Temperatures are forecast to fall to 9 degrees Celsius at the weekend, raising concerns in particular over COVID-19 patients waiting outdoors to be hospitalized.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued a cold weather warning at 4:20pm on Friday.
The forecaster added temperatures will dip to 9 degrees Celsius on the coming Sunday and Monday. It is expected to be a few degrees lower in the New Territories.
“A cold front will move across the coast of Guangdong in the small hours tomorrow. It will become cold appreciably over the region in the morning,” its website read on Friday.
“Under the influence of the associated intense winter monsoon, it will be persistently cold and windy over the coast of Guangdong during the weekend to midweek next week.”
The cold spell raises further worries over the health of COVID-19 patients waiting at open areas in or outside hospitals to be admitted.
With the city’s public hospitals reaching full capacity, many such patients — including elderly — can be seen waiting outside these hospital buildings the past few days.
In an interview with Commercial Radio on Friday, a medical professional said there were senior citizens and children showing signs of hypothermia while waiting at these outdoor spaces.
She added that there are currently only six nurses on shift at her hospital’s accident and emergency department at night, and they have to take care of over 100 patients.
She said the pressure is huge, adding many of them have no time to eat.
