Hong Kong police arrest woman suspected of leaving faeces inside makeshift hospital for Covid-19 patients at Lok Ma Chau Loop
- The 37-year-old suspect, surnamed Chan, was arrested at her home in Sheung Shui on Monday for criminal damage
- Kettle, mattress and floor in the hospital room where Chan had stayed from March 21 to 27 found to be covered with suspected faeces
Hong Kong police arrested a 37-year-old woman on Monday on suspicion of leaving faeces inside a makeshift hospital for Covid-19 patients at the Lok Ma Chau Loop, the second such incident in less than two weeks.
A cleaner at the makeshift hospital contacted police after finding the kettle, mattress and floor in one of the rooms there were covered with suspected faeces on Sunday.
Offices arrested the woman, surnamed Chan, at her home in Chiu Yuen Estate in Sheung Shui on Monday afternoon for criminal damage, an offence which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years.
Investigation showed Chan had stayed in the room between March 21 and 27. She was still being detained for questioning.
“The force appeals to those who use the isolation facilities to avoid damaging them and keep the environment clean,” a police spokesman said.
The Lok Ma Chau Loop facility, comprising a makeshift hospital with about 1,000 beds and around 10,000 community isolation units, is the biggest and most complex among the nine supported by the central government.
Temporary bridges were built to allow point-to-point conveyance of construction personnel and materials between the fenced-off work site at the loop and the Shenzhen border.
Man who allegedly threw faeces inside Hong Kong isolation unit arrested
On March 17, officers also arrested a 27-year-old man accused of throwing faeces inside an isolation facility for Covid-19 patients in Fanling.
The suspect, who claimed to be a waiter, was undergoing quarantine for four days in Block 1 in Queen’s Hill Estate, a public housing block designated as a community isolation facility from February.
Images circulated online showing a room at the centre covered with suspected faeces, which are visible on the unit’s floor, walls, ceiling and light switches.
