Residents of the second Hong Kong public housing block imposed with a five-day lockdown order criticised the decision on Saturday as “hasty” and “cruel” after authorities said they could not supply dinner boxes for the first night.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yeut-ngor announced on Saturday evening that Ying Kwai House in the Kwai Chung Estate, the site’s second block, would undergo a lockdown as the number of infections in the cluster shot up to 105 confirmed and preliminary cases.

The government will arrange for door-to-door specimen collection for people with impaired mobility and the elderly, while others will have to undergo testing at booths downstairs.

The lockdown was imposed hours after a restricted compulsory testing order was issued at 4am, with many residents unable to leave to buy meals or necessities in the morning, while deliveries were also not allowed.

Officials have promised to deliver three meals a day and hand out packets of instant noodles, canned food and other necessities.

But Lam said that dinners could not be arranged for residents at Ying Kwai House because of a lack of preparation time.

Tsang Siu-chui, a 51-year-old hairstylist, said the authorities were “cruel” and “inefficient” as no food supplies were provided for them on the first night.

“Is it really that difficult to order dinner boxes for residents? This is not the first lockdown in the city,” she said. “The weather is freezing cold and we can’t even have a proper dinner or call delivery. I feel so poor.”

Living alone in her home, Tsang added that she had asked a friend to buy her vegetables and meats earlier but her friend was not allowed to get into the lockdown area or send her the package.

“Lucky that I got three packs of instant noodles left. But what if I didn’t have anything to eat in my place?” Tsang said.

“The officials just told me to watch the news for updated information. I don’t even know when should I go get tested.”

Tsang also said that her salon business would be seriously disrupted. “I am fully booked in the coming week,” she said. “I will lose at least $30,000 [US$3,850] if my business has to shut down for five days.”

Another resident, surnamed Lam, said the authorities had provided her with some cans and instant noodles at around 8pm, but she complained that other utilities had been left out.

“I almost used up the sanitary pads I have in my place and this is terrifying me,” the 19-year-old student said. “It would be better if the authorities allowed us to get what we wanted before starting the lockdown.”

Lam also said the hygiene conditions of the floor where she lived were unpleasant because no cleaners were working at the moment.

“The rubbish bin was filled with garbage and used masks. Dozens of rubbish bags were just put on the floor because there wasn’t enough space in the bin,” she said, adding that it was understandable but she still hoped officials would sanitise the whole building when possible.

Health care workers on-site at Yat Kwai House, Kwai Chung Estate.

Confusing testing arrangements and poor communication over food deliveries were some of the complaints made by residents of another block in the estate, which was the first building to receive a five-day lockdown order on Friday.

Money Lo, 33, was among the 2,700 residents ordered by authorities to stay inside for five days in a bid to contain the outbreak.

Lo called the testing arrangements “chaotic” and said officials had asked residents to return to their flats and wait after dozens lined up in a tiny lobby for nearly half an hour.

“We followed the instructions and went down by 10am waiting to be tested. But the officials claimed that the testing stations were not ready and asked those who live on higher levels to go home first,” Lo said. “I don’t know what they were really doing, and when I should get tested now.”

Lo shared a video showing residents being asked to remain in the lobby while queuing up. Residents are heard loudly complaining over the arrangement and asking officials to open the gate so they can line up in the public area.

“People keep coming down cause we all thought we could be tested,” she said. “I was so shocked seeing the crowd without social distancing and worried that I might get infected [with Covid-19] waiting there.”

Lo said she had also found a box of drinks sitting in a corridor when she came out of her flat this morning and suspected authorities forgot to deliver it on Friday night.

Eric Leung, a 24-year-old salesman living on a floor where a case was identified on Friday, had also complained about poor lockdown arrangements.

“No one told us about the food delivery arrangement,” he said. “I waited until nearly 11am to receive my breakfast box, but I know some residents got theirs at 9am.”

Leung, who shares a 400 sq ft flat with his parents and two younger brothers, said the family were planning to spend the five-day lockdown cleaning the house.

“Since Lunar New Year is coming we can make use of the time and start the spring cleaning earlier,” he said. “So far our family has not argued and I think it’s a good opportunity for us to spend some time together.”

The cluster originated with a woman who became infected with the highly infectious Omicron variant while staying at a quarantine hotel.