Chief Secretary John Lee visited the second community isolation facility (CIF) constructed with Mainland support in San Tin, Yuen Long, which was handed over to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today.

Located at the former site of The Boxes and built on land lent by developers, the facility will provide 720 rooms and 2,800 emergency isolation beds.

Mr Lee inspected the newly constructed units and facilities and was briefed on the preparatory work on anti-epidemic equipment, manpower and medical supplies.

He then attended a handover seminar with Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (LOCPG) in the Hong Kong SAR Deputy Director Yin Zonghua and contractor China State Construction International Holdings.

Secretary for Development Michael Wong, Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung and several government officials also joined the seminar.

The Chief Secretary thanked the central government for its full support for the Hong Kong SAR Government's work as well as its assistance to construct community isolation and treatment facilities.

He also expressed his gratitude to the LOCPG for its effective co-ordination to press ahead with the construction work, as well as the contractor for its efforts in overcoming various difficulties and working round the clock to complete the San Tin CIF construction in less than two weeks.

Noting that the facility will begin operation after its handover, Mr Lee offered thanks to relevant government departments and organisations for their close co-operation as they had carried out extensive preparation work to facilitate the facility's handover and operation.

Since receiving the first CIF constructed with Mainland support in Tsing Yi on March 1, the Security Bureau's anti-epidemic task force has put in place a number of measures to enhance its services.

At present, about 1,000 rooms have been occupied by people in isolation at the Tsing Yi CIF.

The Chief Secretary noted that the task force is improving its measures and workflow to better cater for the needs of those who need to be isolated, adding that he is also very confident in the management of the San Tin CIF.