HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 15 September 2022 - The number of people living in poverty in Hong Kong has risen significantly these past few years. There are 1.65 million people, or 24% of the total population, now living below the poverty line. This means that almost 1 in every 4 people in Hong Kong is living in.
Cindy Chan, in her forties and donning a tattered and stained face mask, desperately sweeps items such as biscuits and canned food into her bag from a “Gift and Take” fridge at a food court in Dragon Centre shopping centre in Sham Shui Po. The fridge offers donated dried food to the needy, and a scrawny Chan is among those.
February 04, 2021
A handout photo. A man halfway through getting his hair dyed lines up for testing in Sham Shui Po during a lockdown on Tuesday (Feb 2).
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong’s decision to implement “ambush-style” lockdowns in neighbourhoods to contain the coronavirus pandemic has left some residents trapped inside shops, sometimes overnight.
In one recent operation, a 10-year-old girl was in a hair salon getting a trim when her mother left to buy food when the order was issued. Eventually, authorities allowed the daughter to reunite with the parent after taking down the girl’s personal details.
The strategy of closing off areas, often overnight, while residents are tested one by one has been criticised by some health experts. While one suggested an overhaul of the approach, another warned residents should not leave home late at night.