Coronavirus: give street cleaners surgical masks or risk them walking off the job, Hong Kong warned
- Sanitation companies contracted by the government say they could run out of supplies in two weeks
- Critics say officials are passing the buck, and have a responsibility to protect people keeping the city streets clean
Tens of thousands of street cleaners and sanitation workers in Hong Kong will run out of protective face masks in two weeks and will have to stop working, their employers have said, warning piles of rubbish could be left in the streets amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
Critics and campaigners accused officials of passing the buck and said they had a responsibility to ensure adequate protection for the cleaners, who work for government contractors.
Hong Kong is battling a novel strain of coronavirus that originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, Hubei province. The flu-like virus – contracted by 28,300 people worldwide – has infected 24 people in the city, killing one.
Officials and health experts have advised residents to wear surgical masks when out and about, but Hongkongers have struggled to buy the face coverings, as well as disinfectant and other hygiene products, amid shortages and soaring prices.
On Thursday, the Environmental Services Contractors Alliance, a group that represents about 80 per cent of cleaning companies in the city, released a survey that polled more than 30 firms in the sector between January 31 and February 4, and revealed the industry only had enough masks to last about two weeks.