Isolation stint to end soon for AsiaWorld-Expo

Isolation facilities for Covid-hit residents of elderly care homes at the AsiaWorld-Expo and public sports centers will return to their original purposes when demand drops, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han says.

"We need to return the AsiaWorld-Expo for exhibition to boost the economy and return public sports centers to citizens," Sun said yesterday, adding that they would open some centers when necessary.

An AsiaWorld-Expo spokesman said they are talking with authorities on the return of the halls for exhibitions.

He said two to three weeks are needed to sanitize the halls before a spring fair scheduled in April, when all 10 halls in the facility will be used.

The spokesman added that large-scale international fairs including the Asia Fruit Logistica and the Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong - both in September - will return.

Elderly Commission member Grace Li Fai said the facilities, which provide more than 2,700 beds, have only 10 percent occupancy.

Speaking on radio, Li, who operates eight care homes, said the holding centers designed to host care home residents, are no longer necessary as most residents with Covid display mild symptoms and could be isolated on site.

According to government figures, 79.52 percent of seniors are triple vaccinated.

Meanwhile, elderly Covid patients might be sent to Lok Ma Chau isolation facility for treatment or isolation.

The facility, which provides 11,000 beds on 43.3 hectares of land, was handed to the government on December 30.

However, Li believes that the Penny's Bay facility would be a better choice. "Penny's Bay is closer to Hong Kong's urban areas, so the patients and their families would feel more comfortable," she said.

The Lok Ma Chau facility sits on a plot intended for an innovation and technology park. Technology and Innovation sector lawmaker Duncan Chiu Tat-kun hopes the government can offer clear indication on when it would return the plot.

Only one facility - Penny's Bay - out of the seven isolation facilities providing 40,000 beds and the Novotel Citygate hotel in Tung Chung are being used for quarantine. The Security Bureau, who oversee the operations at Penny's Bay and the Novotel Citygate, said the two facilities provide about 9,000 beds, and would be utilized based on requirements.