REUTERS
December 21, 2020 at 12:05 JST
Customers wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus shop for decorations at a store ahead of the Christmas holiday in Hong Kong on Dec. 19. (AP Photo)
HONG KONG--Hong Kong police late on Sunday caught a COVID-19 positive patient who escaped on Friday from one of the city’s largest hospitals while undergoing treatment.
Li Wan-keung, 63, initially identified as patient 7379, was admitted to the isolation ward of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on December 14 after it was confirmed he had COVID-19.
However, police said the man escaped the ward via a stairwell on Friday, wearing a jacket over hospital clothes.
Police said on its Facebook page late on Sunday Li was caught in the working-class neighborhood of Mong Kok at around 2300 (1500 GMT) and sent to hospital for treatment.
Police said persons who escape quarantine may face a HK$5,000 ($645) penalty and up to two months imprisonment.
Hong Kong has so far reported more than 8,000 coronavirus cases and 130 deaths.
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