By Farah Master

HONG KONG (Reuters] – Residents in Hong Kong gathered for a lockdown on Tuesday. They emptied pharmacies and supermarkets, while Carrie Lam, leader of the city, called for calm, appealing for peace and urging people not to be concerned about a mandatory mass COVID-19 test plan.

According to South China Morning Post, mass testing will be conducted in nine days for 7.4million residents of the city, starting in the second quarter of March.

There are concerns about many individuals being forced to live alone and that families with positive members will have to split.

The SCMP stated that officials plan to conduct three tests on people over the course of nine days. However, it is still unclear whether the lockdown will be conducted in a city-wide or district setting.

For those who purchase food or seek treatment, and for those who maintain society operations, exemptions will be granted. Sing Tao reported that Hong Kong’s stock markets would remain open, citing unidentified sources.

Lam previously stated that she wasn’t considering citywide lockdowns.

On Tuesday, the speaker appealed to people to not fall for rumours that could stir up unnecessary fear. She said the normal supply of food was maintained.

Lam stated in a statement that while there is nothing to be worried about, the public should remain vigilant and keep an eye on the information being disseminated to them by the government to avoid being misled or deceived by rumours.

Many people waited in line to get into pharmacies or banks throughout the city despite her remarks. Others scoured shelves at grocery stores for essentials to fill their shopping carts.

The streets and malls of Central New York were quiet during what was normally a hectic lunchtime.

Coronavirus infection has risen 34 times in the Chinese-ruled city to more than 34,000 Mondays, compared with just 100 cases at the beginning of February. The death toll is also rising, and facilities are available for the storage of dead bodies in hospitals and public mortuaries.

Hong Kong is sticking to the COVID “dynamic zero” policy, similar to mainland China. It seeks out to reduce all pandemics. China’s ruled territory implemented the most extreme measures possible since 2020, when the pandemic began.

Many families are now afraid of separation because of these rules.

Although the former British colony reported more than 205,000 coronavirus-related deaths and 744 deaths, over 400 of those deaths took place in the week just before. The majority were residents who had not been vaccinated.

Lam, who visited a Chinese-built isolation center on Monday, stated that the team raced against time to create a “miracle” in the city’s construction industry.

Tsing Yi, which is located northwest of the city’s center, will provide approximately 3,900 bedrooms for those with mild and no symptoms as well as others who are ill.