Officials act to step up coffin supplies

The government on Wednesday said it had moved to address a shortage of coffins. This come as local suppliers say they have had difficulties in getting coffins delivered, due to the Covid situation both here and on the mainland.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said, over the past three days, 360 coffins had arrived in Hong Kong by land and by sea, and that a further 730 were expected by sea on Friday.

The department thanked mainland authorities for their support, and said officials on both sides of the border had coordinated on quotas, so cross-boundary goods vehicles could bring in deliveries.

Meanwhile, the FEHD said it had held a refresher webinar for the funeral business on the handling of dead bodies, with input from the Centre for Health Protection. This follows concerns from front-line funeral staff about the possibility of Covid infection.