Hong Kong fourth wave: health expert warns against Richland Gardens lockdown, as 86 new Covid-19 cases confirmed
- 81 cases were locally transmitted, including 37 of unknown origin
- Richland Gardens buildings present ‘inherent risk that cannot be eliminated’, Leung Chi-chiu warns
Environmental tests of various parts of a Covid-19-hit Hong Kong housing estate, including toilet exhaust fans, have come back positive for coronavirus, health officials revealed on Friday, as the city confirmed 86 new infections.
The findings were disclosed just hours after a respiratory medicine expert urged the government not to consider locking down Richland Gardens in Kowloon Bay as it risked exposing more of the estate’s residents to Covid-19.
One more infection was confirmed at the estate on Friday, bringing the total number of cases in the cluster, centred on Block 6, to nine. Of the 86 cases confirmed citywide on Friday, 81 were locally transmitted, including 37 of unknown origin. The other five infections were imported.
Friday’s tally broke a three-day streak of more than 100 daily Covid-19 cases.
The city has now recorded a total of 7,377 infections, with 114 related deaths.
With the city battling its fourth wave of infections, the government also announced that work-from-home arrangements would be extended until December 23 for all civil servants, except those providing emergency and essential public services.
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said 22 environmental test samples from the Richland Gardens surroundings, including floor drains, drain outlets and toilet exhaust fans, came back positive for the coronavirus.
But she said it was difficult to determine whether environmental contamination was taking place there. She suspected the virus could circulate with the presence of aerosols in toilets, especially if the bathroom door was closed.
“It is possible the residents concerned were already spreading the virus inside the flats,” she said.
“Within the toilets, if there are aerosols, there could be contamination; the aerosols or the virus could be attached to the exhaust fans.”
She advised the public to open toilet doors if they wished to turn on the exhaust fans to maintain air flow.
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Earlier, respiratory expert Dr Leung Chi-chiu said confining Richland Gardens residents to their homes would be unreasonable given that the buildings posed “an inherent risk that cannot be eliminated”.
“It does not appear to be a major outbreak, but rapid further investigation is necessary,” said Leung, chairman of the Medical Association’s advisory committee on communicable diseases.
More than 1,000 residents living in three buildings in the subsidised housing estate had to undergo compulsory Covid-19 testing, while those living in all D flats in Block 6 were forced to evacuate on Thursday.
Officials believed some of the discharge pipes in the flats were improperly altered by the owners, presenting a safety hazard for residents.
Kwun Tong district councillor Li Wing-Shan said the evacuation measures had been disorganised, with information from the authorities not relayed effectively.
“Some residents did not know at what time they had to finish packing their bags and what time they should head to the quarantine centre,” she told a radio programme.
Scattered cases were also reported in other buildings around the city, according to Chuang.
Three cases were confirmed in three flats in Lung San House at Lung Poon Court in Wong Tai Sin.
Five cases involving three flats were reported at Tai Po’s Kwong Fuk Estate, and seven new infections affected three homes at Kwun Tung’s Po Tat Estate.
Chuang said sample bottles would be distributed to residents in these areas.
Among existing clusters, another two new cases were linked to a Lohas Park construction site, bringing the total number of infections in the group to 57. Five new cases were also linked to a cluster centred on Yata supermarket in Sha Tin.
