Covid-hit North Point building partially evacuated

Health authorities will be partially evacuating residents of Tung Fat Building in North Point after 13 people there tested positive or preliminary positive for Covid-19 in the last few days.

Residents living in units six and seven of block C, which share the same light well, are going into quarantine. Experts say they believe the narrow light well helped spread the virus vertically, and infected people living in various floors.

After inspecting the 56-year-old building on Wednesday, University of Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung said while the pipes are in good condition, the building’s design in terms of ventilation is not ideal, as it was built a long time ago.

“If the residents don’t open their windows while their exhaust fans are on, the heat wave will easily go up [the light well] and create vertical transmission,” Yuen told reporters.

“Some residents also told us there was odd smell in their toilets from time to time. They believe it too come from the the light well. So we have reason to believe there is a danger to residents of C-6 and C-7 if they continue to stay there.”

Yuen urged authorities to do another round of tests for all other residents in the block, noting only around half of the 400 residents had complied with a compulsory testing order.

Yuen also warned virus could spread quickly in old buildings, noting North Point is an old district like Yau Ma Tei.

He also called on residents in other blocks of Tung Fat Building to get tested.