Other restricted areas may be set: CE

January 26, 2021

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

 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said the Government may use the restriction-testing declaration for restricted areas again to combat COVID-19 in the future.

 

Speaking ahead of this morning’s Executive Council meeting, Mrs Lam said the operation taken at the restricted area in Jordan has been an effective tool against the virus by identifying 13 confirmed cases from more than 7,000 compulsory virus tests among residents living in about 150 buildings.

 

After a review of the operation, she said three areas need improvement.

  

“First is the operation’s announcement. In the future we will have to decide how to ensure better confidentiality, or if, unfortunately again, there was a leakage, whether we should start the operation earlier.

 

“The next thing we need to consider for the next operation is whether we could be more focused, that we should do smaller scale restriction-testing operations, but we could do more at the same time. It could be one in this district, another one in another district, but the scale of each operation could be smaller.

 

“The third is of course once we start the operation, how we could compress the time, so that the inconvenience to residents could be minimised.”

 

The Chief Executive also pointed out that enforcement is an integral part of the operation.

 

“We will go back to that building without notice and then we try to check everyone coming out of the building to see whether you have an SMS showing a negative result.

 

“If no that means that you have not complied, then we will take down your personal data and pass it to the Centre for Health Protection to consider issuing a summons, or where permissible, issue a fixed penalty ticket.”

Back to top