong Kong shuts down schools again

Hong Kong is closing its schools again, as a surge in coronavirus cases within the community after a long stretch without infections forces the financial hub to reinstate restrictions that had been loosened.

All schools will break for summer holiday starting Monday, Hong Kong Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung said in a briefing Friday.

The Hong Kong Economic Times reported earlier that the city would shut the schools.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index extended declines as trading resumed after the lunch break, falling as much as 2.3%. The Hang Seng China Enterprises gauge slipped as much as 2.7%, its biggest intraday drop since May 22.

The city reported 34 locally transmitted cases on Thursday, the most in a single day since the pandemic began.

The resurgence in Hong Kong, while small relative to outbreaks in the U.S. and elsewhere, comes after weeks of normalized activity as people returned to work and restaurants filled up again.

Hong Kong started reopening schools in late May after four months of at-home classes.

Dhaka/Mukul