Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has sought to reassure members of ethnic minority groups caught up in an escalating Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong’s Yau Tsim Mong district that they have not been targeted based on race or ethnicity, after an outcry sparked by a health official’s suggestion that their “behaviour put them at risk”.

“There is absolutely no suggestion of the spread of disease relating to race or ethnicity,” Lam said on Tuesday. “If there is any misunderstanding arising from any remarks made by any officials, I made it absolutely clear here.”

South Asian residents and concern groups have expressed outrage over the remarks made by Raymond Ho Lei-ming, a senior official from the Centre for Health Protection.

“They have many family gatherings and like to gather with fellow countrymen,” Ho said on Monday. “They like to share food, smoke, drink alcohol and chat together. If it is without masks, the risk is high. They also need to share sanitary facilities with neighbours if the living environment is crowded.”

Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3118380/hong-kong-fourth-wave-south-asian-residents-concern-groups