Government investigators wearing protective suits gather in the restricted area in Jordan, Hong Kong, Jan 23, 2021. (VINCENT YU/AP)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong government has imposed a temporary lockdown on thousands of residents for the first time in a bid to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus in a Kowloon area.

The unprecedented step for the Jordan area - known for its night markets - was announced in a government statement at 4 am Saturday, citing chapter 599J of the Regulations on Disease Prevention and Control. 

The government said all the around 10,000 residents in the area must stay home until all of them have been tested for the new coronavirus and results largely determined. 

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Authorities aim to complete the exercise within 48 hours, the government said in the statement.

This map shows the area of targeted restricted area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, announced by the Hong Kong government on Jan 23, 2021. (SOURCE: HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

According to the statement, the restricted area is bounded by Woosung Street to its east, Nanking Street to its south, Battery Street to its west and Kansu Street to its north.

The districts are home to many aging buildings and subdivided flats in which the virus could spread more easily.

Residents will be required to stay at their homes until everyone in the specified area has undergone COVID-19 testing and “test results are mostly ascertained”, the government said, adding it wants to allow residents to start returning to work at around 6 am on Monday

The government said that temporary sampling stations will be set up in the restricted area and people will be required to get tested before midnight on Saturday, according to the statement.

They "will be arranged to undergo nucleic acid test in batches at specimen collection stations where dedicated staff will collect samples through combined nasal and throat swabs," according to the statement.

Residents will be required to stay at their homes until everyone in the specified area has undergone COVID-19 testing and “test results are mostly ascertained”, the government said, adding it wants to allow residents to start returning to work at around 6 am on Monday.

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The government will arrange door-to-door specimen collection for people with impaired mobility and the elderly, including those in elderly homes in the district.

Government investigators talk to a woman living in the lockdown area of Jordan neighborhood in Hong Kong, Jan 23, 2021. (KIN CHEUNG/AP)

As of 1 pm Saturday, around 3,000 people have undergone testing at temporary stations in the restricted area. Government staff has visited more than 50 buildings within the area, involving around 1,000 households, the government said.

The government will use this restriction with mandatory testing order when necessary. 

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong Chief Executive

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she would not rule out that the measure will be taken again.

“The government will use this restriction with mandatory testing order when necessary,” Lam told the press after inspecting the restricted area on Saturday afternoon. The government will improve the way it communicates on such plans including the timing of announcements, Lam added.

More than 3,000 government officers were deployed in the action, Hong Kong Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai said at a separate briefing on Saturday.

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A woman stops in front of police cordon lines surrounding a lockdown area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, Jan 23, 2021. (CALVIN NG/CHINA DAILY)

“The infection risk in the community is quite high,” said the city's Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee, who met the press alongside Tsui. “After assessment, we think it’s necessary to make a restriction-testing declaration in the restricted area to achieve the goal of zero cases.”

The infection risk in the community is quite high... . After assessment, we think it’s necessary to make a restriction-testing declaration in the restricted area to achieve the goal of zero cases.

Sophia Chan, HK Secretary for Food and Health

The restricted area has confirmed 162 confirmed cases of COVID-19 this month, and the ratio of virus detected in sewage samples from buildings there was higher than that of other areas.

If an employee is unable to go to work because of the announcement, the government hopes that the employer can exercise discretion and would not deduct the employee's salary or benefits, according to the statement.

The Food and Health Bureau will also issue a compulsory testing notice covering all premises in the restricted area. Anyone who had been to the area for more than two hours in the past 14 days must also undergo compulsory testing before midnight Saturday, the government said.

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The government has prepared simple food and basic cleaning tools for affected residents. The Home Affairs Department has set up hotlines 2399 6949 and 2835 1473, and a dedicated hotline (3755 6816) for the ethnic minorities. 

Mobile testing stations for COVID-19 are set up in the Jordan area, Hong Kong in the early hours of Jan 23, 2021. (CALVIN NG/CHINA DAILY)

The targeted lockdown came as Hong Kong's COVID-19 infection tally crossed the 10,000 mark, with 81 new cases reported on Saturday. The neighboring city of Macao, meanwhile, reported the first imported case since June on Friday.

ALSO READ: HK sees 81 new COVID-19 infections, tally tops 10,000

In a separate statement issued Saturday morning, a spokesman for the Transport Department said temporary traffic and transport arrangements have been implemented in the restricted area.

A total of seven bus routes and three minibus routes will be temporarily diverted, while some of the stops will also be suspended or relocated, according to the statement.

With inputs from Agencies