Food supplies ensured and more support promised for testing residents
Customs workers in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, check vegetables on Friday before transportation to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The central government and Guangdong province have taken steps to ensure the supply of food and daily necessities to the Hong Kong SAR to help the city fight a new wave of COVID-19 infections. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
The central government has pledged its full support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government in its battle to contain the city's fifth COVID-19 wave, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said.
Hong Kong's political leaders and residents welcomed the central government's support in combating the city's worst outbreak of the novel coronavirus, saying it will lift confidence in containment of the outbreak and improve the city's capacity to deal with it.
READ MORE: Mainland, HKSAR to expedite food supply logistics
The response came after a meeting between HKSAR and mainland government officials and medical experts in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Saturday.
On Sunday, Hong Kong reported 1,347 confirmed cases of COVID-19－a slight decrease after the city recorded 1,514 confirmed cases on Saturday, the highest daily number of infections. Another 2,000 suspected positive cases were identified on Sunday, health officials said.
Huang Liuquan, deputy head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, who presided over the meeting on Saturday, conveyed State leaders' concerns to Hong Kong residents as well as their instructions to offer full support to the city in order to quickly curb the outbreak.
Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee Ka-chiu led the SAR delegation at the meeting.
He said the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, as well as the Guangdong provincial government and Shenzhen authorities, will provide support to the Hong Kong SAR, including forming expert teams to make plans and carry out research to deal with COVID and keeping close contact with the SAR government to take its needs into consideration.
The central government and Guangdong authorities will also ensure the supply of vegetables, fresh food and other daily necessities to Hong Kong, Lee said at a news conference on Saturday
The central government and Guangdong authorities will also ensure the supply of vegetables, fresh food and other daily necessities to Hong Kong, Lee said at a news conference on Saturday.
The central government and Guangdong and HKSAR authorities, will also set up joint task forces made up of epidemiologists, and covering testing and quarantine facilities, and the timely dispatching of medical and other necessary supplies.
Lee thanked the mainland for the support and care it had shown for the city.
Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday the central government's support will improve Hong Kong's capability to resolve its difficulties and help bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible, which is key to stabilizing the community and the local economy.
Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said apart from the central government's help, Hong Kong residents should play their part by going for mandatory COVID tests and getting vaccinated.
The Hong Kong police force said with the central government's backing and the public's cooperation, Hong Kong can overcome the city's fifth outbreak.
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong－the city's largest political party－said the mainland authorities' help will quickly improve Hong Kong's virus testing capacity.
The party said with the central government's support it expects the SAR government to boost its quarantine and isolation facilities, in order to cut off transmission chains as early as possible.
Legislator Tang Fei said the central government's support is a big relief for Hong Kong people who are deeply worried by the worsening outbreak.
He welcomed the setting up of the joint task forces and urged the SAR government to seek more support from the mainland to increase manpower. Hong Kong should also improve the tracking functions of the LeaveHomeSafe contact-tracing app.
David Chan, a 30-year-old clerk, said he hopes Hong Kong's COVID situation can quickly be reined in with the mainland authorities' support.
The price of fresh food has soared. Several cross-border truck drivers who bring in daily necessities to the city have tested positive for the virus.
Chan said the central government's promise to ensure fresh food supplies in the city was reassuring.
During the city's third outbreak in 2020, the central government and mainland authorities also offered assistance by sending medical experts to do mass testing and construct medical facilities, including the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre and the COVID-19 community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo.
ALSO READ: HK lowers Sinovac jab-taking age to 3 amid raging 5th wave
Chan said such help is imperative again as the SAR government has room to improve the speed and scope of testing and reduce transmissions caused by mass testing in community centers.
Many Hong Kong-based state-owned enterprises have also volunteered to help. Some have donated laptops and computers for schoolchildren to take part in online classes.
Free buses to pick up residents and take them to testing centers are also being provided by some companies.
