Residents walk along the street in Jordan district, Hong Kong, as a restriction imposed in the area is lifted in the morning of Jan 25, 2021. (CALVIN NG/CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong government lifted a restriction in an area of Kowloon Peninsula in the early hours of Monday after testing about 7,000 people for coronavirus to curb an outbreak in the densely populated area.

Hong Kong signaled similar restrictions in the future after the government found 13 confirmed cases in the cordoned-off area, which is home to many old buildings with subdivided, smaller units and lack proper maintenance.

The government hopes this temporary inconvenience will completely cut the local transmission chains in the district and ease residents' worries and fear, so that they will regain confidence in resuming social and business activities in the area, and return to a normal life.

HKSAR govt

"Businesses in the area have been hit hard and brought to a standstill," the government said in a statement.

"The government hopes this temporary inconvenience will completely cut the local transmission chains in the district and ease residents' worries and fear, so that they will regain confidence in resuming social and business activities in the area, and return to a normal life."

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The restriction in the neighborhoods of Jordan, across the harbor from the heart of the business district, was the first such measure imposed in the global financial hub since the outbreak happened.

The order was effective in identifying infected patients and isolating them and their close contacts quickly, said Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan Siu-chee on Sunday at a media briefing. “If there is such a need, obviously we do not rule out the possibility of any future operation like this,” she said.

The nearly 48 hours of “restriction-testing”, which began in the early hours of Saturday, came after 162 residents of 56 buildings in a larger area in Jordan had been confirmed as infected in the first 20 days of January.

With the help of private testing agencies, 51 temporary testing stations were set up in the restricted area.

Workers clean a street in the Jordan district in Hong Kong, Jan 25, 2021, after a restriction is lifted in the area. (CALVIN NG/CHINA DAILY)

The government has strived to guarantee the daily necessities of those affected, providing food packs, face masks and cleaning tools to them. Some 50 staff who can speak Nepali, Urdu and Hindi were also dispatched to assist ethnic minorities to take the tests. 

More than 3,000 public servants were pressed into service, including 1,600 from disciplined services.

On Sunday, the government reported 76 cases of coronavirus, taking the total to 10,086, of which 169 people have died.

Hong Kong authorities have taken various measures to curb the spread of the virus, including a ban on in-house dining after 6 pm and closing facilities such as gyms, sports venues and beauty salons.

Masks are mandatory in public areas.

With inputs from Agencies