Opinion | How the coronavirus pandemic has exposed Hong Kong’s insensitivity to its ethnic minorities

When over 300 Hong Kong residents returned from Pakistan on a government-chartered flight and entered Chun Yeung Estate for a 14-day quarantine in early May, little did they expect to be served ham sandwiches and cup noodles containing pork – until the Pakistani consulate, the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund, community leaders, NGOs and others stepped in.

Many Pakistanis are Muslims and observe the practice of eating halal food and avoiding pork.

To the further surprise of those who fast during the daytime in the month of Ramadan, for the first few days at the quarantine centre, breakfast was delivered after sunrise and dinner came hours after sunset.

When the novel coronavirus first spread, official information on health protection and quarantine measures were published in Chinese and English only. Information was later made available in languages more commonly used by ethnic minority communities, but the translation was often incomplete and, at times, inaccurate.