Government workers wearing personal protective equipment, inspect the closed area of Sham Shui Po district in Hong Kong on Feb 2, 2021. (KING CHEUNG / AP)

A Hong Kong resident tested preliminarily positive for the coronavirus as the government finished overnight targeted testing operations in parts of Tuen Mun, To Kwa Wan, and Chai Wan on Thursday morning.

A total of around 2,550 people were tested during the operations that started on Wednesday evening. The patient was found among the 487 residents tested at Goodview Garden Tower 1 in Tuen Mun and was later sent to the community treatment facility at the AsiaWorld-Expo.

A total of around 2,550 people were tested during the operations that started on Wednesday evening

According to government statements, about 80 households did not answer the door when officers came to to verify whether their residents had been tested. Three people in Chai Wan flouted compulsory testing orders and were each fined HK$5,000 (US$645).

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The government had rolled out “ambush-style” targeted testing operations in multiple places in the last three nights. A preliminary case and a suspected one had so far been identified.

Hong Kong logged 19 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, the lowest daily increase since Nov 20, bringing the city’s overall tally to 10,530.

The government earlier said there would be more targeted testing operations before Feb 10 to ensure that the city’s fourth wave of infections could be gradually controlled after the Lunar New Year holidays.

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