Coronavirus: Hong Kong contact-tracing command centre to open within days; city logs 33 new Covid-19 cases

Name: What there is to know about the Covid-19 vaccines roll out in Hong Kong
Uploaded: 2021-01-07T05:33:27.000Z
Duration: 5 min 9 s
Description: What there is to know about the Covid-19 vaccines roll out in Hong Kong

Hong Kong reports 29 local Covid-19 cases, including five from untraceable sources, as well as four imported infections

Officers will be seconded from police, Immigration Department and customs for new command centre, which will be located at Kai Tak Community Hall

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Health officials urged the public to remain vigilant against the virus. Photo: Sam Tsang

Elizabeth CheungandChan Ho-him

Published: 1:33pm, 7 Jan 2021Updated: 3:38am, 8 Jan 2021

A new command centre staffed by about 100 officers from the disciplined services and medical professionals will start operating in Hong Kong on Monday under an enhanced contact-tracing strategy for coronavirus cases, officials said, as another 33 infections were confirmed on Thursday.

The city’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, had earlier said the administration would boost manpower to trace more close contacts.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said officers would be seconded from the police force, Immigration Department and customs for the new centre, which would be located at Kai Tak Community Hall in Kowloon East.

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What there is to know about the Covid-19 vaccines roll out in Hong Kong

“Starting next Monday, around 100 disciplined services officers will be seconded and help trace close contacts of Covid-19 cases,” Chuang said at a regular Covid-19 briefing on Thursday. “If there is an increase or decrease in cases, the number of officers will also be adjusted.”

Relevant training would be provided to the officers beforehand, Chuang said, adding that she hoped a senior member of the disciplined services staff would be the centre’s commander.

Of the newly logged cases, four were imported. Five of the 29 local cases were from unknown sources.

More than 30 people tested preliminary-positive for the virus.