Volunteers Use UV Light To Sanitise Subdivided Flats

Lingnan University has teamed up with a number of community groups to disinfect hundreds of subdivided flats in Hong Kong using ultraviolet light.

They say poor hygiene conditions in the cramped, tiny flats increase the chances of Covid-19 outbreaks and exposes the people living in them to greater risks.

The organisers of the campaign say UV light can kill 95 percent of viruses and bacteria, including the new coronavirus.

They hope to send volunteers into a total of around 1,000 flats to disinfect them using a UV lamp designed the university.

The process takes between 15 and 30 minutes and residents won't have to pay for the service.

Dr Albert Ko, director of the Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative, said about 150 households have so far benefited from the project, which started in April and will end by June.

"We cannot afford to visit many of the flats twice, unless we see an obvious risk then we will try to visit more than once, to try to minimise the risk," Ko said.

Groups partnering with Lingnan on the project include Caritas Youth and Community Service, Health in Action and the Grassroots’ Livelihood Alliance.