HONG KONG -- When Ms. Cheung's rapid antigen test for COVID-19 turned up positive, the Hong Kong freelance writer had a decision to make. She could notify the authorities as required, or hunker down at home.
Cheung, who agreed to be identified only by her surname, chose to self-isolate with her partner in their 35-sq.-meter one-bedroom apartment. She feared that if she came forward, she would be carted off to one of the city's makeshift isolation facilities. The pictures were not appealing -- rows upon rows of spartan rooms, some converted shipping containers, with communal toilets and paper-thin mattresses atop wiry beds.
