This general view shows the construction site of a community isolation and treatment facilities in the Lok Ma Chau Loop, which will provide around 11,000 beds, on March 4, 2022. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)
The construction of an emergency hospital, aided by central authorities, began on Sunday in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to help control the surge in coronavirus cases.
Around 6 am, more than 200 administrative staff and more than 1,700 workers from China State Construction Engineering Corporation arrived at Lok Ma Chau Loop area, where the hospital with 1,000 beds will be built.
The construction project also includes isolation facilities that can accommodate 10,000 people.
Meanwhile, a team of mainland health experts led by Liang Wannian, head of the COVID-19 response expert panel under China's National Health Commission, on Saturday visited Hong Kong's anti-epidemic facilities in communities to learn about local testing, isolation, and treatment.
Their stops included a community testing center at To Kwa Wan Sports Center and a community isolation facility (CIF) in Tsing Yi, which started admitting COVID-19 patients on March 1 after being built in one week with support from the mainland.
The mainland health experts sent to Hong Kong so far have helped the HKSAR government strengthen the measures of "early detection, early isolation and early treatment," said Secretary for Food and Health of the HKSAR government Sophia Chan Siu-chee, who accompanied Liang on Saturday's visit.
The team led by Liang arrived in Hong Kong on Feb 28 and includes five experts. It is the third expert team sent by the central government to support Hong Kong's epidemic battle against a raging fifth wave of infections.
The HKSAR reported 37,529 new COVID-19 cases and 150 deaths on Saturday, official data showed.
A spokesperson for the HKSAR government on Saturday said the HKSAR government will firmly assume the main responsibility to fight the epidemic, and its various bureaux and departments will pull together to tame and control the outbreak as soon as possible.