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HONG KONG: Crushed within the 4.6-square-meter living space she shares with her son, Wong Mei-ying knows that social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic is almost impossible.
Hong Konger, 70, lives in one of the city’s famous “flat cubicles,” subdivided apartments that make up some of the world’s most densely populated buildings.
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Earlier this week, authorities announced a new local outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in the Wong neighborhood, the first case of local transmission in the financial center in almost a month.
Wong dreams of having an apartment just for her and her son, but says it would cost her the same as her monthly salary. (Photo: AFP / Anthony Wallace)
The news has pushed Wong to the limit.
With officials evaluating hundreds of nearby residents, Wong says she tries to follow the government’s advice on social distancing and hygiene. But that is not easy within the departments.
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Wong dreams of having an apartment just for her and her son, but says it would cost her the same as her monthly salary. (Photo: AFP / Anthony Wallace)
“We have 12 people living here,” Wong told AFP, pointing to the other five cubicles that have been brought into the apartment along with a shared kitchen and shower.
“We have to queue to prepare our meals, queue to shower. Around dinner time, the kitchen will be very full and each of us wears a mask,” he added.
It is not easy to follow social distancing tips when residents have to queue to cook their meals in the shared kitchen. (Photo: AFP / Anthony Wallace)
Jack Sit of Asbury Methodist Social Services told AFP that the subdivided floors were “high risk” in terms of virus transmission, saying that ventilation and drainage systems were often poor in those buildings.
Wong’s subdivided apartment is housed in a dilapidated building with cracked walls. What should be a main living room for a single family contains six cubicles separated from each other by thin prefabricated walls.
She sleeps in the bottom bunk, her 43-year-old son takes the top bed.
On paper, Hong Kong is one of the richest cities in the world.
In 2016, authorities estimated that some 200,000 people lived in cubicles of 4.5 square meters or less. (Photo: AFP / Anthony Wallace)
But it suffers from widespread inequality, severe housing shortages and dazzling rents that successive governments have been unable to resolve.
In 2016, authorities estimated that some 200,000 people lived in cubicles of 4.6 square meters or less.
Wong’s cubicle, which costs HK $ 2,000 (US $ 258) a month, isn’t even the smallest type of home available on the market.
That dubious accolade belongs to the so-called “cage houses,” which are little more than a single bed surrounded by a locked metal cage.
Earlier this week, authorities announced a new local COVID-19 outbreak in the Wong neighborhood, the first local transmission case in Hong Kong in nearly a month. (Photo: AFP / Anthony Wallace)
Wong works at a fast food chain and recently had to reduce his shifts from six days a week to five because the business suffers during the pandemic.
She dreams of having an apartment just for her and her son, who works in construction.
“But that would cost HK $ 7,000 to HK $ 8,000 per month, about the same as I earn each month,” he said.
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