Cheung Chau ferry passengers dip 9 per cent amid dengue fever outbreak on Hong Kong tourist island
New World First Ferry says number of travellers down in last two weeks, and residents gripe that government response to outbreak has been inadequate
Residents of Hong Kong’s outlying island of Cheung Chau have hit out at health officials over their response to an outbreak of dengue fever, after a ferry company revealed the number of travellers to the tourist spot fell 9 per cent this month.
The criticism came as local schools stepped up efforts to tackle mosquitoes ahead of children returning next week for the new semester.
Hong Kong has seen 26 patients confirmed as suffering from dengue since August 14. Nine are thought to have contracted the illness on Cheung Chau, according to the government’s Centre for Health Protection. The numbers are the highest since 2002.
New World First Ferry, which runs the main service to the island from the downtown district of Central, said average daily passenger numbers had sunk from 26,000 early this month to 23,700 in the past two weeks.
“Business has decreased by 80 to 90 per cent,” local shopkeeper Peter Co said.