CE visits Lo Wu Correctional Institution and distributes face masks in Tin Shui Wai and Lau Fau Shan
15.3.2020

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited once again the Lo Wu Correctional Institution of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) today (March 15) to inspect the situation of the increase in production of surgical masks and thank the volunteers comprising off-duty and retired CSD personnel for their devotion to the production work over the past months to meet the keen demand for surgical masks amid the COVID-19 epidemic. She then joined members of the Hong Kong Volunteers Federation to distribute face masks in Tin Shui Wai and Lau Fau Shan. Accompanied by the Under Secretary for Security, Mr Sonny Au, Mrs Lam visited the Lo Wu Correctional Institution where she received a briefing by the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Woo Ying-ming, on the new production line launched today. The new line is housed in a renovated structure next to the original workshop at the institution. Indeed, in the face of the epidemic, the CSD has increased the production of surgical masks a number of times since the beginning of January, raising the output incrementally from an average of 1.1 million per month last year to the current level of about 2.5 million. With the workshop operating round the clock at present, in addition to inmates more than 1 200 off-duty and retired volunteers are participating in the production to meet the manpower requirement; the eldest volunteer is more than 80 years old. With their concerted efforts, a few new production lines, which will come into operation in phases, are expected to further increase the total output of the CSD surgical masks to 5.4 million every month. Mrs Lam praised the CSD personnel and volunteers for their commitment to Hong Kong, as they have helped with the production of surgical masks day and night once they knew that supplies were tight during the epidemic, demonstrating their selfless commitment to service. She expressed her heart-felt thanks for their contributions, adding that she has no doubt that as long as members of the public are equally devoted to fighting the virus together, Hong Kong will definitely win the battle of the epidemic. Next, Mrs Lam joined the Chairman of the Hong Kong Volunteers Federation, Mr Tam Kam-kau, to distribute face masks in Tin Shui Wai and Lau Fau Shan. She visited families with elderly residents in Tin Yan Estate, Tin Shui Wai and then called on several elderly people in a village in Lau Fau Shan. She chatted with them to learn about their lives during the epidemic and distributed anti-epidemic kits containing face masks to them, while reminding them to pay attention to personal hygiene. The Chief Executive decided earlier to pass all face masks donated by various sectors to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) so that they can distribute them to underprivileged groups, in particular the elderly. Some face masks were also recently distributed to self-help organisations for patients and people with disabilities. The move is aimed at sharing the relatively scarce resources with the community to fight the disease together. The Hong Kong Volunteers Federation is one of the NGOs assisting the Government to distribute the face masks. Ends/Sunday, March 15, 2020 Issued at HKT 20:26 NNNN