Coronavirus Hong Kong: more than 110 gym-goers accuse officials of botching quarantine process after customer tested positive

Residents who frequented fitness studio in Tsim Sha Tsui say they were told about being sent to Penny’s Bay 2 weeks after fellow gym-goer tested positive

But health authorities maintain they acted promptly upon information about the patient, who only tested positive after flying to Britain

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An aerial view of the quarantine centre at Penny’s Bay on Lantau Island. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 10:52pm, 19 Oct 2021Updated: 12:22am, 20 Oct 2021

More than 110 gym-goers were ordered into quarantine in Hong Kong nearly two weeks after a customer of the same fitness studio tested positive for Covid-19 in Britain shortly after arriving earlier this month, sparking complaints about conflicting and delayed official information.

The customers of the F45 Training group fitness studio in Tsim Sha Tsui were sent to Penny’s Bay on Lantau Island along with their close contacts beginning on Friday, but some said they had not been told how long they would be required to stay.

The F45 Training group fitness studio in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Felix Wong

One 37-year-old man sent into quarantine with his wife, who had attended a gym class, and their two children, accused the government of providing inconsistent information at every step of the process.

“When informed about Penny’s Bay and that the household had to go, we requested to book a hotel that we would pay for, and whilst one lady said yes, another said no and a third said maybe,” he told the Post. “Why is there no consistency here, especially given the drastic measures taken?”

According to a source, the 18-year-old patient, who was fully vaccinated, last attended a session at the F45 gym on September 30 and had tested negative for the coronavirus a day earlier.