The Government will continue its prevention and control measures taking into account the COVID-19 epidemic development and its anti-epidemic policy which is maintained according to five points, the Chief Executive's Office said today.

The office made the statement in response to media enquiries on the policy of designated quarantine hotels.

It explained that the first point of the Government's overall anti-epidemic policy is not to "lie flat" but to continue to contain the number of confirmed cases, better manage risks and enhance Hong Kong's capability to respond to contingencies in order to prevent the healthcare system from being overloaded.

In addition, the Government also aims to reduce critical cases and deaths, and protect high-risk groups, including the old and the young, as well as patients with chronic illnesses.

Also, a main point of its policy is to differentiate people into different risk levels precisely and scientifically for proper control and to reduce the number of people and areas placed under control, so as to allow maximum numbers of daily activities to be conducted and participants involved.

Furthermore, the office stressed that the Government’s goal is to strike a balance between risks and economic impetus in an effort to safeguard the livelihood of the public and Hong Kong's competitiveness on the premise of proper risk management.

It pointed out that the current epidemic situation is serious as the daily number of confirmed cases reaches 8,000 to 10,000 and there is a rising trend.

This not only threatens the lives of people in high-risk groups, such as the elderly and children, but also seriously affects the public health system's operation where about 30% of the non-emergency services have been cut.

The Government will continue to take precise measures to control the epidemic, the office emphasised.

It appealed to the community to join hands and encourage the elderly to get vaccinated early. Parents should also arrange for their children to receive their vaccination as soon as possible to ensure they are protected.