Chief Secretary John Lee today convened an inter-departmental meeting followed by a video conference with the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (LOCPG) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the contractor to press ahead at full steam with the commissioning of the community isolation facility (CIF) in Tsing Yi.

The CIF's construction in Tsing Yi, supported by the central government, started last week and the facility has been largely completed in recent days.

During the inter-departmental meeting, Mr Lee was briefed on the construction progress of the Tsing Yi community isolation facility and the preparatory works on its daily management by the Development Bureau and the Security Bureau. The Food & Health Bureau also reported on the preparatory work and support for medical personnel who will provide services at the facilities.

Mr Lee pointed out that in view of the severe epidemic situation, there is a serious shortage of CIFs.

He instructed all relevant bureaus and departments to make every effort to prepare for the speedy setting up of the Tsing Yi CIF so that it can be commissioned as soon as possible after the contractor hands over the facility, to receive infected people with no or mild symptoms and other people who need to be isolated.

Mr Lee then had a video conference with LOCPG Deputy Directors Chen Dong and Yin Zonghua as well as contractor China State Construction International Holdings, to make final preparations for handing over the Tsing Yi CIF.

He thanked the LOCPG for its all-out co-ordination and the contractor for its great efforts in constructing the project so that the facility can be completed for handover in just around a week, delivering around 3,900 additional beds for emergency community isolation and contributing immensely to stabilising the city's epidemic situation.

Separately, the Government announced that newly completed transitional housing units will be used as community isolation facilities. The two projects are expected to accommodate over 5,000 isolated people.

As for the families who have been arranged to live in these two transitional housing projects, the Government will provide them with ex-gratia allowances under the Anti-epidemic Fund.