More evacuations as HK sees another 92 infections

Hong Kong authorities have ordered residents of another four housing blocks into quarantine, as Monday brought 80 new locally transmitted Covid infections and 12 imported cases.

The quarantine orders, due to virus transmission in the blocks, affect some of the residents of On Kwai House at Kwai Fuk Court, Kwai Yan House at Kwai Fong Estate, Hong Tim House at Tsz Hong Estate and Ming Lai House at Choi Wan Estate.

The Centre for Health Protection’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said people living at Tsui Wo House in Tai Wo Estate could also soon be quarantined as an investigation is underway to determine whether there is a risk of transmission there.

“Once we identify there’s possible horizontal or vertical transmission, we’ll try to identify those units at risk with other government departments, and then move them to the quarantine centre to play safe,” she said.

“For the quarantine facilities, we are closely monitoring the situation every day. Of course, we will have some back-up facilities and back-up options.”

Authorities are looking into possibly quarantining residents of the Lam Woo Home for the Elderly in Kwai Chung, with a staff member there among 95 new preliminary positive cases.

Of Monday’s 80 new confirmed local infections, 13 have so far proved to be untraceable, including two patients with the Delta variant who live in Choi Wan Estate and Choi Fung Court in Ngau Chi Wan.

Another patient whose source of infection is unknown works at the airport’s third runway construction site. Two others from the same company were earlier confirmed infected, and one other tested preliminary positive.

Meanwhile, a cleaning staff cluster at Sha Tin Methodist College has grown to four, alongside a suspected positive infection.

Three people at a branch of Bank of China (Hong Kong) in Tuen Mun’s Trend Plaza have also tested positive.

Separately, the government announced that from Saturday, people flying in from Taiwan will have their compulsory quarantine period shortened from the current 21 days to just 14 days, followed by seven days of self-monitoring.

Authorities will also reduce the number of tests for people returning from Macau or the mainland, requiring them to take three tests instead of six within 12 days of their arrival in the SAR.
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Last updated: 2022-01-31 HKT 22:03