HK Could See 'ambush Lockdowns', Says Carrie Lam

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that more lockdown orders could be imposed to curb the coronavirus after a "successful" operation in Yau Ma Tei and Jordan over the weekend, adding they will be "ambush-style operations" made without any prior announcements.

She told reporters before heading into the weekly Executive Council meeting that the weekend lockdown helped stop the spread of the virus, as 13 cases were identified from more than 7,000 residents living in around 150 buildings.

But Lam said it was unfortunate that details of the operation were leaked, noting a large number of personnel within the government, as well as staff at three laboratories had all been in the know.

To ensure future lockdowns are kept confidential so residents would not leave in advance, Lam said they will be smaller in scale but added that several operations could take place at the same time. They will likely be restricted to one street or several adjacent buildings, she said.

"The next thing we need to consider for the next operation is whether we could be more focused," said Lam.

"But we could do more at the same time. It could be one in this district, and another in another district."

Lam added that the government will improve its support and supplies for residents so they will not be "nervous" and will not leave the lockdown areas.

She also called on people to cooperate with testing orders, noting that more than 200 Jordan residents didn't comply with the requirement and could face penalties.

"We will go back to that building without notice and try to check everyone coming out of the building whether [they] have an SMS showing a negative result. If no, that means you have not complied," she said.

"Then we will take down your personal data and then pass it to the Centre for Health Protection to consider issuing a summons or, where permissible, issuing a fixed penalty ticket."

Lam said the authorities will be more "aggressive" with Covid-19 testing, adding that they have identified a few more places to impose mandatory testing orders.