Govt Must Start Moving Quicker On Covid: Experts

Two medical experts on Wednesday urged the government to start reacting quicker to coronavirus outbreaks in the city, including locking down certain buildings if necessary.

Infectious disease expert Leung Chi-chiu warned that the current coronavirus situation in the territory is like a "raging fire" as he urged people to stay at home for the next two weeks.

Leung also said on RTHK's Millennium programme that the government should set up an emergency response mechanism so it can quickly mobilise different departments and contact decision makers for them to implement quarantine and mandatory testing arrangements.

“These things must be done rapidly and at the same time, so that there won’t be chaos,” he said, explaining that the authorities have to be able to deploy different teams, seal off an area to prevent anyone from fleeing, tell those affected what to do, and conduct tests within a few hours.

Regarding the cluster of cases at the Kwai Shing West Estate in Kwai Chung, Leung said he believed people on the fifth floor of Block 8 - where the outbreak is believed to have started - were at the most risk, with the virus possibly being transmitted through common facilities.

But he added that other residents should also be tested as soon as possible, while those who have been cleared of the virus should be monitored and tested again after several days.

Speaking on the same programme, the head of the University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Infection called on the government to make use of its new powers to ban those living in the Kwai Chung residential block from leaving their homes until their Covid-19 test results are back.

“Right now, [the response] is definitely late, it was too slow, still there’s a need to make it up,” said Ho Pak-leung, adding that police should be deployed to trace those who have fled the building.

He also warned that the government should not take its time to study when it should use the various regulations it has on hand to control the outbreak.

“It’s not a responsible act to stay still and slowly study... these are decisions for senior government officials to make,” he said.