Coronavirus: Hong Kong health officials warn Covid-19 epidemic picking up pace again as scores quarantined after man found with mutated strain

First local case carrying the N501Y mutant gene involves 29-year-old man who worked in Dubai as an engineer, health officials confirm

Untraceable infections rose to their highest since March 14, accounting for six of the latest local cases

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Health officials move pets out of Parkes Building after requiring residents to enter quarantine. Photo: May Tse

Elizabeth Cheung,Victor Ting,Kanis LeungandLilian Cheng

Published: 12:19pm, 17 Apr 2021Updated: 10:13am, 18 Apr 2021

Hong Kong authorities have imposed their “toughest infection-control measures” to quarantine about 80 residents of a Jordan building for 21 days, after a man staying there was found to be infected with the city’s first community-detected mutant coronavirus strain.

The city confirmed 18 new cases on Saturday, eight of them locally transmitted – the highest number in that category since March 19. Untraceable infections also rose to their highest since March 14, accounting for six of the latest local cases.

Separately, more than 100 pupils and teachers at a kindergarten in Tseung Kwan O would be placed under quarantine after a teacher tested preliminary-positive. She had also been to a wedding banquet attended by around 200 people.

The building in the Jordan neighbourhood was locked down for mandatory testing. Photo: Handout

Centre for Health Protection controller Dr Ronald Lam Man-kin warned that the epidemic was picking up pace again, just as the government was planning to ease some social-distancing measures based on progress made in recent weeks.

He said the “toughest infection-control measures” were required and imposed on Friday night following the discovery of the city’s first local Covid-19 case with the N501Y mutation. Such a step was necessary due to the higher transmissibility of the mutated strain and the prevalence of subdivided flats in the building where the patient lived, he added.

The city’s tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic stood at 11,653, with 209 related deaths. More than 20 people tested preliminary-positive, mostly imported infections.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the centre’s communicable disease branch, confirmed the case with the mutant strain was a 29-year-old man with a Hong Kong identity card who worked in Dubai as an engineer.