The local switchover rate is relatively fast compared to other nearby jurisdictions, says post and telecoms chief Lau Wai Meng.
City
After a three-year hiatus, the iconic event will take place in September and October, featuring 10 competitors from Japan, Portugal, mainland China and elsewhere.
In a written submission to the government, lawmaker Ron Lam speaks of ‘situations of plaster coming off, windows falling, injuries, [and] damage to vehicles’ caused by older buildings.
Cultural Affairs Bureau president Leong Wai Man says the event, drawing large numbers of spectators and international participants before its suspension in 2020, will be held in the first half of 2024.
The revised protocols come as around 1,000 residents a day turn up at Conde de São Januário Hospital seeking treatment for flu-like illnesses.
Official figures show a major spike in such cases during the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2022.
The number of hospitalisations from Covid is also on the rise, with researchers predicting thousands of infections per day before the end of the month.
Sailing frequencies have surged with the post-pandemic normalisation of travel, but officials say vessels are still not at maximum capacity.
The news comes as the city braces for a new coronavirus surge, with as many as 6,000 people a day expected to become infected later this month according to researchers.