HONG KONG (Reuters) – The Hong Kong government closed an area of the Kowloon Peninsula on Saturday following an outbreak of the new coronavirus, saying 10,000 residents should stay home until they have been tested and the results be largely determined.
The first such measure the city has taken since the pandemic began has occurred in Jordan’s densely populated neighborhoods, which are home to many aged and subdivided flats where the virus could spread more easily.
The government said there are 70 buildings in the restricted area, which is close to the International Trade Center (ICC), and that it intends to finish the process in about 48 hours so that people can return to work on Monday.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said 50 makeshift test points had been set up and 3,000 officials were helping.
“We also do it to dispel residents’ concerns because it was talked about as an epidemic area and affecting the lives, psychology and businesses of the people here, ”Lam said in a briefing close to the cordoned off area.
On Saturday, at 13:00 (05:00 GMT) local time, the government said about 3,000 people had been tested in the restricted area.
The restricted area has confirmed 162 confirmed cases of COVID-19 this month and the proportion of viruses detected in building wastewater samples there was higher than in other areas.
Authorities in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, have taken aggressive action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Other current restrictions include a ban on eating at home after 6pm and the closure of facilities such as gyms, sports venues, beauty salons and cinemas.
Last week, the city extended work from home arrangements to officials until Jan. 27.
Hong Kong registered 81 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total to 10,010. More than 160 people have died. At the city’s peak outbreak in July 2020, the highest daily count was 149 new infections.
Reports by Clare Jim and Twinnie Siu; Edited by Anne Marie Roantree and Edwina Gibbs