10,000 hotel rooms for quarantine overspill

Developers have agreed to turn at least 10,000 hotel rooms into community isolation facilities for Covid-19 patients after meeting with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, sources said.

Lam held a video conference with the Real Estate Developers Association yesterday, in which she called for those who run hotels across the city to provide rooms to quarantine Covid patients with very mild or no symptoms, according to The Standard's sister publication Sing Tao Daily.

Representatives of association members at the meeting included Wharf (Holdings), Cheung Kong Holdings and Sun Hung Kai Properties, said executive committee chairman Stewart Leung Chi-kin.

Leung said he would support the government as a citizen and companies will coordinate with relevant departments for the arrangement.

The actual number of hotel rooms that would be transformed into isolation facilities would depend on the government's request.

It was understood that representatives of Stan Group, which operates 11 hotels in Hong Kong, were at the meeting.

The association said in a statement yesterday that several members had a video conference yesterday with Lam and officials responsible for the anti-epidemic worked to "discuss the use of suitable hotels for community isolation facilities."

Without giving exact numbers, it added: "Members agreed to make available suitable provisions for isolation facilities according to the government's requirements.

"The association will continue to support the government and work with all sectors of the community to combat the epidemic in order that our economy and livelihood will return to normal as soon as possible," it said, adding that the city can surely persevere through the adversity with the "unreserved support" of the central government.

Meanwhile, Sun Hung Kai Properties said it is now assessing its hotel chains and equipment with the authorities to ensure that all sectors comply with the safety requirements, adding that the government will announce more details in due course.

CK Asset Holdings said it is "now proactively looking into ways that can support the government's anti-epidemic work."

Stan Group said its hotel group Tang's Living Group intends to allocate some of its hotels for use as quarantine facilities, and the group will announce details in due course.

But Michael Li Hon-shing, executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, earlier said the federation, which represents the hotel sector, was not consulted.

Li said Lam might have consulted some individuals, but their opinions did not "represent the sector."

He added: "You have to formally consult the hotel sector as a whole to understand what kind of problems the hotels may face, instead of finding someone that you like to ask."

He was later in a meeting with Lam on Wednesday.