Due to the presence of several residents who were detected as infected with Covid-19, hundreds of people living in the Kwai Chung and Jordan regions were evacuated and quarantined by the authorities, Friday (15/1/2021).
Reporting from The Standard, the evacuation and quarantine of all residents living in unit 09, Yan Shek House, Shek Yam Estate in Kwai Chung was carried out due to the possibility of vertical transmission of the Covid-19 virus through water pipes.
After inspecting the building, HKU’s leading microbiologist Professor Yuen Kwok-yung said several people from unit “09” had modified the building’s drainage system or pipes, and plants were found growing at the pipe joints.
“This indicates a possible leak in the drainage pipe, thus allowing vertical (Covid-19) transmission,” Yuen said.
Government advisers said the move to send all affected residents to quarantine was not only a precautionary measure but also to wait until the authorities finished carrying out inspections and repairing the pipes.
Meanwhile, sudden evacuation and quarantine for all residents living on Reclamation Street, 20 – 26, Jordan was carried out to stop the potential risk of further spreading the virus. The evacuation came after the Center for Health Protection announced that it detected a total of 27 cases out of 13 units in the area. As of Thursday morning (13/1), more than 79 people have been sent to the government quarantine area.
“Given that the double-digit units at Reclamation Street 20-26 are completely connected to each other, with residents sharing part of a common facility, we see the need to take prudent infection control measures,” a spokesperson for the Hong Kong Center for Health Protection said. quoted by The Standard, Thursday (13/1/2021).
In response to the government’s actions, Yau Tsim Mong District Council Member Frank Ho Fu-wing denounced the authorities’ hasty arrangements, saying that the sudden notification and evacuation had sparked fear in local residents and the public.
