Officials moving some residents from Luk Chuen House at Lek Yuen Estate in Sha Tin
The decision comes after cluster of infections found, with first case being a 34-year-old woman who tested positive on Sunday.
The move came as the city confirmed five new coronavirus cases on Thursday, all involving people returning from Bangladesh. The city’s tally of infections stands at 1,098, with four related deaths.
All residents living in flats numbered 10 and 12 across all floors in Luk Chuen House at Lek Yuen Estate in Sha Tin are to be evacuated and sent for 14-day quarantine, according to the Centre for Health Protection at the Department of Health.
People living in three flats numbered 12, as well a resident of one numbered 10, had been confirmed infected.
“We will inspect in detail whether there are other problems, such as sewage pipes, with those flats,” said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the centre’s communicable disease branch.
Architectural drawings showed toilet bowls in the affected flats numbered 10 and 12 were connected with the same vent pipe, according to Tse.
The elderly man, who tested preliminary positive, lives with his wife and a daughter in a flat numbered 12 on the 11th floor. He submitted a saliva sample on Monday and tested negative, but he developed a mild fever on Wednesday afternoon and was sent to hospital on Thursday morning.
As of Wednesday, nine cases had been reported relating to the cluster: the original patient, her husband, two of her colleagues, four neighbours at Lek Yuen Estate, as well as a paramedic who transported her to hospital.
Health officers have not yet able to contact six households. Chuang said a mandatory quarantine order had been issued to them and she urged them to be tested as soon as possible.
source:Hongkongcvpandemic
