Coronavirus: Hong Kong hotels answer Carrie Lam’s call, agree to help with additional rooms for isolation use

A first batch of 4,400 rooms at hotels that are already being used for quarantine are likely to be secured for use as isolation facilities this week and next

Developers have offered more rooms too, ‘in a strong show of support’: sources

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The Avenue of Stars along Tsim Sha Tsui promenade under tightened social-distancing regulations. The additional rooms will be used to house Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms and their close contacts. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 12:45pm, 16 Feb 2022Updated: 9:31pm, 16 Feb 2022

Hong Kong developers and hotel owners reacted positively and agreed to help address a shortage of isolation facilities during a meeting with Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Wednesday, sources said.

Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said on Wednesday the government had already secured about 4,400 hotel rooms, with around 1,700 to be made available for use by this week and the rest by the end of next week. The announcement came on the same day that Lam conducted a webinar with the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong (Reda) and The Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners.

These rooms, located in designated quarantine hotels, have already installed adequate facilities such as air purifiers, sources said. They can be used as soon as possible, but some property developers have offered additional rooms too, in a strong show of support, according to sources.

Lam had called on some of the city’s biggest developers and hotel owners on Wednesday to discuss the use of an additional 10,000 rooms to alleviate the shortage of isolation facilities.

People isolating at Dorsett Wanchai Hotel. A total of 40 hotels providing 11,500 rooms are currently in use as quarantine facilities for overseas travellers. This number will rise from March 1 to July 31. Photo: Sam Tsang

Builders and hotel owners that are part of Reda, a powerful industry group, held an online meeting with Lam, with members such as CK Asset Holdings, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Sino Group and New World Development joining in.