Three Buildings Put On Overnight Lockdown

Three residential blocks in Mong Kok, Quarry Bay and Hung Hom have become the latest to be locked down under the government's overnight Covid-19 mandatory testing scheme on Sunday.

Residents of Hoi Yu House in Mong Kok, Wai Lee Building in Quarry Bay and Cheong Lok Mansion in Hung Hom need to get tested for the coronavirus – unless they've already done so in the past two days and can show proof of a negative test result.

The move comes after authorities found confirmed cases in the buildings recently and the operation is intended to be completed by around 7 am on Monday morning.

It's the eighth consecutive night that the SAR government rolled out such 'ambush-style' lockdowns that require people in the sealed off area to get tested and stay there until the operation ends.

Andy Yu, a Yau Tsim Mong district councillor, questioned the need to seal off the block in Mong Kok when just one confirmed Covid-19 case was found there recently.

The Civic Party councillor added that the block houses some 1,300 residents and a hostel for homeless people that has around 100 beds, doubting whether the authorities can finish the operation on time.

Although a total of just 15 cases have so far been found in the more than 20 lockdown operations in the past two weeks, government officials have been defending the effectiveness of the measure.

Writing on his blog on Sunday, the Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung stressed that the overnight lockdowns "are definitely worthwhile to do", because they can help find silent transmissions in the community.

He urged people to understand and support the measure, repeating that it's beneficial to the health of citizens and society overall.