Hong Kong's government invoked emergency powers on Thursday to allow doctors and nurses from the Chinese mainland to work in the territory to help combat a spiraling coronavirus outbreak.
The densely populated metropolis is in the throes of its worst-ever COVID wave, registering thousands of cases every day, overwhelming hospitals and government efforts to isolate all infected people in dedicated units.
Hong Kong authorities have followed a "COVID zero" strategy similar to mainland China that had kept infections mostly at bay throughout the pandemic.