Coronavirus: Tan Fook braces for the worse as Hong Kong suffers new COVID-19 wave

Former Malaysian doubles shuttler Choong Tan Fook, now coaching with the Hong Kong national team, lamented a surge of COVID-19 cases on the island in recent days.

The dire situation was made worse for the Perak-born coach being away from his wife Zhang Jiewen, a former doubles specialist herself, and their two kids, who were based in Guangzhou, China.

"At this point, I can only stay in Hong Kong. Travel is restricted due to a 28-day quarantine period [14 days each in Guangzhou and Hong Kong], so it's better to stay in Hong Kong.

"Of course I [also] miss Malaysia a lot, it’s my home after all. But for now, we have to adhere to the regulations. The situation in Hong Kong has gotten worse due to new cases emerging," Choong told Stadium Astro.

The Hong Kong national side's training commenced as usual for the time being, but the situation may change depending on the COVID-19 situation — it hit a record daily high of 108 cases in Hong Kong on Sunday.

Many businesses including bars, gyms and nightclubs were ordered to close, while there were no dine-ins in restaurants after 6pm.

But the former world number one said the public was adhering to all safety measures, including social distancing and wearing a mask at all times.

"Here, everyone follows the rules, it is a mandatory regulation. We are more careful than ever after the second wave of cases," he said.

On court, Choong’s main responsibility lies with mixed doubles duo Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, currently ranked 10th in the world.

Before the BWF World Tour was suspended indefinitely in March, the pair's best showing this year was reaching the All England quarter-finals.