2nd November 2020 – (Hong Kong) A 42-year-old woman of Chinese nationality who was to be deported back to mainland tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday (1st) after was arrested in a police anti-vice operation last Wednesday (28th October). It is understood that because she is a sex worker and had close contact with clients. She has received multiple clients in one day, and there is a fear that a new “prostitution cluster” will break out. Therefore, the police are tracing the places she visited during the 14-day incubation period and people who have been in contact with her. According to sources, the woman’s surname, Ho, is from Guizhou. She claimed that she smuggled into Hong Kong in Zhuhai in mid-August. After arriving in Hong Kong, she engaged in prostitution to earn income. During her stay in Hong Kong, she received multiple guests every day. In addition to Oriental Lander Hotel in Mong Kok, she also worked in a brothel in Tai Wai. It is estimated that more than a hundred customers have had sex with her, and the police are trying their best to track down relevant customers to prevent the outbreak of the new cluster.
Dr. Ho Pak-leung, director of the Infectious and Infectious Diseases Center of the University of Hong Kong, said on a radio program that there are certain challenges in handling the related case. He believes that the arrested person will not be too cooperative. It is recommended that the government follow the practices of the Mainland and Macau and arrange special hotels for quarantine persons to isolate them so as to reduce the contact with others. He also thinks that detention centres should be ventilated as much as possible, including installing air purifiers and staff should wear masks at all time.
Meanwhile, a prostitution ring set up a Telegram channel to openly solicit customers. The syndicate allegedly rented several hotel rooms for prostitution, including the Oriental Lander Hotel and another hotel in North Point. It is believed that the Chinese woman who has been staying at Oriental Lander Hotel has provided sexual services for a long time. The Telegram channel also advertised that the full set of sexual services only costs HK$400.
There was one local case with unknown sources reported yesterday. She is the 42-year-old Chinese national who overstayed in Hong Kong and was arrested by police during an anti-vice operation in Mong Kok on 28th September. During the arrest, she was staying at Oriental Lander Hotel on Tong Mi Road in Mong Kok. She was suspected to be a prostitute. She was taken to Mong Kok Police station before being transferred to Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre on 30th October. She was subsequently transferred to Ma Tau Kok Detention entre. Detainees who stayed with her at Mong Kok Police Station, Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre and Ma Tau Kok Detention Centre will be sent to quarantine centre for testing. Close contacts of the patient including officials will also be sent to quarantine centre.