Sham Shui Po Mandatory Tests 'stereotype Residents'

A Sham Shui Po district councillor on Wednesday criticised the government's decision to ramp up Covid-19 testing in the area, saying it will only cause unnecessary worries among the residents who don't know why they're being singled out.

Authorities announced that people living in an area bordered by Yen Chow Street, Tai Po Road, Maple Street and Lai Chi Kok Road will be ordered to get tested for Covid-19 if just one case is found in their housing blocks, when in general, mandatory test orders are only being issued if there are two or more cases in a building.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Kalvin Ho from the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, said residents don't understand why their district is being targeted.

Ho noted that health officials also ordered all residents in part of Yau Ma Tei and Jordan to get tested even if there are no infections in their blocks, but only because there was a surge in infections in the area.

"At this moment, more than 100 confirmed cases were found in Jordan and Yau Ma Tei, but in Sham Shui Po, less than 20. So the people are confused why the government chose Sham Shui Po as the area to do the mandatory testing," Ho said.

He said some 70,000 people live and work in the designated area in Sham Shui Po where there are buildings with zero infections, while other blocks "just a street away" were excluded even after confirmed cases were found.

"When the government drew the district out, news already called it an infected area and some stereotyping even occurred," Ho said.

"That made residents have many speculations...and it made residents inside even more scared."

Ho said some people even thought about moving out over worries that they could catch the virus if they stayed in their homes.

He added that no consultations were carried out by the government beforehand, and urged the authorities to explain the criteria and standards behind such arrangements.