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

Around 10,000 personnel from 77 government bureaus and departments took part in the first drill under the newly established government-wide mobilisation level at various locations today.

The Chief Executive announced in his 2022 Policy Address the enhancement of the existing mobilisation protocol by introducing a government-wide mobilisation level.

Under the new protocol, rosters are drawn up in advance to include designated personnel from various departments, ensuring that civil servants can be mobilised promptly as the basis for forming a quick response unit (QRU) to handle incidents or major crises which require considerable manpower support.

Codenamed "Exercise Touchdown I", the drill aimed to test the ability of bureaus and departments in mobilising their staff promptly in response to major incidents and the effectiveness of their communication channels when the government-wide mobilisation level is initiated.

The exercise simulated a scenario in which Hong Kong would be significantly affected by a tsunami in neighbouring waters, likely resulting in serious flooding in low-lying areas. A large number of residents would then have to be evacuated to higher ground in a short time.

As such, there was a need for the Government to quickly mobilise its staff to form a QRU to assist in evacuating the affected residents immediately and arranging for distribution of various supplies and resources.

After the Chief Executive initiated the drill, the Civil Service Bureau immediately requested all bureaus and departments to mobilise their staff. The Emergency Monitoring & Support Centre located in the Central Government Offices was also activated to monitor the situation.

During the drill, around 10,000 designated personnel were informed to be on standby.

Twenty-six bureaus and departments participated in the field operation drill, of which about 300 staff members from six departments had to arrive at a designated location, North Point Community Hall, at an assigned time to simulate receiving a pre-operation briefing.

Meanwhile, another 600 personnel from 20 bureaus and departments were required to assemble at a designated location within a specified time for briefings.

Chief Executive John Lee and Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung inspected the field operation situation at the community hall and listened to the views of participating personnel on the drill.

Mr Lee noted that the introduction of the government-wide mobilisation level to the existing mobilisation protocol is an important measure to further strengthen governance, improve systemic resilience and enhance the Government's emergency response capabilities.

At a media session, Mrs Yeung said drills will be conducted regularly to improve the mobility and responsiveness of the civil service.

“The difference between this drill and the normal drills conducted by the operation departments is that this drill focuses on communication.The fact that colleagues are called upon to act.

“If we cannot do that within a short period of time, if the communication is not successful, then we will not be able to mobilise the required staff. So, whether the communication is effective is of utmost importance.

“As far as the 300 staff who had to gather at North Point Community Hall by 3pm today are concerned, when I was there, I saw that they could all arrive punctually.

“They received the notification successfully and they knew what was happening. So, as far as these 300 staff are concerned, the drill has proved that the communication is effective.”

She added that the Government will review and analyse the outcomes of the entire drill in due course.