District councillor Lee Yue-shun earlier described the lockdown at Tung Fat Building on Kam Ping Street as a failure, adding that many residents still hadn’t been tested.
Authorities say they were unable to get in touch with 190 households when knocking on their doors, and will follow up.
But Lam, writing on her Facebook page on Friday morning, said that the operation was needed, after 13 residents of the nearly 60-year-old building had already come down with the virus.
She added the lockdown helped to stop the virus from spreading there and put residents’ minds at ease
She also described the 12-hour operation, which ended at 7am on Friday, as “confidential, focused and efficient”, adding that it has shown that such arrangements should be done more quickly and precisely to minimise the disturbance caused to the residents of a certain building or a small neighbourhood.