Over the past ten days, the Hong Kong government has introduced a temporary blockade in certain areas, so-called'mini lockdown' measures one after another.
On the evening of February 1, when this report file was being written, there was a breaking news that mini-lock down measures were taken for two buildings in the Tsim Sha Tsui and Yun Long districts.
There are six so far, but since the outbreak of Corona 19, it has never been implemented in Hong Kong, so locals are also quite surprised.
Here's how it works.
First of all, the government designates a zone that is deemed necessary for all residents due to the recent surge in confirmed cases.
Depending on the size of the residents subject to inspection, the entry and exit of residents is restricted from 48 hours to 6-7 hours.
At the same time as the announcement, a corona19 virus test station will be urgently installed, and residents of the region must undergo a test and then test negative to go outside.
In other words, for corona testing for all residents of a specific area, their movement is completely restricted until the test is complete.
For example, 00 apartment complexes in 00-gu, buildings 1 to 10, are urgently closed from 7 pm this evening, and are informed that all residents must undergo corona testing by 2 am tomorrow.
If all test results are available by 7 a.m. tomorrow, only those who test negative will be able to leave the area.
If you refuse to be tested, you will be fined, and even if you are not at home at the time of the lockdown, you will be asked to take it later.
The Hong Kong government says it is not a'lockdown' and calls it a'restricted area compulsory inspection measure', but the local media is using the name lockdown more.
Compared to lockdown measures in mainland China and other countries, the scope of the region is narrow and the time is relatively short.
However, the shock and discomfort experienced by local residents is considerable because it is a method of blocking a specific area suddenly without any prior notice.
So I wonder if it could be called as'a surprise mini lockdown'.
On January 23rd, Hong Kong took lockdown measures in the order of Yau Ma Tei, North Point, Ram Tin and Tsim Sha Tsui, starting with the Jordan area.
Of course, depending on the region, the residents were strongly opposed.
Apart from this, there is controversy over whether these measures will work.
The Jordan area, which was the first lockdown target, was the largest, with more than 150 buildings inspected within 48 hours by 7,000 residents.
The number of manpower mobilized, including public officials, reached 3,000.
The poor living conditions in this area, where the poor, immigrants, and the elderly live mainly, have once again attracted attention. As a result of the examination, only 13 people in 9 households were confirmed.
It was a little ambiguous, but it was an atmosphere that did not raise much doubt.
The second and third mini-lockdown measures were carried out in succession to see if the Hong Kong government gained confidence.
Second, in Yau Ma Tei, there was only one confirmed out of 300 tests.
In the North Point area, 475 households were surveyed and none of them were confirmed.
The most recent two of Ramtin's apartment complexes also tested 460 people, but none of them were confirmed.
Of course, it is a good thing that there have not been many confirmed cases in the area, and there is also a response from the residents saying'So I am relieved'.
However, some point out that'the effect is not great compared to causing residents' discomfort'.
In addition, contrary to the intention of the lockdown method of finding undisclosed confirmed cases through a large-scale examination, in reality, a large number of residents were excluded from the test.
There were 470 households in Jordan and 190 households in North Point.
The prosecutor went to the house and knocked on the door, but no one came out.
The government said it was announced by surprise, but there are reports that a large number of people have already left the area due to rumors, including the Jordan area, which was the first target.
Among experts,'It may be necessary to do something like this, but it's too late.
Some point out that it should have been done in mid-January.
There are continued complaints from residents, such as,'Where to go and how to get an inspection, the guide is not properly provided.
However, the Hong Kong government has no sign of withdrawing.
Rather, they are coming up with stronger measures.
From now on, even if there is only one confirmed case in a building with an unclear route, all residents living in that building must be inspected.
And in the case of workplaces, if there are more than two confirmed cases, all employees are subject to mandatory inspection.
What's more, they professed that surprise mini-lockdown measures will happen more often in the future.
This means that as the existing method of testing by tracking the path of the confirmed person and the linkages has reached its limit, and the number of confirmed cases of unknown cause has increased, it will switch to quarantine through'large-scale inspection'.
Meetings with more than two people have already been banned, and after 6 pm, measures to keep people away from eating inside the restaurant are continuing for almost three months.
Of course, the focus of these quarantine measures is on the Chinese New Year, the Lunar New Year, which is about ten days ahead.