Pedestrians walk past a residential building complex in Hong Kong on May 28, 2021. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government on Monday night cordoned off a block in Tai Wai after one of its residents tested preliminarily positive for a COVID-19 mutant strain.
The government said in a statement that a restricted area was set up at 7 pm at Tower 2, Granville Garden, 18 Pik Tin Street, Tai Wai for a targeted testing operation.
The government launched the operation after a 66-year-old female resident tested preliminarily positive for the virus after having lunch on Dec 27 at the Moon Palace restaurant, where five Omicron cases had been detected.
The government said in a statement that a restricted area was set up at 7 pm at Tower 2, Granville Garden, 18 Pik Tin Street, Tai Wai for a targeted testing operation
Residents were required to stay in their premises and have themselves tested at temporary specimen collection stations that were set up in the building’s vicinity. The government said it expected to finish the operation by 7:30 am Tuesday.
ALSO READ: Another Moon Palace diner tests preliminarily positive for virus
Meanwhile, the government decided to add Bulgaria to the list of high-risk places for COVID-19 infections starting Jan 6 after Omicron cases were detected in that country.
Non-Hong Kong residents who have stayed there within 21 days will not be allowed to enter Hong Kong. City residents can only board a flight back to Hong Kong if they have been fully vaccinated and hold a recognized vaccination record.
In a separate statement, the government said it will also accept vaccination records issued by Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Montenegro, Tunisia, Uruguay and Vietnam starting Jan 5.
READ MORE: HK plans to ban unvaccinated from restaurants starting Jan 22