The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong; the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan; and the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, this afternoon (June 21) attended the handover ceremony of the Penny's Bay and Kai Tak Community Isolation Facilities (CIFs) constructed with Mainland support.
 
     Mr Wong, Professor Chan and Mr Tang inspected the units and facilities of the Kai Tak CIF with Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LOCPG) Mr Yin Zonghua, the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Exchange and Cooperation of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Liu Wenda, and the Chairman of the contractor, China State Construction International Holdings Limited, Mr Yan Jianguo, to learn about the operation of the facilities as well as the challenges encountered during construction. Also joining the inspection were the Director of Architectural Services, Ms Winnie Ho; the Head of Emergency Response and Programme Management Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Heston Kwong; and the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Tony Ko.
 
     The construction of the Penny's Bay and Kai Tak CIFs commenced on February 19 and have been delivered in batches. The two CIFs, providing around 10 000 units in total, have been completed and handed over today.
 
     Mr Wong said the Central Government will always be Hong Kong's strongest backer. He once again expressed gratitude to the Central Government for its guidance and staunch support, the LOCPG for its guidance and intensive co-ordination, various government departments for their full co-operation and the construction team for racing against time and working around the clock to enable the projects to be handed over in phases in a timely manner, enhancing the anti-epidemic capabilities of Hong Kong.
 
     Both the Penny's Bay and Kai Tak CIFs adopted the Modular Integrated Construction method which has been actively promoted by the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in its construction, greatly reducing the overall construction time. Each block of the Penny's Bay CIF has two storeys, and the Kai Tak CIF has four storeys with lifts installed. Each unit is fitted with an individual toilet and bathroom. Given the large scale of the two CIFs, they are well equipped to allow the HKSAR Government to cater for anti-epidemic needs. These two CIFs also provide various connecting units and accessible units to meet the needs of different families and persons with disabilities.

Ends/Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Issued at HKT 19:06

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