Coronavirus Hong Kong: city detects first suspected local case involving Delta variant; overnight lockdowns ordered in Tai Po
- As of Thursday morning, overnight testing had identified no positive cases at estate where coronavirus was detected in sewage samples
- If confirmed, the infection would end a 16-day streak of zero local cases
Wednesday’s preliminary-positive case, the source of which is unknown, involved an airport worker who lives in Tai Po, where the coronavirus was also detected in sewage samples. If confirmed, the infection would end a 16-day streak of zero local cases.
The suspected Delta case was discovered as the city moved to add Indonesia to its list of places deemed “extremely high-risk” after the amount of imported infections from the country triggered a suspension of flights. The designation means anyone who has been in the country for more than two hours is banned from entering Hong Kong.
The ban for Indonesia will kick in on Friday. Similar bans on India, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines would remain in place, the government said on Wednesday.
At 7pm on Wednesday evening, officials announced that Wan Hang House in Tai Po’s Wan Tau Tong Estate – where the suspected variant case lived – would be locked down so all residents could undergo compulsory coronavirus screening before 2am the next day. Any visitors who had been to the building for at least two hours between June 3 and Wednesday would also need to be tested by Friday.
As of Thursday morning, no positive cases had been found.
The lockdown came just hours after the government issued mandatory testing orders for eight nearby residential developments – Yat Nga Court, King Nga Court, Tak Nga Court, Classical Gardens, Dynasty View, Grand Dynasty View, The Balmoral and Ha Wun Yiu Village – after detecting a “very high viral load” in sewage samples from the area.
