Hong Kong third wave: officials to prioritise next round of testing for Covid-19 as first experts from mainland China arrive to help with fight
- Teams from across the border will help local authorities carry out wider screening and construct a makeshift hospital
- Assistance comes as city reports 115 new cases and another two deaths
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po warned the “really worrying” surge in infections was taking a toll on the economy, which was already suffering after slipping into its first recession in a decade last year and contracting sharply during the first six months of 2020, against the previous first half.
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Hong Kong’s first makeshift Covid-19 hospital in operation amid third wave of coronavirus crisis
Officials would continue to work hard to support people struggling amid the downturn, while the government could take lessons from mainland authorities in successfully handling the health crisis, he said.
“The mainland’s epidemic control and prevention strategies have achieved remarkable results,” Chan wrote on his blog. “Many cities have ‘cleared’ all confirmed cases, asymptomatic infections and close contacts requiring medical supervision, allowing people to resume their daily lives.”
The mainland team comprising seven experts was greeted by health minister Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee and mainland affairs chief Erick Tsang Kwok-wai at the Metropark Hotel in Kowloon where they will be staying. Another 60 medical staff are scheduled to follow. All were selected by the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission from over 20 public hospitals, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Experts from mainland China arrive to help Hong Kong fight the city’s worst wave of coronavirus
They will help local authorities carry out a pledge made by Beijing to test all 7.5 million residents and bolster processing capabilities, as well as build another makeshift hospital. Work on establishing a new laboratory would begin on Monday, according to a government spokesman.