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From temples to dance halls, Covid-19 clusters cut across every level of Hong Kong society in 2020
- An outbreak that saw dock workers fall ill while sharing makeshift dormitories was just one example of how the virus showed Hongkongers hidden sides of the city
- Bars, meanwhile, saw some of the earliest clusters, as musicians who worked multiple venues fell prey to the virus in March
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Why you can trust SCMP
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected Hongkongers from all walks of life. Since the first infections in January, the highly transmissible virus has quietly spread to the wider community through silent carriers. People have been infected with the coronavirus at places of worship, care homes for the elderly, workplaces that share common facilities, hospital wards, and even dancing studios frequented by the city’s upper classes.
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Here is a look at major Covid-19 clusters that caught city residents off guard.
1. Fook Wai Ching She Buddhist worship hall – 19 patients
In March, a Buddhist temple in North Point was forced to apologise for not having shut down and suspended gatherings sooner, after multiple worshippers and its own master contracted Covid-19.
Admitting to being caught off guard, the temple put out a statement conceding its worshippers had “not been sensitive enough” and blaming a lack of experience for not cooperating more quickly with the government, which struggled to track all who had visited the worship hall.
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