Hong Kong Law Firm Partner and Wife Test Positive for COVID-19
A 69-year-old partner at local boutique Kwan & Chow Solicitors became the first reported infection in Hong Kong's legal sector.
March 10, 2020 at 06:20 AM
4 minute read
Police stand guard outside the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village, a temporary quarantine camp for the Wuhan coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, in Hong Kong, China, on Thursday Jan. 23, 2020. Photographer: May James/Bloomberg
A Hong Kong-based Kwan & Chow Solicitors partner and his wife have contracted the coronavirus.
The boutique law firm, located in Central's Wellington Place, said in a statement that the rest of the firm's staff are being tested and so far no one has shown any symptoms or signs of having been infected. Most of the firm's staff are working from home, according to the statement, and only essential staff attend the office for monitoring.
The firm said its entire office, including common areas and toilets, was sanitized on Saturday by a professional sanitation company.
"Items and papers leaving our firm will be sprayed with disinfection spray," said the firm.
Kwan & Chow Solicitors has three partners: Alfred Chow, Paul Wong and Kenny Ho and five additional lawyers. The firm handles a range of commercial and family law matters as well as criminal defense.
The partner's case corresponds to local newspaper reports of the 108th confirmed COVID-19 infection in Hong Kong.
According to information released by the Hong Kong Department of Health, the 108th infected patient is a 69-year-old man who is asymptomatic and has no recent travel history. He tested positive for COVID-19 on March 6. His wife, however, returned to Hong Kong from a tour in India in late February, and was confirmed as the 105th infection on March 4. Another member of the tour also tested positive for the virus.
As of Monday, Hong Kong has 115 confirmed infections of COVID-19, including 59 patients cured and discharged from hospital. The disease has killed three people in the territory.
Since January, Hong Kong has imposed strict travel restrictions and quarantine measures on travelers entering the territory. The city has closed all but three border checkpoints and prohibited non-resident travelers from South Korea from entering. All travelers entering from mainland China are immediately placed under a two-week compulsory quarantine.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong, seen as an area with high transmission risks, is itself subject to travel restrictions from other countries. International airlines such as American Airlines and Air Canada suspended all flights to Hong Kong; others including British Airways halved their Hong Kong flights. Japan suspended its visa-waiver program with Hong Kong until the end of March.
Globally, the coronavirus has spread to over 100 countries and regions and has infected more than 100,000 people. The deadly virus has killed over 4,000 people worldwide, as of March 10, with the vast majority of deaths occurring in mainland China.
Since March, the number of coronavirus infections in the U.S. has substantially gone up. Eight states, including New York and California, have declared a state of emergency in efforts to contain transmission of the virus.
On Sunday, a New York partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan also tested positive for COVID-19. The firm has decided to close its office in New York this week.
Elsewhere in the world, firms have taken measures after virus infection scares. Baker McKenzie temporarily closed its London office while Australia's Clayton Utz sent Sydney employees home for a couple of days.
Related Stories:
As Coronavirus Shutters Quinn Emanuel's NY Office, Law Firms Weigh Remote Work Options
Quinn Emanuel Partner Tests Positive With Coronavirus in NY; Firm to Keep Workers Home
Clayton Utz Employees Return to Sydney Office After Coronavirus Scare
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