Government Lifts Jordan Lockdown

The government on Monday morning ended the lockdown restrictions on a block of streets in Jordan, that had been at the centre of a Covid-19 outbreak. The area, around Shanghai Street, was sealed off early on Saturday, when health workers were brought in to test all residents for the virus.

At about 3.30 am, television footage showed police leaving the area and removing barricades. Later the Transport Department said transport arrangements in the area were returning to normal, as road sections reopened.

Overnight, government cleaners had washed down the streets – with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department saying that Yau Ma Tei Market and Reclamation Street Cooked Food Hawker Bazaar were being deep cleansed and disinfected so they could open this morning.

For most, though, there'd been relief on Sunday evening, when the government let those with negative Covid-19 tests leave and re-enter. It was a welcome break from the lockdown which began early on Saturday. Many said they just wanted some decent food. One resident, surnamed Cheng, said he had been eating instant noodles for two days.

Earlier, the Health Secretary, Sophia Chan, said the lockdown had been effective and that the government might enforce lockdowns in other districts.

"We will review the cases, we will look at the criteria and also the considerations - including public health considerations, the number of confirmed cases, plus the environmental factors, " she said.

The Jordan restricted area has many old and dilapidated building, often with damaged sewage pipes. Many of the buildings have subdivided flats.

On Sunday, a government adviser on the pandemic, Chinese University Professor David Hui, said officials might have to consider a lockdown near the Yau Ma Tei wholesale fruit market, where there has been an upsurge in cases.

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