Editorial | Disruption should be kept to minimum in Hong Kong lockdowns
- Ambush-style tactics being used by the government at city housing blocks in the struggle against Covid-19 need to be refined to avoid further misunderstandings and inconvenience among residents
Hong Kong has apparently ushered in another new normal, with residents in virus-hit areas being abruptly confined for compulsory Covid-19 tests. Ambush-style lockdowns are the centre of the latest government strategy to combat a fourth wave of the outbreak across the city.
Officials are adamant that such “surprise, quick and targeted” operations will achieve “neighbourhood zero infections”. Whether this will be the case remains to be seen, but there is room for further improvement in such tactics.
The most recent operations at Yau Ma Tei and North Point were on a smaller scale and carried out quicker than the up to 48 hours it took at Jordan last weekend, causing residents and businesses less inconvenience.
However, people are understandably upset when daily routines are suddenly disrupted, and the lack of advance warning and clear selection criteria have left many wondering whether they will be among the next targets.
With no fewer than three snap confinements in six days, the latest in North Point on Thursday was relatively smooth. But details of the operation, which began at 7pm, were only released 16 minutes later in Chinese and at 10.28pm in English.
Many residents only realised what was going on upon returning home from work to see police directing crowds for registration and testing inside the cordoned off area.