Home Affairs chief to be quarantined

January 6, 2022

Chief Executive Carrie Lam:
The reason why I can stand here to tell you a bit of details about this particular case, is because I was prompted this morning that one of my principal officials, the Secretary for Home Affairs, attended that occasion and was likely to be a close contact of the confirmed case (of COVID-19). And since I gathered from him and other sources that there could be other officials who had attended the occasion, from morning till now, through the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, we have done our internal investigation to identify as many as possible, those colleagues who had attended the occasion and hence I could share with you this list of 10 officials altogether.

Of course the quarantine of important or senior officials will have some impact on the operation of the Government, but as far as I could now share with you, there is only one principal official, that is the Secretary for Home Affairs, who has to be quarantined in Penny's Bay (Quarantine Centre) for a certain period. But I am sure that in the Home Affairs Bureau, we have the Permanent Secretary (and) we have other people who could look after the work of the Home Affairs Bureau during his absence.

We have been into this Omicron (variant that entered) the community a few days before January 3. That occasion took place in the evening of January 3 and prior to that, I had been warning people and the Secretary for Food & Health had been warning people that we now (are) under significant risk of the spread of Omicron into the community. My colleagues, apparently, had not taken the advice of the Secretary for Food & Health, so how could they set a good example for the people of Hong Kong? But I would advise that in looking at these colleagues, maybe a distinction should be drawn between one who spent the whole night on the occasion and hence put himself in a highly risky situation that requires him to be quarantined, and others who just dropped by to say hello or to congratulate the host and then left.

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

Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui has been identified as a close contact of a preliminary positive COVID-19 case and will be placed under quarantine at the Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said today.

The home affairs chief attended a private banquet on January 3 and one of the guests tested preliminary positive for COVID-19 afterwards.

While meeting the media this evening, Mrs Lam explained that she initiated an internal investigation upon notification by Mr Tsui this morning that he was likely a close contact of the case in question.

“And since I gathered from him and other sources that there could be other officials who had attended the occasion, from morning till now, through the Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, we have done our internal investigation to identify as many as possible, those colleagues who had attended the occasion and hence I could share with you this list of 10 officials altogether.”

Mrs Lam revealed that according to information provided by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), the person linked to the infection case arrived at the banquet venue at 9.30pm on January 3. Mr Tsui stayed throughout the dinner and was thus classified as a close contact.

As for the other nine officials who also went to the banquet, eight of them are confirmed to have left the venue before 9.30 that evening.

They are Under Secretary for Home Affairs Jack Chan, Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui, Under Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Joseph Chan, Under Secretary for Innovation & Technology David Chung, Political Assistant to the Secretary for Innovation & Technology Lillian Cheong, Under Secretary for Mainland & Constitutional Affairs Clement Woo, Commissioner of Police Siu Chak-yee and Commissioner of Independent Commission Against Corruption Simon Peh.

The departure time of the remaining official, Director of Immigration Au Ka-wang, has yet to be affirmed by the CHP, Mrs Lam added.

The Chief Executive said she is disappointed by the officials, in particular Mr Tsui, who took part in such a private gathering when the Government is racing against time to curb the spread of the Omicron variant in the community.

“We have been into this Omicron variant that entered the community a few days before January 3. That occasion took place in the evening of January 3 and prior to that, I had been warning people and the Secretary for Food & Health had been warning people that we now are under significant risk of the spread of Omicron into the community.

“My colleagues, apparently, had not taken the advice of the Secretary for Food & Health, so how could they set a good example for the people of Hong Kong?

“But I would advise that in looking at these colleagues, maybe a distinction should be drawn between one who spent the whole night on the occasion and hence put himself in a highly risky situation that requires him to be quarantined, and others who just dropped by to say hello or to congratulate the host and then left.”

She also assured the public that the Government’s work would not be affected even though Mr Tsui will be placed in quarantine.

“Of course the quarantine of important or senior officials will have some impact on the operation of the Government, but as far as I could now share with you, there is only one principal official, that is the Secretary for Home Affairs, who has to be quarantined in Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre for a certain period. But I am sure that in the Home Affairs Bureau, we have the Permanent Secretary and we have other people who could look after the work of the Home Affairs Bureau during his absence.”