The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met Vice Minister of General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) Ms Lv Weihong today (November 28). The two parties also signed the Co-operation Arrangement for Entry-exit Health Inspection and Quarantine between the GACC and the Health Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (Co-operation Arrangement).
Professor Lo said, "I would like to express my gratitude to the GACC for its support to the signing of the Co-operation Arrangement. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has all along been maintaining close co-operation with the entry-exit health inspection and quarantine authorities of the Mainland to safeguard the wellbeing and safety of residents and travellers of the two places. People of the Mainland and the HKSAR have been engaging in more frequent exchanges ever since the full resumption of normal travel between the two places after the COVID-19 epidemic. Having consolidated experiences in the prevention and control of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, the GACC and the Health Bureau will further strengthen the joint efforts in disease prevention and control in terms of entry-exit health inspection and quarantine between the Mainland and Hong Kong through the Co-operation Arrangement, with a view to facilitating the smooth operation of the communication and collaboration mechanisms between the two parties."
At the meeting, Professor Lo and Ms Lv also exchanged views on issues of mutual concern including entry-exit health inspection and quarantine as well as the Policy Address initiative regarding the discussion with other Greater Bay Area cities on the provision of direct cross-boundary ambulance service.
Today's meeting was another occasion where Professor Lo met with leaders of the GACC within a short period of time after his last visit to the GACC in Beijing in early November. The Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan; the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; Deputy Secretary for Health Mr Sam Hui; the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Edwin Tsui; and the Director of Cluster Services of the Hospital Authority, Dr Simon Tang, also attended the meeting today.
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