China Daily
Officials and medical experts from both Hong Kong and the mainland are exploring cooperative moves to help the special administrative region curb its worst ever COVID-19 outbreak. A Hong Kong delegation led by Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee Ka-chiu will meet officials and medical experts from the mainland on Saturday in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, to discuss how Hong Kong can contain its worsening COVID-19 outbreak with the mainland’s support. The news came as Hong Kong on Friday reported a record 1,325 new infections.
Participants at the meeting on the COVID-19 outbreak will exchange views on the best ways to help the coronavirus-hit city get the contagion under control and stabilize cross-border trade before formulating relevant measures.
The Hong Kong delegation is made up of the heads of different SAR government bureaus and departments involved in the city’s anti-contagion work, such as Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai.
Saturday’s meeting will also be attended by officials and experts of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the National Health Commission, the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, and the governments of Guangdong province and Shenzhen.
The HKMAO earlier said that the nation is concerned about recent developments in the city’s pandemic situation, adding that the central government will fully support the SAR in battling COVID-19 and will ensure that a sufficient supply of daily necessities reaches the city.
Chan said on Friday that Hong Kong authorities are discussing with the mainland side the establishment of mobile hospitals as a solution to ease the acute shortage of hospital beds caused by the surge in infections.
Some of the city’s lawmakers sent public letters over the past two days to the Chief Executive Office and the Food and Health Bureau, suggesting the government request the central government to lend a helping hand to the SAR to fight the fifth wave of the virus. Lau Wing-hung, a 64-year-old retiree in the city, extended her gratitude for the central government’s firm support for the city, saying she believes the well-timed meeting between Hong Kong and the mainland will bring good news for the city.
