LettersCoronavirus in Hong Kong: better services please, for those sent to quarantine centres
- With more residents coming back from Hubei and abroad and going into quarantine, it is important to further improve services
- Giving people in quarantine more options would give them a much-needed sense of control during a difficult time
To meet daily needs in Fo Tan, the Civil Aid Service administers a Google Form to receive residents’ requests for supplies. Although thousands of requests have been received, the CAS does not have data on the percentage of requests that were met.
Instead of asking residents to answer open-ended questions about what they need, the CAS should prepare a list of items residents can order, and update the list according to their needs. Since sharp objects including fruit knives are not allowed, the CAS should make peelers available for fruit consumption.
Residents should also be allowed to place group orders for grocery items and upgrade meals at their own expense. Such options would go a long way towards giving people in quarantine a much-needed sense of control during this difficult time.
CAS staff promptly responded to our enquiries and suggestions, in sharp contrast to Department of Health officers. A research student we know complained about an incompetent nurse who caused excessive pain during a blood test. But her complaint went unanswered for two weeks and the case was referred to the Ombudsman for review.
On March 7, the Department of Health announced that a woman evacuated from Hubei had tested positive for coronavirus.