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Hong Kong’s decision to implement “ambush-style” closures on neighborhoods to contain the coronavirus pandemic has left some residents trapped inside shops, sometimes overnight.
In a recent operation, a 10-year-old girl was in a hair salon getting a haircut when her mother went shopping for food when the order was issued. Finally, the authorities allowed the daughter to meet with the father after writing down the girl’s personal data.
Some health experts have criticized the strategy of closing areas, often overnight, while residents are evaluated one by one. While one suggested a review of the approach, another warned residents not to leave the house late at night.
Authorities closed 17 blocks in Sham Shui Po on Tuesday night (February 2), but after examining residents, they did not discover any cases.
A photo from the operation that went viral showed a client of a hair salon at 263B Ki Lung Street lining up to be examined with his hair still wrapped in plastic, the dye job only halfway through. The owner, a man surnamed Chan in his 30s, said the customer was “angry” about the sudden closure.
“He managed to go home and wash his hair at the end. He will come back and resume his haircut after work later, ”Chan said.
Two other clients were also trapped in the salon with him and had to produce a negative Covid-19 test result before authorities allowed them to leave late at night.
Chan’s part-time employees had left before the operation began. But he had to stay the night and was only able to open his business after 10 a.m. when police officers removed the barrier tape.
“It was inconvenient,” he said. “But we had to cooperate with the government. If they let you go, you go, otherwise you have to stay here. “
When authorities closed the Majestic House in Tsim Sha Tsui on Monday night (February 1), some 30 people were trapped in the Hair Peace salon. Again, no new cases were discovered during the operation.
“Our staff, guests or people throughout the building are safe,” the company said in a Facebook post Tuesday. “To all the guests who stayed in our tent last night, we are very sorry for the hard night.”
The 10-year-old was among them and was only finally able to be reunited with her mother around 11 p.m.
“After the Department of Internal Affairs learned of the situation, the girl was tested and her information was recorded, then she was allowed to leave with her mother at our discretion,” said a representative from the department.
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Authorities did not respond directly to inquiries about how they could handle situations where residents were locked inside a business differently or if they would alter their strategy to prevent it from happening again.
At least seven of the 10 lockdown operations performed since January 23 have failed to identify a single new infection. The government said the lack of new cases of recent operations was “expected” as the aim was to screen residents before transmission chains could form.
But the breathing expert, Dr. Leung Chi-chiu, called on the government to re-examine the existing lockdown measures, as they had brought “unnecessary risk” to people, noting that the number of local cases had been decreasing.
“Even if we find a few cases out of a few thousand, it is only a very small number,” Leung said. “It is not logical to stop customers in shops and buildings … These people are unnecessarily exposed to greater risk [by being stuck together]. They should be released immediately after testing to reduce the possibility of exposure. “
Leung suggested that the government remove the information of customers or others involved in the operation and release it. If they developed symptoms, the details could still be used to track them, he added.
But infectious disease expert Dr. Joseph Tsang Kay-yan disagreed, saying the closures were “within expectations” and that the government could do little to make such measures more convenient for the community.
“They think they have to do it to make sure the number of cases can be reduced as soon as possible,” Tsang said. “I would advise the public not to stay outside after 7pm … and not to go to pre-set areas for mandatory testing.”
Despite the annoyance, some people affected by the Sham Shui Po operation continued to support.
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Chan Cheuk-ming, the owner of the Pei Ho Counterparts restaurant, backed the strategy despite being trapped in their premises.
“It’s good to block so that all asymptomatic carriers can be identified,” Chan said. “I took the test and everything went well. Maybe it’s because they assigned time slots according to the buildings. “
He added: “After much [negative] comments during the three-day shutdown at Yau Ma Tei, they fixed it right away and only closed specific buildings to be done in one day so there is less hassle. “
A 64-year-old man named Lai slept at the boarding house where he works and just started working again in the morning.
“Of course it is a bit problematic to get stuck, but there is no other option as this is a government mandate,” he said. “I will go back to work, otherwise there will be no business for my boss and I will feel bad.”
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This article was first published on the South China Morning Post.
