The Commerce & Economic Development Bureau today announced that it has approved five more production lines under the Local Mask Production Subsidy Scheme.

A total of 13 production lines have been approved under the scheme, including those approved earlier.

Sinopharm Tech Medical Supplies Limited, Hong Kong Lion Production Company Limited, HKer Medical Supplies Limited, Action Medical Sundries Limited and SDL Skin (Asia) Limited have each been approved for obtaining the subsidy for one production line.

After approval in principle is given, the Government will sign an agreement with the approved applicant and will disburse subsidy funds in instalments pursuant to the terms of the agreement.

The actual subsidy amount for each production line under the scheme is contingent upon the actual expenditure for production equipment and setting up the venue and clean room facilities as well as testing and standards compliance, and will be finalised when the expenditure is confirmed.

An approved applicant must fulfil the terms of the agreement including securing the relevant certification for the masks produced before the Government begins purchasing masks from it.

The scheme will provide subsidies to a maximum of 20 local production lines. A subsidy quota of seven production lines remains.

The Hong Kong Productivity Council has confirmed that there remain 26 applications involving 33 production lines which meet all the scheme's eligibility criteria. The Government will process them as soon as possible.