Lockdown delay defended

Experts and health officials agreed on Thursday night that residents at Yat Kwai House in Kwai Chung Estate should undergo home quarantine but a five-day lockdown could not be arranged in such a short time so it was delayed by a day, says government pandemic adviser Yuen Kwok-yung.

Yuen also said the ongoing fifth wave of infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant could take up to three months to be contained and so it is almost impossible to ease social distancing measures around the Lunar New Year holiday.

On Thursday, it was found out that at least eight residents from seven units on different floors and blocks were infected at Yat Kwai House.

When asked whether authorities acted too late in imposing a lockdown on epicenter Yat Kwai House, Yuen said experts and the Centre for Health Protection all agreed that residents should undergo home quarantine.

"But they said they [could not immediately arrange] it, so they issued the compulsory testing notice," Yuen said.

He said it is too early to say if the whole Kwai Chung Estate has to be locked down, but it is necessary to test residents who live in blocks where there are infections every day for at least five days.

Yuen said Kwai Chung Estate residents should not panic as data showed that Omicron has a relatively lower impact on humans. He suggested people wear double masks - a surgical mask and a cloth mask - when they go out.

Yuen said he expects the number of infections to grow exponentially given that there are multiple transmission links within the community.

"The fifth wave is escalating, so there is no hope [to relax social distancing measures] on the fourth day of Lunar New Year [on February 4]," he said.

If health officers fail to quarantine all of those infected and track down their close contacts, it could take two or three months for the fresh outbreak to come under control, he said, adding that it would create a huge impact on businesses.

But Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, coconvener of the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following Covid-19 Immunization, said he believes the pandemic is already reaching its last stage.

"I believe if we just hang on for a while more, we're already seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I believe that we're now [near] the end of the pandemic and can leave the tunnel," he said.

Meanwhile, Polytechnic University told staff and students who live in Kwai Chung Estate not to go to campus, while several universities switched classes to online mode.

Chinese University said it will move all learning and teaching into online delivery mode from today, including all practical, lab or clinic based and studio classes.

Students undertaking clinical placements are exempted but will remain subject to appropriate infection control precautions.

University of Hong Kong will use online teaching from today to January 31 and only courses that require hands-on engagement will be exempted. Students will be notified of teaching arrangements after the Lunar New Year break on February 8.

University of Science and Technology will also adopt online teaching from today to before the Lunar New Year holiday. Classes at Baptist University will be held online from January 24 to 30 and said it will update students on February 6.

Education University will adopt online teaching from today to February 12 and examinations to be held within this period will also be conducted online.

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com