Coronavirus cases at Hong Kong school spark major quarantine, testing response; city confirms 32 new infections and imposes fresh lockdowns
- Teachers, students, janitors among those ordered into confinement, with mandatory Covid-19 testing imposed on entire Shau Kei Wan Government Secondary School community
- More than 20 Quarry Bay households evacuated; fresh lockdowns for overnight screening declared at three sites in Kowloon
Both the infected pupils at Shau Kei Wan Government Secondary School live in Wai Lee Building in Quarry Bay, which has been hit by seven Covid-19 cases so far, and officials on Monday evacuated more than 20 households from the block after experts found evidence of vertical transmission of the disease as well as faulty pipes.
Authorities confirmed 32 new cases citywide as they ordered another daily lockdown for mandatory testing overnight – this time for residents of Hang On Building and 46A-46C Kweilin Street in Sham Shui Po, as well as Man Ying Building in Jordan.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor late on Monday visited the restricted zone around Man Ying Building, where she was greeted by noisy protests from residents and district councillors against the disruption from repeated lockdowns in the area. She left after about 20 minutes.
Police commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung later paid a brief visit to one of the lockdown areas in Sham Shui Po, where he was given a mixed reception.
All but four of the latest confirmed infections were locally transmitted and six were untraceable, taking the official tally to 10,667, with 186 related deaths. More than 20 other people have tested preliminary-positive for the virus.