CE inspects handover of community isolation facility in Penny's Bay (with photos/video)
The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, this afternoon (April 19) inspected the handover of the first phase of the Penny's Bay Community Isolation Facility (CIF) constructed with Mainland support.
Mrs Lam inspected the units and facilities of the Penny's Bay CIF with the Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LOCPG), Mr Luo Yonggang, and the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the contractor, China State Construction International Holdings Limited (China State Construction), Mr Zhang Haipeng. They also visited the command centre to learn about the operation of the smart site and the traffic management platform. Also joining the inspection were the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan; the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau; the Director of Architectural Services, Ms Winnie Ho; and the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Tony Ko.
The Penny's Bay CIF is the largest among the isolation facilities constructed with Mainland support, providing around 7 000 units and around 14 000 beds in total.
Given the large scale of the facility, China State Construction will hand over the CIF to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government for operation in phases. The first batch handed over today has around 1 000 units and around 2 000 beds. The remaining facilities in Penny's Bay, as well as the sizable CIFs adjacent to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and in the Lok Ma Chau Loop, are expected to be handed over to the HKSAR Government for operation within this month and over the next three months.
In her speech, Mrs Lam said that counting the six CIFs opened earlier, the nine CIFs constructed with Mainland support are set to provide about 50 000 beds. The anti-epidemic capabilities of Hong Kong would be greatly enhanced, which are incomparable to the shortfall of isolation facilities two months ago.
She again expressed gratitude to the Central Government for its staunch support, the LOCPG for its intensive co-ordination, and the construction team for working around the clock to enable the projects to be handed over in phases in just two months. She added that as long as all sectors of the community continue to join hands to overcome the difficulties, Hong Kong will emerge from the epidemic and return to normal life soon.
Different from the CIFs opened earlier, the Penny's Bay CIF adopted the Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) method in its construction, which can reduce the overall construction time, and has been actively promoted by the current-term HKSAR Government. The CIF is a two-storey building, with each unit fitted with an individual toilet and bathroom. The MiC modules were prefabricated in a factory with installed interior decoration, building services and furniture. Upon arrival at the construction site, the units will be ready for use after simple installation and connection to fresh water, electricity and sewerage system.
In addition, given the large scale of the Penny's Bay CIF, it is well equipped to allow the HKSAR Government to cater for the anti-epidemic needs and expectations of different members of the community. The remaining phases to be completed will provide various connecting units and accessible units to meet the needs of different families and persons with disabilities.
