The government declared a weekend lockdown of around 10,000 residents in a bid to halt the spread of a COVID-19 outbreak. People in the lockdown area, situated in the Yau Tsim Mong district will be tested for the virus.
Authorities said the operation was necessary after 162 confirmed cases were found in 56 housing blocks in the Jordan area between January 1 and January 20.
Hong Kong’s government locked down an area of Kowloon peninsula on Saturday, saying its 10,000 residents must stay home until all of them have been tested for the new coronavirus and results largely determined.
Hong Kong authorities have taken aggressive measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the Asian financial and airline hub, but Saturday’s move is the first lockdown in the Chinese-ruled city.