The conditions inside the windowless rooms are cramped, with as many as 20 workers sharing the space, making social distancing exceedingly difficult.
With cargo ships unloading around the clock, workers at Hong Kong’s busiest port are forced to grab what little sleep they can during long shifts in makeshift dormitories crafted from containers.
“If you’re not wearing a mask inside and you’re infected, everyone else will be infected,” said Ken Lai Ma-kin, a member of the Union of Hong Kong Dockers who has been in the business for nearly half his 58 years. “The beds are very close to each other.” As health officials race to contain the city’s third wave of coronavirus infections, the emergence of the cluster at the port comes as a worrying development.
“If we can’t quickly identify the other [infected] people, the consequences could be very serious,” Tsang said. Every worker has their temperature tested as they enter. But unionists such as Lai said more must be done, including disinfecting the rest areas at least once every two days. At present, some were not disinfected at all.
“It’s very tough working at the port. It’s very physically demanding,” said the worker who did not want to be named. It is important to keep the port operational as it is crucial for the daily life of all Hong Kong peopleOperators met representatives from the Transport and Housing Bureau and the Department of Health at the port on Monday, pledging to convert more containers into rest facilities, a bureau spokesman said. Employees would also be sent to their quarters in batches instead of all at the same time.
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