HONG KONG (AP) – Thousands of Hong Kong residents were imprisoned on Saturday in an unprecedented move to contain a worsening outbreak in the city, authorities said.
Hong Kong is struggling to contain a new wave of coronavirus since November. More than 4,300 cases have been registered in the last two months, 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 apartments – account for about half of last week’s infections.
Wastewater testing in the area detected more concentrated traces of the virus, causing concern that poorly constructed sanitation and lack of ventilation in subdivided units may present a possible pathway for the virus to spread.
Authorities said in a statement on Saturday that an area comprising 16 buildings in Yau Tsim Mong would be blocked until all residents were tested. Residents will not be allowed to leave their homes until they receive test results to prevent cross-infection.
“People undergoing mandatory testing must remain on their premises until all such persons identified in the area have been tested and the results of the tests are largely ascertained,” the government said in a statement.
Hong Kong previously avoided a blockade in the city during the pandemic, with leader Carrie Lam declaring in July last year that authorities would avoid taking such “extreme measures” unless he had no choice.
The restrictions, which were announced at 4 a.m. in Hong Kong, are expected to end in 48 hours, the government said.
He called on employers to exercise discretion and avoid docking the salaries of employees who have been affected by restrictions and cannot go to work.
Hong Kong recorded a total of 9,929 infections in the city, with 168 deaths recorded since Friday.