HONG KONG (AP) – Thousands of Hong Kong residents were locked in their homes on Saturday in an unprecedented move to curb the worsening of the coronavirus outbreak in the city.
Authorities said in a statement that an area consisting of 16 buildings in the city’s Yau Tsim Mong district would be blocked until all residents were tested. Residents would not be allowed to leave their homes until they received test results to prevent cross-infection.
“People subject to mandatory testing are required to remain on their premises until all persons identified in the area have undergone the test and the results of the tests are mostly verified,” said the government statement.
The restrictions, announced at 4 am in Hong Kong, were due to end in 48 hours, the government said.
Hong Kong has been struggling to contain a new wave of coronavirus since November. More than 4,300 cases have been reported in the past two months, representing almost 40% of the city’s total.
Coronavirus cases in Yau Tsim Mong district accounted for about half of infections in the past week.
Approximately 3,000 people in Yau Tsim Mong had tested for coronavirus so far, according to the Hong Kong government, joining thousands of others around the crowded city of 7.5 million people who tested in the United States. last days.
The police guarded access points to the working-class neighborhood of old buildings and subdivided apartments and arrested a 47-year-old man after he allegedly attacked a police officer. The man was reportedly told that he would have to be tested after entering the restricted area and would not be allowed to leave until he could give a negative result.
Sewage tests in the area detected more concentrated traces of the virus, raising concerns that poorly constructed plumbing systems and a lack of ventilation in subdivided units may represent a possible path for the spread of the virus.
Hong Kong had already avoided blockades in the city during the pandemic, with leader Carrie Lam declaring in July last year that the authorities would avoid taking such “extreme measures” unless they had no other choice.
The government called on employers to exercise discretion and to avoid reducing the salary of employees who were affected by the new restrictions and may not be able to work.
Hong Kong registered a total of 9,929 infections in the city, with 168 deaths registered as of Friday.