Coronavirus fears sparked fresh protests in Hong Kong Saturday, as angry residents took to the streets to condemn local officials’ inadequate response to the spread of the deadly illness.

“The government didn’t listen to public demands of a complete border closure, and now they want to set up epidemic clinics,” protester Chan Mei-lin said. “Doing that is like creating more wounds rather than trying to stop the bleeding.”

Hundreds marched in opposition to the government’s plan to turn neighborhood buildings into quarantine centers – even as Chief Executive Carrie Lam continues her refusal to shut the city’s border with China, where the virus outbreak began.

Police used pepper spray on the crowd and made several arrests Saturday, news footage showed.

Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which began last June, have faded in recent weeks in the face of the virus’ spread.