Residents desperate for decent food after lockdown

Residents of the locked-down area of Jordan said they were thrilled to be allowed to leave earlier than expected at 6pm on Sunday, with many saying they were desperate to get some decent food.

A resident surnamed Cheng said he had been eating instant noodles for two days. He said he was going to leave immediately and have dinner at his mother’s home. Another resident said she had also been living off instant noodles as she didn’t have a stove. She said she would go and buy some warm food.

Meanwhile a man, surnamed Tsang, said he was relieved that he could finally get out of his home.

“I was so bored as I live alone. I had run out of everything. I need to buy a pack of cigarettes,” he said.

One man, a Muslim, said the government had failed to provide Halal food. Luncheon meat, containing pork which is forbidden to Muslims, had been included in government food packages, though other items, such as pasta and tinned tuna, were also provided.

“We don’t have anything to eat because we are Muslims and we eat Halal food,” he said.

At a press conference on Sunday evening, the Home Affairs Secretary Caspar Tsui, had said residents who had tested negative for Covid-19 could now leave and re-enter the locked down area of Jordan provided they wore an official wristband.

The move essentially ended the operation, which began at 4am on Saturday and was due to last 48 hours, though restrictions remain in force. It created Hong Kong’s first lockdown of a block of streets following a Covid outbreak in the area, with the government testing at least 7,000 for the virus during the operation.

The government has now said it will step up disinfection of the area, including Yau Ma Tei Market and the hawker bazaars on Reclamation Street and Temple Street.