Hong Kong officials imposed a strict 48-hour shutdown on Saturday, forcing thousands of residents to stay in their homes as the coronavirus outbreak in the city has worsened.
Authorities made the unprecedented move in the city’s Yau Tsim Mong district, focusing on 16 apartment buildings where residents will not be allowed to leave unless the virus is tested, the Associated Press reported.
Hong Kong received a second outbreak of coronavirus in November. More than 4,300 cases have been registered in the last two months, representing almost 40% of the total number of cases in the city. So far, officials have tried to avoid imposing strict closures on the busy city.
Coronavirus cases in Yau Tsim Mong district account for about half of last week’s infections.
To date, nearly 3,000 people in Yau Tsim Mong District have undergone coronavirus testing, which has joined thousands of others in the city, of which 7.5 million have been tested in recent days.