HONG KONG (AP) – Thousands of Hong Kong residents were imprisoned on Saturday in an unprecedented move to contain an worsening outbreak in the city, authorities said.
Hong Kong has been struggling to contain a new wave of the coronavirus since November. More than 4,300 cases have been registered in the past two months, accounting for almost 40% of the city total.
Coronavirus cases in Hong Kong’s Yau Tsim Mong neighborhood – a working-class neighborhood with old buildings and subdivided flats – account for about half of the infections in the past week.
Testing wastewater in the area picked up more concentrated traces of the virus, raising concerns that poorly built plumbing systems and a lack of ventilation in subdivided units could provide a potential pathway for the virus to spread.
Authorities said in a statement Saturday that an area of 16 buildings in Yau Tsim Mong will be closed until all residents have been tested. Residents should not leave their homes until they receive their test results to avoid cross-contamination.
“Persons subject to mandatory testing must remain on their premises until all of these individuals identified in the area have undergone testing and test results largely determined,” the government said in a statement.
Hong Kong has previously avoided city lockdowns during the pandemic, with leader Carrie Lam declaring in July last year that authorities will avoid such “extreme measures” unless it had no other choice.
The restrictions, announced at 4 a.m. in Hong Kong, are expected to end within 48 hours, the government said.
It called on employers to exercise discretion and avoid disadvantaging the pay of employees affected by the restrictions who may not be able to go to work.
Hong Kong has seen a total of 9,929 infections in the city, with 168 dead since Friday.