Hong Kong authorities said they would allow some children testing positive for Covid-19 to remain at home, rather than being separated from their parents and hospitalised, after a public outcry from families across the city. Some families had despaired over strict Covid rules that saw even toddlers in some cases taken away from their parents and isolated, prompting some families to leave the city. 

Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority said that not all Covid-positive children would be required to go to hospital. “In general, confirmed children in stable condition can rest at home,” the authority said in a statement.