Six Covid isolation facilities cost govt HK$3.75m a month for security and cleansing

The six community quarantine facilities, that have yet to be converted to other uses, is costing the government about HK$3.75 million a month for security and cleansing services despite the Covid pandemic having ended, a health official revealed on Wednesday.

In Wednesday’s Legislative Council meeting, Permanent Secretary for Health Thomas Chan Chung-ching said the emergency hospital in Lok Ma Chau Loop is now providing medical services while a number of units from North Lantau infection control center and Penny’s Bay are reserved for anti-pandemic purposes.

The government will continue to make subsequent arrangements for the rest of the facilities, releasing the sites in phases for their original planned uses or utilizing the facilities for other purposes, Chan added.

The remaining three are located in Kai Tak, Fanling and Hung Shui Kiu.

According to data provided by the Development Bureau, the quarantine center in Penny’s Bay is the most expensive one to keep, costing about HK$1.7 million a month, followed by the emergency hospital in Lok Ma Chau Loop which costs about HK$1.4 million.

The quarantine center in Tam Mei, Yuen Long is now used as centralized quarters for imported labor for the construction sector, while the one in San Tin is used to hold training courses and trade tests for the construction industry.

As both facilities are operated by the Construction Industry Council, the operation-related staff establishment is not under the government and the expenditure is not borne by the government, the bureau said.

As for Tsing Yi, it is now a base for youth development and national education managed by the Hong Kong Army Cadets Association, providing a venue and ancillary facilities to uniformed youth groups to hold training on flag raising, foot drills and other youth development-related activities.

Executive Council member Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung said it may be more efficient for the government to put the money into public hospitals rather than maintaining these isolation facilities and suggested that the government use these empty facilities to house subdivided flat tenants.

Election committee lawmaker Adrian Pedro Ho King-hong also said the money is not worth it and questioned how the authorities will handle the transition properly.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau replied the future arrangements for the facilities will be formulated by Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong and they will be used for non-medical purposes.