Omicron: testing ordered for 35,000 residents at Hong Kong public housing estate as outbreak jumps fivefold to 105 cases

Name: Coronavirus: ‘exponential’ outbreak of Omicron triggers lockdowns in Hong Kong housing blocks
Uploaded: 2022-01-22T04:23:23.000Z
Duration: 3 min 1 s
Description: Coronavirus: ‘exponential’ outbreak of Omicron triggers lockdowns in Hong Kong housing blocks

‘Exponential’ surge in infections forces authorities to lock down a second building at Kwai Chung Estate for five days and four others overnight

Residents at remaining 10 blocks to be screened, while Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam warns social-distancing measures expected to remain in place past Lunar New Year

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Elderly residents are moved out of a nursing home at Kwai Chung Estate on Saturday. Photo Edmond So

Elizabeth Cheung,Gigi ChoyandKathleen Magramo

Published: 12:23pm, 22 Jan 2022Updated: 2:19pm, 23 Jan 2022

Hong Kong authorities placed a second block of flats under lockdown for five days at a coronavirus-hit public housing estate after an “exponential” surge of more than 100 infections in a single day, dashing hopes of any significant relaxing of social-distancing rules during the Lunar New Year period.

Saturday marked two years since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic in Hong Kong as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also announced that an overnight lockdown would be imposed on four blocks of Kwai Chung Estate, while the remaining 10 would be issued with a mandatory testing notice. Infections have been reported in at least four buildings on the sprawling estate, home to almost 35,000 residents.

“An exponential outbreak has happened on this estate,” Lam said, noting the number of infections had jumped fivefold to at least 105 from Friday to Saturday. “According to information from the World Health Organization, the [Omicron] variant can increase confirmed infections exponentially in two to three days.”

The escalating public health crisis prompted discussion about the greater implications for China’s battle against the coronavirus, with a pro-Beijing newspaper calling it a war that could threaten national safety and urging Hong Kong to seek help from the central government if needed while preparing for a worst-case scenario.

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Coronavirus: ‘exponential’ outbreak of Omicron triggers lockdowns in Hong Kong housing blocks

Health officials confirmed 26 new coronavirus cases citywide on Saturday, all but one locally transmitted. Three were untraceable. The additions brought the tally of confirmed cases to 13,146, with 213 related deaths.

The unprecedented operation in Kwai Chung has escalated sharply from an overnight lockdown of a single block three days ago to encompassing the entire estate.