Primary schools have been allowed to resume half-day face-to-face classes since April 19, while secondary schools and kindergartens can resume in-person classes from today.

The Centre for Health Protection's principal medical and health officer, Albert Au Ka-wing, said yesterday around 1,500 kindergartens and 400 secondary schools will resume face-to-face classes today.

He appealed to students to take rapid tests before going to school to reduce the risk of Covid transmission at campuses.

Au said around 600 primary schools had already resumed in-person classes last week. During that period, around 350,000 students and 50,000 teaching staff were taking Covid tests each day, with around 10 cases recorded every day on average, he said.

"The number of students and teaching staff getting tested tomorrow may double, therefore we assume there could be 10 to 20 cases being detected in schools," Au said.

"But it's hard to predict the actual infection numbers because many secondary school and kindergartener students have not been tested for a while so the rapid tests conducted tomorrow could detect some previous infections," he added.

Au said the CHP has uploaded instructions on collecting samples from young kids online.

The Education Bureau yesterday said it will be holding two online lectures with the Hong Kong Paediatric Society on vaccinations for children this Thursday and Saturday.

It will also organize at least seven "vaccination day" activities in districts to further boost the uptake rate among students.

Meanwhile, the chief manager of integrated clinical services at the Hospital Authority, Larry Lee Lap-yip, said services at 10 general out-patient clinics across the city will resume today.

Services at the 10 clinics had been temporarily suspended as the authority had to dedicate manpower and resources toward designated clinics for Covid patients. Lee said the clinics are reopening due to increased demand for general outpatient medical services, but the 23 designated clinics will continue to receive Covid patients.

Hong Kong yesterday recorded 283 new cases - 120 detected via PCR tests and 163 through rapid tests. Of these, 11 were imported, including a 45-year-old man from Thailand who tested positive on day 12 of arriving.

Au said the man and three companions arrived from Thailand on April 19 and that it's possible he contracted the virus locally.

The SAR also saw five more deaths, including three patients aged 74 to 98 who died on Sunday and two aged 78 and 92 who died on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the SAR administration said yesterday sewage samples from buildings in Tuen Mun, Kowloon City, Sai Kung, Sham Shui Po, Tsuen Wan and Yau Tsim Mong have tested positive.

The districts' offices will distribute 240,000 rapid test kits to residents, cleaning workers and property management staff in the areas, it said.