CS visits quarantine centre in Lei Yue Mun (with photos)

     The Chief Secretary for Administration and Chairman of the Anti-epidemic Fund Steering Committee, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, today (February 29) visited Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village to inspect the newly developed temporary quarantine facilities that would soon commence operation.

     Accompanied by the Director of Architectural Services, Mrs Sylvia Lam, Mr Cheung toured the quarantine units and received a briefing on how the construction team overcame the challenges during the development process, including the special hygiene and safety requirements (e.g. provision of appropriate sanitary fitments) and how the 118 additional units could be completed in less than a month through application of modular integrated construction method.
 
     In view of the development of the epidemic, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government decided in early February to add new quarantine units on the vacant land in the Village. The construction work started on February 3 and completed on February 27, involving more than 1 900 man-day of on-site management staff and over 9 000 man-day of construction workers.
 
     Mr Cheung highly commended the professionalism upheld and demonstrated by colleagues involved in the construction project and expressed his gratitude for their relentless efforts to complete the new units within an extremely short period. He also expressed his warmest gratitude to Civil Aid Service for fulfilling their pledge to "Provide Emergency Relief, Serve the Community" in managing the quarantine centres properly for the Government and safeguarding the community at large.

     He stressed that quarantine centres played an indispensable role in the fight against the epidemic since they could both protect the well-being of people undergoing mandatory quarantine and help reduce the risk of infection among the public, preventing major outbreak in the community.
 
     Mr Cheung added that the Steering Committee on Anti-epidemic Fund under his chairmanship held the first meeting earlier this week. Relevant bureaux and departments were pressing with full steam ahead to roll out the various support and relief measures to address the pressing needs of the local enterprises and members of the public. He called on all quarters of society to continue to join hands in the fight against the epidemic.
 
     Government is currently operating five quarantine centres. According to the existing measures implemented by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, patients suspected to be infected by COVID-19 will be admitted to hospitals for isolation and treatment. As regards asymptomatic close contacts of confirmed cases, they are required to undergo mandatory quarantine.