3.75m receive mask deliveries

With six days to go, just half of Hong Kong's 7.5 million people have signed up for the free reusable CuMask+, the government said yesterday.

About 3.75 million people - through 1.37 million applications - had signed up by yesterday, with the deadline set for this Saturday.

Around 3.23 million masks have been distributed, or 86 percent of registrants, since May 6, the Innovation and Technology Bureau said.

The mask made by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel and produced by the Crystal International Group Limited in Vietnam can be washed and reused up to 60 times.

The government is providing all residents with the free mask, with each household able to register for up to six people.

Postmen deliver the masks to homes within two days after text messages are sent out.

If no one is at home, a collection card will be issued and applicants can collect the masks at designated post offices. They should bring the card and their ID.

Kindergarten students and those up to Primary Six are eligible to receive two masks each through their school, instead of parents having to register for them online.

The scheme also covers elderly and homeless people, whose masks will be distributed through social welfare institutions.

A government spokesman called on people to register before the deadline, describing the process as quick and convenient. "On average, people will receive the mask delivery a week after registration," he said. "Both residential and commercial addresses are accepted."

He said people may consider providing a commercial address to facilitate collection of mail and seize the remaining week of registration to register for themselves, family members and friends.

"People who do not register online may go to designated collection points in person and present their ID in due course," he said.

"Details and the exact date will be announced later."

The CuMask+ scheme was launched as the city entered the fifth month of the pandemic and has been expected to benefit around 7.5 million people.

But the move had been blasted by some members of the public for being "too little, too late," saying it should have been launched during the acute mask shortage when Covid-19 first broke out in late January in Hong Kong.

The first two months this year saw people waiting in long queues for masks - at exorbitant prices - in different parts of the city, with some camping out overnight to secure their place.

erin.chan@singtaonewscorp.com