Coronavirus: intellectually disabled in Hong Kong more confined, spend less time outdoors amid pandemic than others worldwide, study finds
- Findings are part of Chinese University survey done in 19 countries on carers, with 269 of them from city
- Other results include more than 70 per cent of respondents voicing dissatisfaction with Covid-19 government information
Intellectually disabled people in Hong Kong are more confined and spend less time outdoors amid the Covid-19 pandemic compared with others worldwide, a new study has found.
Their carers also struggle with lack of guidance and support, with no knowledge of available avenues to report instances of exploitation or neglect.
The findings by the Chinese University of Hong Kong are from a collaborative questionnaire conducted in 19 countries across six continents for carers of the intellectually disabled, of which 269 respondents are from Hong Kong.
According to the study, 58.4 per cent of intellectually disabled Hongkongers experienced spatial constraints under the pandemic, while 74 per cent suffered from reduced freedom of movement.
“There isn’t much space to begin with in Hong Kong, which is very dense,” said Professor Angela Cui Jia-liang, who led the research. “And with the pandemic, some intellectually disabled people have to stay in their rooms the whole day, even to eat.”
