Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee (first right), inspects Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre on Dec 29, 2021. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong's Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee inspected Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre on Wednesday to ensure a contingency plan is in place for any adverse change in the pandemic situation.
"The global pandemic situation is rapidly worsening due to the Omicron variant and the number of imported cases in Hong Kong is on the rise,” Chan was quoted as saying in a government statement.
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She said she had noticed that Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre, as a key quarantine facility in Hong Kong and a crucial line of defense against the importation of cases, has geared up in preparation and implemented response measures.
According to data from the Centre for Health Protection, over 90 percent of the confirmed cases recorded on Dec 26 and 27 were related to the Omicron variant, said health chief Sophia Chan
“The workload there is much heavier these days given the rising number of people arriving at Hong Kong and close contacts of confirmed cases staying in the Centre recently,” she added.
The government will closely monitor whether there is prevalent transmission of Omicron cases in overseas places and impose more stringent measures on high-risk areas “with enhanced surveillance from which imported Omicron cases were detected”, she said.
These measures include requiring travelers from these places to stay in a quarantine center during the first four days after their arrival in Hong Kong and to undergo daily testing in their first seven days in the SAR.
According to data from the Centre for Health Protection, over 90 percent of the confirmed cases recorded on Dec 26 and 27 were related to the Omicron variant, she added.
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Chan also convened a meeting on Thursday with officials from the Food and Health Bureau, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority on the contingency plans for the possible emergence of a fifth wave of COVID-19 infections.
"At present, we are constantly reviewing and adjusting the anti-epidemic control measures and strategies, with a view to guarding against the importation of cases and the resurgence of local infection as well as attaining the goal of dynamic 'zero infection'," she said.
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