Restaurant Rejects Ventilation Claim After Outbreak

A Tsim Sha Tsui restaurant recently linked to dozens of Covid cases has hit back at the suggestion that a problem with its ventilation helped the virus to spread, after bringing in its own expert to look at the system.

Around 50 infections were tied to Mr Ming's Chinese Dining at the K11 Musea shopping mall last month, while a number of Covid infections were later linked to a Cartier store in the mall.

University of Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung, who inspected the restaurant, said on March 1 that ventilation pipes were not supplying enough fresh air and there was “an area of stagnation”, so there might have been airborne transmission within a short distance.

But Anthony Law, a Polytechnic University mechanical engineering professor, told the media on Wednesday that after looking at data collected by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and HKU experts, he had calculated that the air flow was in fact more than adequate

He said Yuen may have come to a different conclusion during his site visit because the restaurant's kitchen was not fully operational at the time.

“When the kitchen is operating, it will produce quite a lot of fresh air spread through the concourse or maybe through the dining area. That induces a higher amount of ACH [air changes per hour],” Law said.

“We carried out the experiment when the restaurant was operating, with all the air-conditioner systems turned on, with the kitchen’s exhaust fan turned on,” he explained.

Executive chef Hui Mei-tak said they had submitted their findings to bosses at K11 Musea, but they still insisted that the restaurant leave the mall by April 2 in light of the outbreak.

Hui said the restaurant had no plans to take action against the mall regarding the decision and was hoping to make a comeback elsewhere in the city.