HONG KONG – In a first, Hong Kong will place thousands of its residents in a lockdown to curb a new outbreak of COVID.
The new measure will target the Jordan and Sham Shui Po districts which cover a small, but densely populated part of the Kowloon Peninsula, said a source.
The districts are home to many ageing, subdivided flats in which the virus could spread more easily.
“Persistently high and spreading infection [in the areas] and sewage surveillance suggest the outbreak is not yet under control, and many silent sources still exist within the area,” said the source.
The lockdown will be lifted only when the government is satisfied that everyone in the lockdown area has been tested, a media report said.
Flight crew entering the Asian financial hub for more than two hours are required to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks.
Hong Kong has so far reported far fewer infections than other major world cities, recording less than 10,000 in the past year, 167 of whom have died.
Last week, the city extended work from home arrangements for civil servants. Other COVID restrictions include a ban on in-house dining after 6 pm and the closure of facilities such as gyms, sports venues, beauty salons and cinemas.
