Hong Kong third wave: two areas in east Kowloon emerging as new Covid-19 clusters, Post finds, while government ‘mulls partial lockdown’
- Choi Hung and Kwun Tong are seeing a surge in cases, as health authorities come under pressure to track new infections in buildings and test residents
- Post analysis shows at least 54 buildings citywide had recorded at least two unrelated infections
Choi Hung and Kwun Tong in eastern Kowloon have emerged as new Covid-19 clusters in Hong Kong with the number of confirmed cases there climbing, the Post has found, while sources said the government was considering a “partial lockdown” in high-risk areas to contain the city’s third wave of infections.
The growing trend for coronavirus outbreaks in housing estates is piling pressure on health officials who earlier pledged that testing would be arranged for everyone living in blocks recording at least two cases not from the same household.
The city’s health minister Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee said on Wednesday that she would not rule out more stringent social-distancing measures and would be willing to learn from how other countries executed lockdowns.
But sources familiar with the government’s decision-making said the administration was likely to go for a partial lockdown in certain areas if needed, which fell short of confining people to their homes but imposed more closures of facilities such as shopping centres.
“It would be unrealistic to carry out a complete lockdown for the whole city, but if there are certain clusters emerging, the government might consider a temporary shutdown of public facilities like shopping malls and markets within that area to avoid further community transmissions,” a source said.
No dine-in lunches can be another option [as a social-distancing restriction], the administration will implement measures in a gradual approach
Another source said residents still needed to go out to stock up on daily necessities and for essential appointments such as visiting the doctor.
“No dine-in lunches can be another option [as a social-distancing restriction], the administration will implement measures in a gradual approach,” the source said.
Hong Kong is suffering its most severe phase of the Covid-19 crisis, with more than 980 cases recorded since July 5, pushing the city’s tally to 2,249. Nearly half of the 832 local cases confirmed in that period have unknown sources of infection.
To track down more community cases, health authorities announced last week that testing priority would be given to residents of buildings where at least two unrelated cases were identified.