Hong Kong's government has invoked emergency powers to allow doctors and nurses from the Chinese mainland to work in the territory to help combat a spiralling coronavirus outbreak, AFP reports.

“Hong Kong is now facing a very dire epidemic situation which continues to deteriorate rapidly,” the government said in its statement announcing the use of emergency powers.

Chinese mainland medics are not currently allowed to operate in Hong Kong without passing local exams and licensing regulations.

The emergency powers “exempt certain persons or projects from all relevant statutory requirements ... so as to increase Hong Kong's epidemic control capacity for containing the fifth wave within a short period of time”, the statement said.