The government in Hong Kong has imposed its first COVID-19 lockdown in Jordan, a neighbourhood on the Kowloon Peninsula, after a sudden rise in the number of coronavirus cases.
A statement read: The government made a “restriction-testing declaration”, which requires residents from parts of the bustling neighborhood of Jordan to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing arranged by the government.
Residents will be required to stay at their homes until all the residents are subjected to mandatory testing, which the authorities aim to complete under the time frame of 48 hours.
Thousands of Hong Kong residents are affected by the lockdown, said the government’s information office.
Wong Kam-sin, Hong Kong’s Secretary for the Environment, said that the water from the pipes of several buildings in the area was being tested to ascertain whether the coronavirus is spreading through sewage.
In a separate statement, Kam-sin said, the Hong Kong government announced that roads in the “restricted area” would also be closed to traffic.
As per media reports, Hong Kong has exceeded 10,000 coronavirus cases. The latest tally of infections has recorded 10,009, with 168 related deaths.