It is time to dispose of quarantine sites
With public life largely back to normal for more than a year, the coronavirus pandemic may seem like a distant memory to many Hongkongers. What is left as a reminder of that painful chapter are the quarantine camps that are still costing much money to maintain while pending proper disposal longer term. Taxpayers can be excused for being outraged to learn that the six sites that have not been used for isolation since still incur a monthly expenditure of HK$3.75 million. The 65-hectare Penny’s Bay facility costs the most, at about HK$1.7 million a month, followed by the Lok Ma Chau Loop site, at about HK$1.4 million. The remaining ones cost between HK$65,000 and HK$400,000 to maintain.
The bill covers electricity, maintenance costs and security services. Some still require outsourced cleaning services, and lighting, air conditioning, fire services and telecommunications equipment also have to be maintained, according to the Development Bureau.
Officials said all community isolation facilities had either been placed into “standby mode” or are being used for other purposes. For instance, mock-up units for light public housing are now located at Kai Tak, with the site being turned into a base for the creative industry and short-term uses that can go with the cruise terminal nearby. The Tam Mei facility in Yuen Long is being used as centralised quarters for imported labour for the construction industry, while the San Tin one holds training courses and trade tests for the sector. The government was reviewing how to gradually make arrangements for the remaining community isolation facilities, releasing them in phases or utilising them for other purposes, the bureau added.
That it has taken so long to settle the ultimate use of these isolation camps is to be regretted. It is not just a waste of public money to keep the sites idling, but also a failure to put precious land to the best use.
Indeed, the issue should have been foreseen when the government rushed to build the facilities. Now that Covid-19 is no longer a major public health threat, perhaps only a portion of the units should be kept for future quarantine purposes. Officials should speed up the review and release the sites for better use as soon as possible.