Mainland teams to build 10,000 isolation units in HK

Construction teams from the mainland are to build 10,000 isolation and treatment units for Covid patients at Penny’s Bay and Kai Tak.

Attending a ceremony to mark the occasion on Saturday afternoon, the Chief Executive Carrie Lam thanked the central government for alleviating the shortage of facilities here.

“I thank the central government sincerely for accepting my request, and letting us commission a construction team from the mainland to build around 10,000 community isolation and treatment units here in Penny’s Bay and Kai Tak in the shortest period of time,”she said.

Lam said local authorities would cooperate with the construction company, China State Construction International Holdings, so the projects could be completed as soon as possible.

She said the SAR government would, at the same time, try to use hotel rooms, sports centres, and new public housing units to house patients; thereby providing about an additional 20,000 units.

She said the administration would prioritise the fight against Covid-19 over everything else, as per the request of President Xi Jinping.

A deputy director of Beijing’s liaison office, Yin Zonghua, who also attended the ceremony, said he fully supported the SAR government’s anti-pandemic efforts.