CE refutes unsubstantiated claim

April 28, 2020

Chief Executive Carrie Lam:

First of all, I have to fiercely disagree and refute your very serious allegation. Your allegation is not substantiated by any evidence whatsoever. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s strategy in containing the spread of COVID-19 is to adopt measures based on science, based on evidence and also the advice of my experts on the expert advisory panel. We have taken very progressive steps to consolidate the boundary control points in order to reduce population mobility, which is one of the two-pronged strategies recommended by my experts. The second prong is of course to introduce very stringent social distancing measures in order to contain the spread of the disease.

We had the first case in Hong Kong confirmed on January 23. As early as January 27, Hong Kong has already imposed a complete ban on arrivals from Hubei. And on top of that, Hubei residents, not from Hubei - they could be in other places, in Shenzhen - are also disallowed to come into Hong Kong. That is one of the earliest places we have imposed that sort of control on arrivals from one of the major places where these infections have taken place. 

So for you to suggest that sort of allegation, that Hong Kong has become a transit centre for the spread of the disease worldwide, is most unfair and unsubstantiated.

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today refuted the allegation that Hong Kong has become a transit centre for the spread of COVID-19.

Responding to a reporter’s question ahead of an Executive Council meeting this morning, Mrs Lam said the allegation is not based on evidence.

“The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s strategy in containing the spread of COVID-19 is to adopt measures based on science, based on evidence and also the advice of my experts on the expert advisory panel."

She said the Hong Kong SAR Government has taken very progressive steps to consolidate boundary control points to reduce population mobility, and introduced stringent social distancing measures to contain the spread of the disease.

“We had the first case in Hong Kong confirmed on January 23. As early as January 27, Hong Kong has already imposed a complete ban on arrivals from Hubei.

“And on top of that, Hubei residents, not from Hubei - they could be in other places, in Shenzhen - are also disallowed to come into Hong Kong.

“So for you to suggest that sort of allegation, that Hong Kong has become a transit centre for the spread of the disease worldwide, is most unfair and unsubstantiated.”