The Hong Kong government’s poor policy on entry and exit has led to a surge in Covid-19 infections since July, raising the city’s confirmed cases to 4,560, with 71 related deaths. As more people in Hong Kong work from home, there is more garbage to collect from residential blocks, apart from the disinfection and cleaning of affected premises. The workload of cleaners has increased rapidly, even as they work under the constant fear of falling ill. Cleaners contribute to the city’s anti-pandemic efforts, but are still regarded by some as low-class workers , their labour taken for granted . But it is the Hong Kong government’s attitude that has left cleaners most helpless. At the start of the outbreak, protective items such as masks were in short supply. Some cleaners used the same face covering for days, or not at all . Yet, the government has largely ignored requests to provide more protection and compensation for these frontline workers. Low-income workers already face exploitation as a result of the government’s contract outsourcing policy , which has hit cleaners and security guards, especially elderly ones , the hardest. Why Hong Kong’s public toilet cleaners suffer in silence Some places like Taiwan handled it better. As the pandemic broke out, it closed its borders and banned mask exports , so people did not need to scramble for protective face gear. A real-name system was also adopted for the purchase of masks, ensuring that everyone could buy enough, but not too much. Cleaners in hospitals got a pay boost along with other medical workers. Because of good government action, the Covid-19 situation in Taiwan is well under control. As Hong Kong battles the pandemic, the government overlooks frontline hygiene staff at its own peril. Cleaners are among the overlooked segments in society, despite their high risk of Covid-19 infection. Even their jobs are not secure. We should be grateful to them for keeping us safe and they deserve more support from the government. Carrie Chan, Tseung Kwan O