Hong Kong has reported a record 8,674 new Covid-19 infections, as the city prepares for compulsory testing of its residents after authorities extended the toughest social restrictions imposed since the pandemic began.

With bars, gyms and other businesses already closed and shopping malls deserted while many residents work from home, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that schools would break early for summer and resume the new year in August.

Some school campuses could then be used for testing and isolation as mandatory checks for infections begin next month.

Residents would need to test three times, with the city of 7.4 million able to test about one million people a day, Lam said.