War on fifth wave to be budget focus

It's necessary for the government to allocate sufficient resources to combat the fifth wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in the upcoming budget to be announced on Wednesday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said.

Chan will deliver his budget speech - the last one of this government term - via video on Wednesday, as Covid infections continue to spiral.

In his blog yesterday, Chan revealed that this year's budget will have a brown cover, representing rich soil that makes saplings grow.

"I truly believe in the soil in Hong Kong under one country, two systems. As long as we water it carefully, we sure can have a better future," he said.

Chan said the situation in Hong Kong worsened quickly because of the fifth wave, which threatened people's health and safety and severely hit the city's economic activity and social operation.

He said the city's economy was on track to recovery since last year, but the fifth wave is "ferocious" and has put heavy pressure on the economy, causing many people to feel frustrated or encounter difficulties.

Chan said the current situation is quite different from the time he started holding consultations for the upcoming Budget. "We have to actively cope with challenges and allocate sufficient resources to make every effort to fight the pandemic," he said.

Chan also said the government needs to do its best to bail out the people and small-and-medium sized companies, as well as stabilize people's confidence.

In the meantime, the budget also needs to provide a mid-to-long term plan on economic development and ensure the city's economic and financial safety.

He said people on the inside and outside have to work together to cope with challenges, and the city has to contain the infections as soon as possible to prevent risk to the SAR's social and economic environment.

Chan said with the solid support of the central government, Hong Kong's government can take firm action.

Hong Kong Council of Social Services chief executive Chua Hoi-wai hoped the government can provide more relief measures to grassroots citizens, including providing subsidies to "N have-nots," ie low-income people who do not live in public housing or receive comprehensive social security assistance.

Chua said in the past he did not want the government to provide handouts, as he believed its resources should be put into practical services.

But now, says Chua, "the economy is so bad and people are having a difficult life. I hope the financial secretary can provide more sweeteners."