Hong Kong:
Hong Kong’s government locked down an region of Kowloon peninsula on Saturday just after an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, saying 10,000 residents will have to keep property till they have been tested and the outcomes largely determined.
The initially such measure the city has taken given that the pandemic started has occurred in the densely populated neighbourhoods of Jordan that is property to numerous ageing, subdivided flats in which the virus could spread more simply.
The government stated there are 70 buildings in the restricted region, which is close to the International Commerce Centre (ICC), and it aims to finish the procedure inside about 48 hours, so that men and women can start off to return to work on Monday.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam stated 50 makeshift testing points had been set up and 3,000 civil servants had been assisting.
“We are doing this also to dispel worries of the residents because there was talk that this is an epidemic area and it affected the life, psychology and business of the people here,” Lam stated at a briefing close to the cordoned-off region.
By 1 pm (0500 GMT) neighborhood time on Saturday, the government stated about 3,000 men and women had been tested in the restricted region.
The restricted region has confirmed 162 confirmed circumstances of COVID-19 this month, and the ratio of virus detected in sewage samples from buildings there was greater than that of other places.
Authorities in Hong Kong, a single of the world’s most densely populated cities, have taken aggressive measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Other existing restrictions contain a ban on in-home dining just after 6 p.m. and the closure of facilities such as gyms, sports venues, beauty salons and cinemas.
Last week, the city extended work from property arrangements for civil servants till Jan. 27.
Hong Kong logged 81 new circumstances of coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total quantity to 10,010. More than 160 men and women have died. At the outbreak’s peak for the city in July 2020, the highest everyday tally was 149 new infections.
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