Ceaseless Mainland support for Hong Kong&apos;s anti-epidemic efforts
28.2.2022

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, this morning (February 28) met with the Mainland’s COVID-19 medical expert delegation that had arrived in Hong Kong. In the afternoon, she inspected the first community isolation facility which was located in Tsing Yi and completed by the Mainland contractor under the commissioning of the Central Authorities, and welcomed at the Shenzhen Bay Port the third batch of Mainland anti-epidemic experts arriving in Hong Kong. Mrs Lam said during a media interview at the control point that the details of the Compulsory Universal Testing scheme to be launched next month were being worked out and that the circumstances of Hong Kong and the views of the public would be taken into account during the process. She appealed to the public to not fall prey to rumours to avoid unnecessary fear stirred. In view of the public driven by rumours to scramble for food and daily necessities, Mrs Lam stressed that the supplies of food and goods remained normal and that air cargo operations continued. As regards the cross-boundary supply, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) had been working closely with the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government to broaden the means to ensure the stable supplies of fresh food, vegetables and other goods from the Mainland to Hong Kong, including the "Sea Express" water transportation service launched recently and transportation of goods by railway being planned for implementation at full steam. The current supply of food remained normal. There were sufficient stocks of staple food including rice and pastas. The supply of fresh food from the Mainland largely returned to the normal level. There was no need for the members of the public to worry; they should stay vigilant and pay attention to the information disseminated by the Government so as to avoid being misled by rumours. In the morning, Mrs Lam met with the leader of the Mainland medical expert delegation cum Director of Guangdong Provincial Geriatrics Institute, Mr Qin Tiehe, and other members to listen to their views and advice on COVID-19 treatment following their stay in Hong Kong since February 19. The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Tony Ko, members of the Government's anti-epidemic expert advisory group Professor Gabriel Leung and Professor David Hui, and such other experts as Professor Wallace Lau Chak-sing, Professor Lau Yu-lung and Professor Ivan Hung, also attended the meeting. Mrs Lam expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the expert delegation led by Mr Qin Tiehe for visiting a number of hospitals, North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, the community isolation facility at Penny’s Bay and more over the past week or so to understand the latest epidemic development of Hong Kong and conducting in-depth discussions with clinicians and various experts on the diagnosis and treatment of cases. The delegation also shared with the meeting the Mainland’s experiences in the configuration and clinical management of isolation facilities and their valuable views about the medical arrangements for treating severely ill patients in Hong Kong. Mrs Lam said that the timely treatment for serious patients and reduction of death cases were essential to safeguard the lives and health of Hong Kong people. In the afternoon, Mrs Lam, accompanied by Professor Chan and the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, visited the first community isolation facility completed by the Mainland contractor under the commissioning of the Central Authorities in Tsing Yi. Mrs Lam said that with the staunch support by the Central Authorities, the construction team had raced against the clock with 2 000 workers working day and night and completed the project in about a week, creating a miracle in Hong Kong’s construction industry. The project would provide about 3 900 beds for infected persons with no or mild symptoms and persons who needed to be isolated. The HKSAR Government would press ahead with bringing this facility into operation as soon as practicable. The site of this project was one of the eight sites under the co-operation agreement signed between the Architectural Services Department and the designated Mainland contractor the week before with respect to the construction of community isolation and treatment facilities. Meanwhile, the projects at other sites were being carried out at full speed. Mrs Lam and Professor Chan then went to the Shenzhen Bay Port to welcome the Head of the National Health Commission's anti-COVID-19 leading group, Mr Liang Wannian, together with four members arriving in Hong Kong under the Central Authorities’ arrangements. Mrs Lam expressed her gratitude to him for coming to our city, saying that his rich anti-COVID-19 experience would be instrumental to the HKSAR Government’s fight against the unprecedentedly severe epidemic situation at the moment. Ends/Monday, February 28, 2022 Issued at HKT 23:36 NNNN