Woman arrested for smearing faeces in Covid hospital

Police arrested a 37-year-old woman on Monday afternoon for allegedly leaving faeces inside one of the rooms of a makeshift hospital at Lok Ma Chau.

The facility is one of those constructed with the help from Beijing to house Covid-19 patients.

Officers said they’ve been alerted by a cleaner at the facility, who found traces of suspected faecal matter on a kettle, the mattress and the floor.

Investigation showed that the suspect, surnamed Chan, had previously stayed in the room in question, and she was taken away at her home at Choi Yuen Estate in Sheung Shui on suspicion of criminal damage.

Police called on people at quarantine facilities to refrain from damaging them, and keep the environment clean, warning that any violation could face up to 10 years in prison.

This is the second time similar instances have occurred at temporary facilities for coronavirus patients in less than two weeks.

Officers had earlier arrested a 27-year-old man on March 17, accusing him of throwing and smearing faeces inside a unit of Queen’s Hill Estate, a public housing block in Fanling that was turned into an isolation facility.