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Written by: Lin Yingxian Zhu Haiqi
2020-12-28 19:35
Last update date: 2020-12-29 00:09
The government has issued compulsory inspection orders to 20 residential buildings, and 19 government-subsidized buildings account for 19 buildings, 13 of which are located in East Kowloon.
A team of experts from the University of Hong Kong said this morning (28th) that the new coronavirus was also detected in sewage samples from the Fengze House next to Mingli House, Choiyun Village, Yuxia.
According to a comprehensive analysis by infectious disease experts and surveyors, the public housing in Kowloon East is the hardest hit area of the epidemic. The pipes of old buildings are out of repair, which can easily lead to air transmission. The long corridors, transoms and pipes of public housing have also increased in the same building. Resident risk of infection.
20 epidemic buildings occupy 13 buildings in Kowloon East
Of the 20 epidemic buildings that were required to undergo compulsory testing, 13 of them are in East Kowloon. In addition to the newly added Fengze Building in Choi Wan (II) Village, there are also Ming Lai Building in the same village, Long Shan House in Lung Poon Court, and Dong Tau (II). ) Village Guidong Building; Fu Yan House, Fu Shan Estate, Diamond Hill; Block 2, Yulian Terrace, Kwun Tong Garden Building, Yili House, Po Tat Estate, Tai Yi House, Kowloon Bay; Home Ownership, Kowloon Bay, Regent Gardens, Block 4 and 6 Block, Block 18; Lei Sheng Building, Lei Yue Mun Village; Ping Cheng Building, Ping Tin Village, Lan Tin.
Only one non-public housing
Of the remaining 7 buildings, 3 are located in the East of the New Territories. They are in Ming Yan House, Kam Fung Court, Ma On Shan, Ma On Shan, and Unit 1C, Fung Nin House, in Yi Ming Estate, Sha Tin. On Hong Kong Island East, there is King Chui Court, No. 8 Feng Ha Road, Chai Wan. And Block A, Ming Wah Building, No. 25 A Kung Ngam Road, Shau Kei Wan; in the west of the New Territories: Shek Wing House, Shek Lei Second Village, Kwai Tsing, and Block 8, Kwai Shing West Village, Kwai Chung.
Among the 20 buildings, 19 are government-developed residential buildings such as public housing or home ownership. Only Fung Nian House in Tai Po is a private building. However, all confirmed cases of Fung Nian House are in the dormitory of 1C unit, and there is no infection in other buildings in the same building. unit.
He Juye pointed out that many of the affected buildings in East Kowloon have adopted semi-enclosed light wells. This design may conceal a virus-spreading crisis, causing a turbulence effect and causing the virus to spread upward.
(Photo by Ou Jiale)
He Juye: The left and right units of the old public housing share the same set of drainage pipes
The affected buildings are concentrated in East Kowloon. He Juye, chairman of the Building Policy Group of the Institute of Surveyors, said that most of the pipes in Hong Kong’s buildings are of "single-pipe design." The design of the pipes is also similar. The difference is that the left and right units of the old public housing estates will share the same set of pipes. Both the Guidong Building in Tung Tau Village, which had an outbreak earlier, and the Choi Wan Village this time have adopted the same design.
He said that under this design, the pipe will pass through the partition wall of the adjacent unit and enter the unit. If the sewage from the pipe is infected with the virus, the upper, lower and adjacent units will be affected.
He Juye continued to point out that the light wells in the Regent Gardens and Guidong Building are all semi-enclosed, describing that "there are very similar designs in all ages." However, this design may hide the crisis of spreading drugs and present a turbulence effect. The virus spreads upwards, "(pollutants) are discharged from below, the range hood upstairs is sucked tightly, and the window is sucked back in." However, there is not enough data to determine whether the relevant design has caused multiple residential buildings in East Kowloon The cause of the outbreak.
He worries that there may be a risk of spreading viruses in underground pipes, causing the virus to move from one building to neighboring buildings. He hopes that the government and the Hong Kong University expert team can conduct detailed studies on this.
Some public housing pipes are difficult to inspect for leakage
He Juye also said that many districts in East Kowloon are early developments, such as Richland Garden, Guidong Building, Ming Lai Building, etc., which have been completed for a period of time. It does not rule out that the pipes are damaged due to aging, or that some residents have changed the pipes of the unit. "This is an old building. The risk is obviously higher." Although the Housing Department has carried out large-scale repairs and renovations for public housing, as far as he understands, there are many housing estates in Hong Kong, and the Housing Department is not busy, and the speed of repairs "does not seem to be too frequent." "It’s too late to update the aging and damaged pipes immediately.
In addition, many public housing designs have pipes placed indoors. He Juye pointed out that the staff of the Housing Department will not frequently enter the housing for inspections. It is necessary to rely on the residents to detect problems and then ask the estate office to repair them, but the residents are generally Will not pay attention to pipe problems, and even some cases cover up the pipes. Even if the residents complain to the Housing Department about leakage, if the staff of the Housing Department finds that the problem is not serious, they will not follow up immediately and bury the housing pipes. Poisonous bomb.
Liang Zichao pointed out that the design of public housing and the aging of buildings are high risk factors for building transmission.
(Data Picture/Photographed by Lin Ruoqin)
Liang Zichao: Long corridors with old designs have ventilation problems
Respiratory specialist Liang Zichao pointed out that Kowloon East is an old district. The failure of pipes can easily lead to the vertical transmission of the virus, while public housing is prone to infection. This is related to the old design. "Long corridors will have ventilation problems. "Out of the corridor", once there are multiple confirmed cases in one of the units, the virus in the house will be very high and will spread through public facilities and the air, greatly increasing the risk of residents in the same building.
He suggested that in the short term, "willing to do all inspections" should be done in the relevant areas. Once more than one person is diagnosed in one of the units, all residents of Xiamen should be tested.
Among the 20 epidemic buildings subject to compulsory testing, the first confirmed residents of 5 are all related to the "sing and dance group."
Liang Zichao believes that this group of derivative cases is extensive, and it is possible that the first confirmed patient infects residents of the same building.
New crown pneumonia | Fengzelou pipe has a peculiar smell He Juye: daily water injection to U-shaped air-proof self-protection
New crown pneumonia | Fengzelou Mutual Committee: The government has found it inappropriate to repair pipes for days and urges residents not to evacuate
No confirmed case. Sewage samples from Fung Chak House, Choi Wan Village, No. 4, were positive for the virus. All buildings must be checked
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