The phased return of residents to Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po entered its seventh day today, with the reopening of five middle-zone floors at Wang Cheong House and 10 low-zone floors at Wang Tao House. 

Supported by the “one social worker per household” service, 424 residents from 116 households returned to their units – slightly exceeding the 418 individuals initially registered. The Government described the access arrangements as orderly. 

Residents spent an average of two hours and 26 minutes on-site. Recorded stays ranged from a minimum of 21 minutes to a maximum of nearly four hours. Approximately 77% of residents completed their visits in under three hours, while 26% stayed for less than two hours and 4% left within an hour. 

Regarding movement, 151 individuals from 62 households made multiple trips to their units. Most made one or two additional entries, while a small group of nine people from six households made up to seven trips.

The integrated enquiry counter handled nine requests for assistance today, including seven cases requiring police attention, one report of physical discomfort, and one request for psychological counselling services. 

The police cases primarily concerned suspected property loss, involving items such as watches, jewellery, cash and gold. Officers were immediately deployed to assist with searches, successfully recovering lost property in five cases. The remaining two cases are under further investigation. 

The Government noted that over 1,000 personnel are deployed daily to support residents returning to their units. This multi-departmental team includes staff from Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department, the Housing Department and the Housing Bureau, alongside members of District Services & Community Care Teams. 

Additionally, under the Government-wide Mobilisation mechanism, the Civil Service Bureau co-ordinated nine departments to form the Government Quick Response Unit to facilitate access arrangements. Civil servants mobilised today were drawn from the Lands Department and the Water Supplies Department.