China coronavirus: fear of infection, lack of consultation drive defiance over Hong Kong quarantine plan
- Assurances that those known to be infected would not be sent to Fanling fail to convince many who spoke to the Post
- Some flats inside of one of the estates’ two residential blocks were already equipped with beds and small appliances
A day after dozens of protesters clashed with police and set buildings ablaze with petrol bombs, angry residents in the border town of Fanling vowed to fight on if the Hong Kong government moves forward with plans to use a public housing block there as a quarantine site for the coronavirus epidemic.
Each of 15 residents living near the newly built housing block who spoke to the Post on Monday voiced opposition to the proposal, citing fear of infection and a lack of consultation by the administration.
Fai Ming Estate, which the government said would be used as a potential quarantine site, consists of two residential blocks – Tai Fai House and Sing Fai House. The Post found flats inside the latter already equipped with beds and mattresses as well as small appliances like table fans and water boilers.
Speaking on a radio programme on Monday, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee clarified that while it was still undecided how those quarters would be used, they would not house patients with confirmed infections, but more likely medical staff or those who had come into contact with victims but showed no symptoms.
That distinction left many Fanling residents unmoved, particularly those living in Yung Shing Court, a 20-year-old public housing estate located next door to Fai Ming Estate.