Hong Kong reported 31,008 new cases of Covid and 153 deaths on Sunday as the city faces one of its worst surges since the pandemic began.

The China-ruled city is clinging to a “dynamic zero” Covid strategy as the surge in cases has overwhelmed isolation centres and hospitals. According to health experts, 15 per cent of Hong Kong’s 7.4 million residents have already been infected with Covid.

The city’s chief secretary John Lee asked residents not to worry about a looming mass-testing scheme likely to be implemented soon.

Mr Lee’s remarks came as supermarket shelves were left empty for the seventh day in a row, with anxious residents stocking up on various products. Authorities maintained that they were ensuring a steady food supply.

With soaring cases, Hong Kong has implemented a plethora of draconian restrictions, and has banned public gatherings of more than two people. The city has also sealed its borders and stopped flights arriving from countries including the US and Britain.

Under the strict rules, parents in the city were being separated from their babies who tested positive for Covid. Many restaurants and stores have been shuttered, with main districts eerily quiet and few residents out in what are typically busy neighbourhoods.

Speculation over a city-wide lockdown, along with the daily tweaking of Covid rules, led to widespread chaos among residents during the past week, with the government trying to reassure people.

In an effort to stop panic-buying, supermarket chain ParknShop announced on Friday a limit of five items per customer for staples such as rice, tinned food and toilet paper.

Carrie Lam, leader of the metropolis, has said the city will not have a full-blown lockdown once mass testing begins.

Hong Kong has recorded more than 470,000 Covid cases so far. Most of the city’s roughly 1,800 deaths were reported in the past two weeks, many of them among unvaccinated elderly people.