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Stella Lee

The removal of more than 200 tenants was reportedly delayed when some refused to leave

More than 200 residents of Amoy Gardens, the Kowloon Bay estate at the centre of Hong Kong's atypical pneumonia outbreak, were last night bussed out of the estate to holiday camps in Sai Kung and Lei Yue Mun - a day after their homes were quarantined for 10 days.

It was decided to shift the residents of the estate's Block E only hours after officials told them that they would be removed if the 36-storey tower was found to remain a health risk.

Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Yeoh Eng-kiong last night said it was decided to remove the residents to facilitate a thorough investigation, including looking at the sewerage system and water pipes.

Dr Yeoh said investigators would comb the building as they suspected 'environmental factors' were playing a role in the outbreak.

He said there was no evidence yet to indicate that the virus was airborne. The Amoy Gardens infections suggested transmission through droplets and bodily secretions such as saliva, he said.

Another 52 Amoy Gardens residents were confirmed to have contracted the disease last night, bringing the total number of infected people living in the estate to 237. Of those, 121 are from Block E.

Scores of police officers started cordoning off sections of the roads around Amoy Gardens at around 5pm, with home affairs and social welfare officials wearing plastic protective clothing standing by to assist.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation officers removed residents' pets at about 7pm.

About 20 coaches took the residents to two quarantine camps - the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village in Sai Kung Country Park and Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village - after health officials briefed them at around 6pm.

Officials originally planned to remove the more-than 100 households at 8pm, but the first batch of residents was only seen coming down from their flats at 10pm. The first three coaches did not leave Amoy Gardens until around 11pm.

Dr Yeoh admitted at a press conference later that a few residents refused to leave. 'The residents would, of course, have some emotional problems. Their movements were being restricted on the first day [Monday]. And then they have to be removed to the camps the following day,' Dr Yeoh said.

The operation was still continuing early this morning. Dr Yeoh said it was hoped the remaining tenants would be persuaded to leave. He did not say whether force would be used to make them leave.

Residents were offered medicine to ward off the virus, Dr Yeoh said, but women were warned they could not take it if they were pregnant. He urged more than 200 'missing' residents - who moved out of Block E before the government imposed the quarantine order on Monday - to contact officials.

Director of Health Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun said 78 people who had had close contact with atypical pneumonia patients had made contact via the department's hotline. They included some residents of Block E.

Although residents of at least three other blocks of Amoy Gardens have been infected, Dr Yeoh said it was only thought necessary to evacuate Block E because it was the source of the massive outbreak.

Residents of Block E starting going down with the disease after a kidney patient who had been to the Prince of Wales Hospital - the site of another outbreak - visited a relative in the block. Dr Yeoh said they believed the kidney patient, who has a weak immune system, spread a massive amount of the virus throughout the block.

One of the residents, who gave his name as Mr Chan, moved out of his 33rd floor home two days ago. He rushed back home to join his wife and 20-year-old son to go to the quarantine camps, after he heard about the removal on the radio.

'I moved out two days ago for work reasons. But I think it's better to stick together with them. I respect the government decision. It's safer to move to the camp where there is no virus in the environment,' Mr Chan said.

But Legislator Fred Li Wah-ming criticised the government for changing its course of action. 'They should have skipped activating the isolation order on Monday and moved them directly to the camps. It's very unfair to the residents, especially those who contracted the disease during isolation.'



Amoy residents sent to isolation camps