Hong Kong police, fire services to form contingency teams to provide support in battle against coronavirus

Sources say the exact job nature of the units is still being discussed, while force sends internal memo to officers inviting colleagues to join

Firefighters will offer similar teams for quick response to emergencies near quarantine zones

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A special team from the fire services, which is one of the disciplined forces offering help amid the war against the coronavirus. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 7:48pm, 6 Feb 2020Updated: 10:39pm, 6 Feb 2020

Hong Kong police and fire services will set up contingency teams to provide support, especially at quarantine sites, as the city braces for wider outbreaks of the deadly coronavirus.

Government sources stressed that the exact duties of such teams were still being mapped out, but added it was important to ensure manpower reserves for deployment when needed.

On Wednesday, police issued an internal notice inviting colleagues to join their contingency force. An insider said the aim was to recruit 100 members who were not directly involved in other operations such as dealing with the ongoing anti-government protests.

Police outside Lady MacLehose Holiday Village in Sai Kung, one of the quarantine centres. Photo: Sam Tsang

The police team for the outbreak is expected to operate two to three days a week on secondary duty.

But the exact nature of their jobs, such as whether they would be deployed to check on or track down individuals for quarantine, was still to be decided by the government, the insider said.