- Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor asked the city’s residents to remain calm after an official said habits of ethnic minorities was causing Covid-19 infections
- Concern group Unison fears comments will reinforce racist stereotypes
Mandatory testing was set up for residents of 20 buildings in the Yau Tsim Mong district. Photo: SCMP / Felix WongHong Kong’s leader has asked people to remain calm after a senior official from the Centre for Health Protection on Monday said the culture and habits of ethnic minorities was causing Covid-19 infections.
“There is absolutely no suggestion of the spread of disease relating to race or ethnicity. If there is any misunderstanding arising from any remarks made by any officials, I made it absolutely clear here,” said Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
New infections surged to 107 on Monday, the highest since 109 cases were recorded on December 19 last year. The Yau Tsim Mong area was home to 28 of those cases, where health officials said the rising number of cases among ethnic minority families was happening because they live in subdivided flats, and were not observing social distancing rules because of their cultural backgrounds and social conditions.
Raymond Ho Lei-ming, head of the health promotion branch at the Centre for Health Protection said, “They have many family gatherings and like to gather with fellow countrymen. They like to share food, smoke, drink alcohol and chat together. If it is without masks, the risk is high.
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“They also need to share sanitary facilities with neighbours if the living environment is crowded.”
He added that they were taking part in behaviour that put them at risk of catching Covid.
Pete Cheng Juk-hei, communication officer of ethnic minority concern group Unison, criticised Ho’s remarks.
He pointed out that it was not only members of the ethnic minorities who gathered to eat, drink and smoke, it was something many people did.
“I’m worried that this kind of categorisation will reinforce stereotyping,” he said.
Cheng said the government should rather focus on their crowded living conditions and the fact that they lacked the money and resources to fight the virus.
Lam noted that as 55 of Monday’s cases had been recorded at testing centres, meaning the spike could be due to mandatory testing, and so were no cause for alarm.