After weeks of pressure on the government to intervene, at least 450 Hong Kong residents stranded in Wuhan, the epicenter of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, are set to return to the city on government-chartered planes this week.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said yesterday that most of the 660 Hongkongers there had agreed to be taken home, but about 20 percent had rejected the offer.
Meanwhile, civil servants returned to their respective government offices today after weeks of working from home in an effort to stem the spread of coronavirus. While more public services will resume after the hiatus, health officials are still advising that so-called “social distancing” remains the most effective way to ward off a wider outbreak of Covid-19.
Most civil servants not performing essential duties have been working from home since late January, and many public services have been suspended in the meantime.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will reopen some of its sports facilities — but not swimming pools and indoor facilities — but the number of users will be limited.
Meanwhile, the Transport Department will increase the online reservation quotas for driving license applications, and the Buildings Department will reopen its information center and inquiry offices to handle document inquiries from the public.
The Housing Authority will resume weekday services of all public housing estate management division offices, as well as the flat-selection service of the Home Ownership Scheme. And the judiciary announced it will gradually resume court proceedings on Monday as the situation improves. From March 23, court proceedings are expected to resume in full.
But in light of the news, Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health, expressed concerns in an interview with local broadcaster RTHK this morning that there could be clusters of infections in government offices upon the resumption of work.
However, Chan said four medical experts on an advisory panel appointed by the government did not disagree with the administration’s move.
The Center for Health Protection, meanwhile, said on Sunday that its scientific committee was not consulted on the decision to send civil servants back to the office.
Chan said despite the concerns of further infections, the public expects the government to fulfill its duties, so a balance needed to be struck between protecting civil servants and providing government services.
“Obviously, there will be some risk, but the Civil Service Bureau has already been working with all department heads in looking at flexibility for their employees, such as flexible working hours, lunchtime hours and also other measures that can be taken into account,” she told RTHK.
The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Hong Kong hit 100 over the weekend, with two of the new cases relating to a cluster of infections at a North Point temple, and two others related to the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship.
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