The Asian Age

HK: 10K in lockdown for urgent Covid tests

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Hong Kong, Jan. 23: Thousands of Hong Kong residents were locked down in their homes Saturday in an unpreceden­ted move to contain a worsening coronaviru­s outbreak in the city.

Authoritie­s said in a statement that an area comprising 16 buildings in the city’s Yau Tsim Mong district would be locked down until all residents were tested. Residents would not be allowed to leave their homes until they received their test results to prevent crossinfec­tion. “Persons subject to compulsory testing are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the area have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertaine­d,” the government statement said.

The restrictio­ns, which were announced at 4 a.m. in Hong Kong, were expected to end within 48 hours, the government said. Hong Kong has been grappling to contain a fresh wave of the coronaviru­s since November.

Hong Kong, Jan. 23: Thousands of Hong Kong residents were locked down on Saturday in an unpreceden­ted move to contain a worsening outbreak in the city, authoritie­s said.

Hong Kong has been grappling to contain a fresh wave of the coronaviru­s since November. Over 4,300 cases have been recorded in the last two months, making up nearly 40 per cent of the city's total.

Coronaviru­s cases in Hong Kong’s Yau Tsim Mong district – a working-class neighbourh­ood with old buildings and subdivided flats – made up about half of the infections in the past week. Sewage testing in the area picked up more concentrat­ed traces of the Covid19 virus, prompting concerns that poorly built plumbing systems and a lack of ventilatio­n in subdivided units may present a possible path for the virus to spread.

Authoritie­s said in a statement Saturday that an area comprising 16 buildings in Yau Tsim Mong will be locked down until all residents have undergone tests. Residents will not be allowed to leave their homes until they have received their test results to prevent cross-infection. “Persons subject to compulsory testing are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the area have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertaine­d,” the government said in a statement.

Hong Kong has previously avoided lockdowns in the city during the pandemic, with leader Carrie Lam stating in July last year that authoritie­s will avoid taking such “extreme measures”

unless it had no other choice. The restrictio­ns, which were announced at 4 am in Hong Kong, are expected to end within 48 hours, the government said.

It appealed to employers to exercise discretion and avoid docking the salary of employees who were affected by the restrictio­ns and may not be able to go to work.

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