The new measure will target two districts covering a small but densely populated part of the Kowloon Peninsula.
Hong Kong will place tens of thousands of residents in an enclosure to contain a new outbreak of coronavirus, the first step the China-ruled city has taken since the pandemic began, according to the South China Morning Post on Friday.
The Post, citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation, said the new measure would target Jordan and Sham Shui Po districts, which cover a small but densely populated part of the Kowloon Peninsula.
The districts are home to many old flats that have been subdivided to give rise to more people, providing the kind of conditions under which the virus could spread most easily.
“Infection persistently high and spreading [in the areas] and wastewater monitoring suggests the outbreak is still uncontrolled, and there are still many silent springs in the area, ”a source said.
City health authorities, 7.5 million, first isolated four blocks of residential property in the area last Friday, preventing people from entering or leaving these buildings to make sure everyone residents were in quarantine.
The government will lift the blockade statement only when it is satisfied that all users in the area have been tested, according to the newspaper.
Gyms, closed cinemas
So far, Hong Kong has reported far fewer infections than other major cities in the world, registering less than 10,000 cases in the last year. The number of deaths in the territory is 167.
On Thursday, health workers reported 70 cases, 63 of them locally procured, 16 of which had unknown origins.
Last week, the city expanded work from home for officials.
Other COVID restrictions include a ban on eating at home after 18:00 (10:00 GMT) and the closure of facilities such as gyms, sports venues, beauty salons and cinemas.
Health workers wear Hazmat suits as residents of a neighborhood line up to take a mandatory COVID-19 test following a rebound in Kowloon Jordanian District cases [Anthony Wallace/AFP]
Hong Kong is also expected to require the flight crew to enter the territory for more than two hours to quarantine it in a hotel for two weeks.
Meanwhile, officials have ordered medical workers to refrain from socializing with other people after four nurses from various hospitals tested positive or preliminary positive for the virus, the Hong Kong Free Press reported.
“We would like to remind our colleagues not to eat together during work or vacation,” said Linda Yu, a senior health official.
“Soon is the lunar New Year’s holiday, we hope that our colleagues can tolerate a little [longer] and maintaining social distancing “.