Boundary closure not the answer: CE

January 31, 2020

Chief Executive Carrie Lam:

I sincerely hope and appeal to our health staff in the Hospital Authority to consider very seriously any plan to have a strike, because at the end of the day those who suffer will be the patients as well as Hong Kong’s healthcare system.

I said repeatedly that we treasure the contribution of our health staff throughout the years - it’s not just about this particular virus incident. I have been working very closely with Hong Kong’s medical staff throughout my public service career in my capacity as assistant director in the health department, as a member of the Hospital Authority board, as the Director of Social Welfare. I have very high regard for the medical staff, medical nursing and allied health and also supporting staff in the public system, whether in the Department of Health or the Hospital Authority. I have no doubt that they have the best interest of Hong Kong people as well as Hong Kong, in terms of our healthcare system - which is highly credible, professional - as well as Hong Kong’s overall interest.

The Government has already taken a series of measures - and they are effective measures as I have proven to you with some of the passenger statistics - to significantly bring down the number of arrivals of visitors from the Mainland and other places, so as to reduce the chance of infection and also to lessen the workload on the public hospitals. 

I have also pledged and have been working with the Secretary for Food & Health and the Hospital Authority to provide whatever assistance our health staff need, whether in terms of financial resources, in terms of supplies. I’ve been putting them on the first priority of the access to a very limited supply of protective equipment as well as masks, despite there being aspirations for us to share some of this limited supply with the community. So I hope very much that they will also take into account these efforts made and seriously consider their plan.

I really don’t think a complete closure of the boundary control points is the right answer to the situation that we are facing. It is at least not in line with the very scientific-based and knowledge-based advice given to us as recently as early this morning by the World Health Organization and its panel of experts.

We should not contemplate restrictions of international travel or trade. And we should not adopt a discriminatory approach in dealing with people flowing between different countries and places in trying to contain the spread of the disease. There are other measures which will help us to achieve that effect.

(To watch the video with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said complete closure of the boundary control points is not the right answer to the situation Hong Kong is facing in trying to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

During a press conference this afternoon, Mrs Lam noted that closing the boundary with the Mainland went against the World Health Organization’s scientific-based and knowledge-based advice.

“We should not contemplate restrictions of international travel or trade. And we should not adopt a discriminatory approach in dealing with people flowing between different countries and places in trying to contain the spread of the disease. There are other measures which will help us to achieve that effect.”

She also appealed to public healthcare workers to consider very seriously any plan to go on strike, as patients and Hong Kong’s healthcare system would suffer.

Mrs Lam said medical staff are the Government’s top priority, adding that she has been working with the Secretary for Food & Health and the Hospital Authority to provide whatever assistance they need whether in terms of financial resources or supplies.

“I have been putting them on the first priority of the access to a very limited supply of protective equipment as well as masks, despite there being aspirations for us to share some of this limited supply with the community. So I hope very much that they will also take into account these efforts made and seriously consider their plan.”

She added the Government has already taken a series of effective measures - as proven in the passenger statistics - to significantly bring down the number of visitor arrivals from the Mainland and other places, to reduce the chance of infection and lessen the workload on public hospitals.