Hong Kong civil servant in charge of reusable mask giveaway admits transparency shortcomings, promises replacement filter production will go out to tender
- Annie Choi says she was not ‘sensitive enough’ when she did not initially reveal identity of the CuMask+ manufacturer
- Contract for production of mask filters will be put out to tender, head of the Innovation and Technology Bureau says
A senior civil servant overseeing the distribution of reusable masks to all Hongkongers has promised to put the production of their replacement filters out to tender after admitting to shortcomings in the transparency of the original contract awarded by the government.
Annie Choi Suk-han, permanent secretary of the Innovation and Technology Bureau, on Friday rejected suggestions the government had intentionally hidden the identity of the manufacturer chosen for the HK$320 million (US$41 million) mask giveaway, saying bypassing the open tender process was justified because of the urgency of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But she said she was not “sensitive enough” to transparency demands and took too long to reveal who the manufacturer was, adding that changes would be made when selecting the producer of the replacement filters.
Reusable mask for every Hongkonger as Covid-19 progress heralds easing of curbs
More than 2.5 million Hongkongers, as of Friday, have registered to receive a free washable mask, which was manufactured by Crystal International Group, the Hong Kong-listed company awarded the contract without facing competition.
Admitting flaws in the process, Choi told a press conference: “Before Tuesday, when we announced the project, the understanding we had with the related parties, involved in offering storage space, production and disinfection, was that they wanted to keep a low profile … They were involved in this to make a contribution to Hong Kong and didn’t want others to think they were seeking publicity.
“If you ask me now, it might be that I was not sensitive enough. I might have expected to disclose the information at the very beginning.”
Choi added: “The reason we talked to HKRITA is because of the pandemic … I also got the internal approval from the government. I had no need to hide anything.”
Choi eventually confirmed on Thursday that the masks were being made by Crystal International Group, mostly at a facility in Vietnam. She also disclosed the names of other Hong Kong companies involved in the project.
The masks were patented and developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), a government-funded non-profit organisation.
They incorporate copper as a key filtering component and its name, CuMask+, is derived from the chemical symbol for copper.
Registration to receive a mask opened on Wednesday for a month, with each person in the city’s population of 7.5 million entitled to one.
The products, which can be washed up to 60 times, are expected to be sent via registered delivery to homes within two weeks of residents submitting their order.
The government plans to distribute at least 8 million of the surgical masks, including two to each kindergarten and primary pupil, meaning the cost to the public purse could be HK$320 million (US$41 million).
Choi said so far only the children’s models were still under production and all the masks would be distributed to applicants by June. “In August, we will disclose the related costs for the project.”
Reusable Hong Kong masks being made by Uniqlo and H&M manufacturer
In another potential controversy, it was suggested the masks were different from those patented by HKRITA.
Edwin Keh, CEO of HKRITA, admitted there were differences between the two models but said the one being made available to the Hong Kong public was an “improved version”.
“Both designs have six layers. In the new design, we removed the magnetic field because it could only be washed 20 times with that feature, while the new one can be washed 60 times,” he said, adding that copper oxide was now in the outer layer of the newer mask to further suppress the virus.
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