Coronavirus: Hong Kong Science Park to get mask-making facility with goal of producing 100,000 a day amid shortage
- 8,000 sq ft space retrieved from tenant will be operated by a yet to be named third party
- Lawmaker hopes production lines can be up and running within five to six weeks
Hong Kong’s technology hub is set to become a base for surgical mask production, with a target of 100,000 masks a day, as the city struggles to meet demand amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The publicly owned Science and Technology Parks Corporation on Sunday secured an 8,000 sq ft space from tenant Farm66, a vertical vegetable firm, from its industrial estate in Tai Po to make way for the project.
The hoped-for number of masks could potentially exceed that currently produced by the Correctional Services Department depending on the number of days it is in operation.
Farm66 co-founder Gordon Tam Chi-ho told the Post that a yet to be named third party would install production lines in the space.
“It will be done through automation,” Tam said. “We are happy to surrender the space and put on hold our expansion plan to make way for the mask production, which is important to our city.”
Lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, who is a member of the city’s Executive Council, told the Post that while he could not yet confirm the Farm66 deal, he had been actively coordinating with the business sector over a mask-producing facility.