'Nine-day Lockdown from March 17'

A nine-day lockdown may be imposed from March 17 at the earliest to accommodate the territory-wide mandatory test - but core financial activities including the stock market shall not be closed, sources said.

Authorities are striving to test all 7.5 million people in the territory within the period and aiming to test each person every three days, sources told The Standard's sister publication Sing Tao Daily.

But it is understood it will not be a strict "full lockdown" like in the mainland when people are not allowed to leave their homes at all

It will be more like the experience in Western countries, where people are allowed to go out for necessary errands or to attend clinics.

A hint of the U-turn came earlier when Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee refused to rule out the possibility of a lockdown in tandem with territory-wide Covid-19 testing.

This came as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said hours later that authorities were still designing the details of the mandatory test and will make decisions based on the circumstances in Hong Kong, adding people need not panic buy because the city has a stable supply of food and resources. But supermarkets yesterday saw empty shelves again in meat, rice, vegetables, fruit and noodles, canned food, frozen food and toilet paper sections as people rushed to stock up supplies following alleged fake news that the Legislative Council was voting for a seven-day territory-wide lockdown.

The Legco secretariat was prompted to issue a statement yesterday to reject the fake news, adding no such voting has been slated at Legco.

A supermarket at Hung Hom saw hundreds of customers lining up at cashiers yesterday afternoon, as a housewife, Tam, said she could not figure out where the end of the queue was.

Other fake news emerged recently that said supermarket giant ParknShop will close all 270 branches next Monday, but the company rejected the claims.

At pharmacies and drugstores, painkillers and all sorts of medication treating fever and other flu-like symptoms were out of stock.

Lam last week announced a mass testing scheme for Covid will start in mid-March for Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents.

Speaking on a radio program yesterday, the health secretary said for the mass testing to produce the best possible result, authorities will have to restrict and reduce the flow of people to ensure minimal social interaction in the community.

Chan said health authorities will step up overnight lockdown operations ahead of the mass testing scheme, with the aim of locking down 10 buildings each day. She said a self-declaration platform for people to report their positive rapid test results could be launched by the weekend.

The Centre for Health Protection's principal medical and health officer, Albert Au Ka-wing, said yesterday authorities are still ironing out details of the citywide test, but people should stay home unless strictly necessary, while authorities will make special arrangements for those buying food and going to doctors. Exemptions will also be given to certain occupations such as police, medics and people taking part in anti-Covid duties.

Meanwhile, Lam yesterday delivered an eight-minute televised speech in Cantonese calling for public cooperation in the next three months, describing it as a critical period in the fight against the pandemic.

She said authorities will use all their manpower and resources and take all necessary measures to win the battle against Covid.

Speaking to reporters at the border when welcoming mainland health experts, Lam said people have said that citywide tests are the most effective if people can "stop moving" before they obtain negative results.

"But the mandatory test will involve the entire society and we must evaluate very carefully the extent people are going out," she said.

"For those offering necessary and emergency services, they cannot be locked down. They must be allowed to go out."

Lam initially proposed to classify people into age groups to take the test, but she said yesterday it may be better if they are tested by households, as the risk of transmission between people living together is high.

National Health Commission expert He Qinghua said in a television interview yesterday that the citywide test may pick up a large number of infections.

With insufficient isolation facilities and patients forced to stay at home, authorities must introduce a strict lockdown order to contain the possible sources of transmission.

However, infectious disease expert Ivan Hung Fan-ngai from the University of Hong Kong said he is against imposing a citywide lockdown because he believed it will not help control the current wave, which is transmitting very quickly. "Even though we only have 100,000 confirmed cases recently, the actual number could be close to or more than a million," he said.