HONG KONG (AP) – Thousands of Hong Kong residents were locked up Saturday in an unprecedented move to contain a worsening outbreak in the city, authorities said.
Hong Kong has been struggling to contain a new wave of coronaviruses since November. In the last two months, more than 4,300 cases have been registered, representing almost 40% of the city’s total.
Coronavirus cases in Hong Kong’s Yau Tsim Mong district, a working-class neighborhood with old buildings and subdivided floors, account for about half of last week’s infections.
Sewage tests in the area collected more concentrated traces of the virus, prompting concern that poorly constructed plumbing systems and lack of ventilation in subdivided units may present a possible pathway to spread.
Authorities said in a statement on Saturday that an area comprising 16 buildings in Yau Tsim Mong will be closed until all residents have been tested. Residents will not be able to leave their homes until they receive test results to prevent cross-infections.
“People undergoing mandatory testing should remain at their facilities until all these people identified in the area have been tested and the results of the tests are mostly known,” the government said in a statement.
Hong Kong has previously avoided blockades in the city during the pandemic, and leader Carrie Lam said in July last year that authorities would avoid taking these “extreme measures” unless they had no other choice.
The restrictions, announced at 4 a.m. in Hong Kong, are expected to end in 48 hours, according to the government.
He appealed to employers to exercise discretion and avoid charging the salary of employees affected by the restrictions and not being able to go to work.
Hong Kong has recorded a total of 9,929 infections in the city, with 168 deaths recorded as of Friday.