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Opinion | Pandemic response must remember needs of Hongkongers in home quarantine
- The response to the outbreak in Kwai Chung has shown that the government’s emergency response plans have failed to keep up with the times
- People who are in compulsory home quarantine must not have their basic needs ignored in favour of widespread, comprehensive virus testing
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Two years have passed since the onset of the Covid-19 epidemic, and a major outbreak unfolded recently in Kwai Chung. The problems that emerged in Kwai Chung Estate, especially the emergency response process and compulsory home quarantine arrangements, suggest the government’s emergency response has lacked effective coordination and is too passive, reactive and lagging behind the situation.
It is worrying that the government’s disaster and emergency response plan has not kept up with the times. It has failed to consider the various needs of the people affected by the epidemic holistically and comprehensively.
The case clusters in Kwai Chung Estate in late January revealed that our government faced major capacity challenges in arranging compulsory home quarantine, providing basic food necessities, ensuring access to medication and upholding reasonable environmental and living conditions for those under compulsory home quarantine.
Biological hazards such as pandemics have their own unique aspects. Even so, emergency response plans should focus not only on virus testing and mobilisation of the health sector but also the emergency needs applicable to all disaster response, including the roles and participation of other government departments.
Two years of trying to control the pandemic should be sufficient time to incorporate these needs into a response plan and step up coordination among government departments.
However, the pitfalls in compulsory home quarantine in Kwai Chung Estate indicate the city’s emergency response plan does not fully consider issues such as timely distribution of food to people who are under compulsory home quarantine. As a general rule, people affected by pandemics should receive essential support like other disaster victims.
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