Sophia Chan attended ball hours after advising citizens to avoid gatherings

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee admitted that she had attended the Hong Kong Dental Association annual ball on New Year's Eve on December 31, hours after she urged citizens to avoid large-scale gatherings due to the fast-spreading Omicron Covid-19 variant.

As a government official, Chan attended the event, which also celebrated the association’s 70th anniversary since it was founded in 1950, as a guest of honor to thank medical staff for their efforts in the anti-epidemic work, her press secretary said.

She spoke at the event and asked people to pay attention to the latest epidemic situation, as authorities just uncovered a local Omicron cluster surrounding Moon Palace, Festival Walk, which was triggered by a now-sacked Cathay Pacific flight attendant and eventually infected 15 others.

She attended the event to cheer for medics from all sectors after almost two years of dealing with the epidemic, and to thank the association for supporting government policies, particularly as many dentists have been providing subsidized services to elderly and ordinary citizens in need under the Community Care Fund.

In her speech, Chan also updated attendees about the cluster and reminded them to heighten alertness.

“The secretary (Chan) especially called for dentists to remind patients to receive Covid vaccination to fight the pandemic together,” her press secretary said, adding she left the event right after her speech.

The Food and Health Bureau had also reminded the ball organizer beforehand to strictly comply with anti-epidemic measures, including not to take off masks for photo taking and not to make a toast.

In a photo of the event, Chan was seen wearing a pink mask on the stage, with the screen behind her showing she is the guest of honor. Several photos of the ball showed attendees defying reminders and not wearing masks, but Chan was not in them.

On the afternoon of December 31 before the ball, Chan led health officials in a press briefing on Hong Kong’s latest outbreaks, where she warned people to avoid participating in large-scale events to protect themselves and prevent spreading Covid around families and friends.

In the briefing, she said gatherings, especially those serving food and drinks, are often mask-less and asked citizens to heighten alertness, adding it is best to avoid such events.

On January 3, over 200 guests attended Election Committee member and mainland official Witman Hung Wai-man’s birthday party in a Wan Chai restaurant. Two guests were subsequently confirmed with Covid, triggering a scandal as 14 senior officials and 20 lawmakers were found to be among the attendees during contact tracing.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had said she was disappointed at officials including Secretary for Home Affairs Casper Tsui Ying-wai for attending the event amid growing outbreaks. Two officials and four lawmakers were in penny's bay and all were released on Monday.

She has instructed Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen to investigate party-goers who are civil servants and Chief Executive Office director Eric Chan Kwok-ki to probe those non-civil servant government employees.

At least 10 lawmakers who attended Hung’s party on Wednesday showed up at the Legislative Council meeting, claiming their infection risk is low, despite Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen making a strong appeal to ask them not to come back to office until Saturday when their last tests would be conducted.

Judy Chan Ka-pui from New People’s Party said Wednesday was the 16th day after the party. The quarantiners have yet to undergo their last test on the 19th day.

Since authorities have shortened the quarantine period for close contacts to 14 days, she believed she was good to attend the meeting.

Lai Tung-kwok, also from the pro-Beijing party, said he had repeatedly tested negative and only attended the meeting after consulting experts’ opinions.

Another lawmaker Dennis Lam Shun-chiu, who is an eye doctor, said he had only stayed in the party for three minutes and had tested negative five times.