Hong Kong leader calls for calm after supermarkets emptied ahead of mass COVID tests

HONG KONG, March 1 – Hong Kong leader Kari Lam called for calm on Tuesday after residents emptied supermarkets, stocking up on products ahead of reports of mandatory mass testing for COVID-19 and rumors of a nationwide blockade.

Local media reported that mandatory COVID testing would begin after March 17, raising fears that many people would be forced to isolate and families with a positive test would be separated.

Lam urged the public “not to fall victim to rumors to avoid unnecessary fears,” with food and goods supplies remaining normal, according to a statement Tuesday.

“There is no need for members of the public to worry, they need to be vigilant and pay attention to the information disseminated by the government, so as not to be misled by rumors.

Authorities plan to test 7.4 million people in the city three times in nine days, with the government recommending people stay home during that period, the Sing Tao newspaper reported, citing unidentified sources.

Exceptions will be made for those who buy food, seek treatment and support public operations. The Hong Kong stock market will continue to operate, the newspaper writes.

Earlier, Lam said he was not considering blocking the entire city.

In the Chinese-run city, coronavirus infections have jumped about 34 times to more than 34,000 on Monday from just over 100 in early February. Deaths are also climbing, with facilities for storing dead bodies in hospitals and public morgues at maximum capacity. Read more

Hong Kong continues to adhere to COVID’s “dynamic zero” policy, the same as that of mainland China, which seeks to limit all outbreaks at all costs. The territory controlled by China has implemented its most draconian measures since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

The rules exacerbated fears of separation among many families, with many fleeing the scheme of mass testing and building tens of thousands of isolation centers. Read more

Lam, who inspected a mainland isolation center in China on Monday, said the team had raced against time to “work a miracle” in the city’s construction industry.

The Tsing Yi facility, located in the northwestern part of the city, will provide about 3,900 rooms for infected people with mild or no symptoms and others who need to be isolated, she said.

Reporting by Farah Master; Edited by Michael Perry

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