Hong Kong, March 1 (BUS): Hong Kong residents braced for a citywide lockdown, emptied supermarkets and pharmacies on Tuesday, even as leader Carrie Lam called for calm and implored the public not to worry about the forced mass spread of the coronavirus. 19 test plan.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing an unidentified source, reported that mass testing of the city’s 7.4 million residents is scheduled for nine days starting in the second half of March.
The news has raised fears that many people will be forced into isolation and families whose members have tested positive will be separated, according to Reuters.
The center said officials plan to test people three times over the course of nine days, with the government still debating whether to shutdown on a county or citywide basis.
Exceptions will be made for those who purchase food, seek medical treatment, and maintain community operations. The Sing Tao newspaper, citing unidentified sources, reported that the Hong Kong stock market will continue to operate.
Lam had previously said she was not considering a total city shutdown.
On Tuesday, she appealed to the public “not to fall prey to rumors to avoid raising undue concerns,” saying supplies of food and goods remained normal.
“There is no need for members of the public to worry, they should remain vigilant and pay attention to information disseminated by the government to avoid misleading rumors,” Lam said in a statement.
Despite her comments, dozens of people lined up to enter pharmacies and banks across the city, while many roamed the empty shelves of groceries to stock up on whatever necessities they could get.
The streets and malls in the heart of the city’s central financial district were eerily quiet on a normally busy lunchtime.
The city saw the number of coronavirus infections rise nearly 34 times to more than 34,000 on Monday from more than 100 at the start of February. Deaths are also on the rise, with mortuary facilities in hospitals and public mortuaries at full capacity.
Hong Kong continues to adhere to the COVID policy of “dynamic zero”, like mainland China, which seeks to curb all outbreaks at all costs. The region has implemented its most drastic measures since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
The rules have exacerbated separation fears among many families, with many fleeing ahead of a scheme for mass testing and the construction of tens of thousands of isolation centers.
Hong Kong has reported more than 205,000 coronavirus infections and 744 deaths in total, yet there have been more than 400 deaths in the past week, mostly from unvaccinated residents.
Lam, who inspected an isolation center on Monday, said the team raced against time to “create a miracle” in the city’s construction industry.
She said the Tsing Yi facility, located northwest of the city, will provide about 3,900 rooms for infected people with mild or no symptoms, and others who need isolation.
MI