The Government today announced that its departments will continue to provide emergency services and essential public services and release manpower to focus on the anti-epidemic work that is being carried out with urgency.

In a statement, the Government said the epidemic situation remains severe, posing an unprecedented threat to Hong Kong but it emphasised that its employees, regardless of the departments they belong to, are making the fight against the epidemic the overriding mission.

Regarding comments that the Government arranges for its employees to work from home rather than to engage in anti-epidemic work, the statement said all government employees are united and consider the fight against the epidemic as their top priority and most important task.

Government employees, whether deployed to work in the office or otherwise, should stand ready when called upon by their departments, no matter what their original or usual duties are, it added.

In addition to mobilising a large number of staff to support testing operations, contact tracing, issuing of quarantine orders, the Government has stepped up the scale of the restriction-testing declaration operations, involving staff of 39 departments under eight bureaus.

The Home Affairs Department has deployed about 1,000 government employees for the operation of the 24-hour telephone hotline since the implementation of the StayHomeSafe Scheme and has been providing support to members of the public in need, including COVID-19 patients, people subject to testing and those under home quarantine.

As for additional community isolation and treatment facilities, members of the disciplined services have been mobilised to take up management duties.

The Commerce & Economic Development Bureau has been co-ordinating medical supplies, including rapid antigen test kits, masks, proprietary Chinese medicines from the Mainland, and has been swiftly distributing them to frontline staff, people receiving treatment, high-risk and target groups through departments and district organisations.

The Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau is planning at full steam the Compulsory Universal Testing scheme, to be supported by staff mobilised by government departments.

The Civil Service Bureau spares no effort in increasing the venues for COVID-19 vaccination and their capacity to provide protection to members of the public who are yet to be vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the Vaccine Pass arrangement for government employees entering government buildings and offices has been updated.

Except for those holding a COVID-19 Vaccination Medical Exemption Certificate, all government employees entering government buildings and offices for work-related purposes are required to have received the second dose of vaccine by April 1, the statement said.

They must also receive the third dose before May 16, or within eight months after receiving the second dose, for entering government premises, it added.

The Government said it will closely monitor the development of the epidemic and review the situation.

It also appeals to all employers to allow their staff to work from home as far as possible to reduce social contact in the community so as to slow down the spread of the virus and enable Hong Kong to win the battle against the virus.