Hong Kong fourth wave: ‘ambush-style’ Covid-19 lockdown takes residents of 12 Yau Ma Tei buildings by surprise

Metal barriers blocked streets, police addressed people through loudspeakers, and some residents in the Hong Kong area of Yau Ma Tei faced a night sealed off from the rest of the city, after an “ambush-style” Covid-19 lockdown on Tuesday.

People living in blocks numbered 9-27 on Pitt Street, and Shun Fung Building on 3 Tung On Street, were taken by surprise, with the government acting at the last minute to avoid giving residents advance warning through leaks in the media.

The lockdown, which began at 7pm, was expected to end at 6am on Wednesday, and those in the area had been told to stay inside until they had been tested for Covid-19. But officers also said people should be prepared to miss work, because they were unsure of whether testing would finish on time.

Police cordoned off the area with metal barriers and directed residents of the 12 buildings to booths where health officers checked their identity cards and went through some procedures. Trucks were seen driving into the area to offload materials.

Residents came down from their homes to register for tests around 9.30pm, while supplies, including canned food and water, were set out along tables outside the temporary screening stations and handed to those who had been tested.

At about 11pm, Commissioner of Police Chris Tang Ping-keung visited the site and said this lockdown would be conducted more swiftly because of the lessons learned from the previous one. He thanked those in attendance for their hard work.