'HK let its guard down'

China expects the Hong Kong government to bring the worst wave of Covid-19 pandemic under control within two months, and the city's administration and all civil servants have to "learn humbly" from the mainland, pro-Beijing heavyweights say.

Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong's sole delegate to the National People's Congress standing committee, wrote a commentary in state media Global Times that the SAR government was caught off guard at the start of the fifth wave.

"As the pandemic has been receding, the SAR government and the society have been letting down their guard. As the pandemic suddenly worsened, the SAR government was really caught off guard and caused unnecessary chaos," Tam said.

Calling the fifth wave a most difficult time, Tam said he has to admit to a lot of loopholes in the pandemic control and prevention effort, while many measures failed to keep up with the actual situation.

These include insufficient virus testing capability, lack of regional lockdowns and isolation beds, while preliminary positive patients are not appropriately taken care of in time.

Also failing to hit the mark are the number of medical resources including rapid test kits as well as anti-epidemic experts and paramedics, Tam said.

He called on the SAR government and all civil servants to "humbly learn" from the mainland and take note of its mature anti-epidemic experience, including compulsory Covid-19 testing.

Meanwhile, the vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Lo Man-tuen, said the government has to contain the outbreak within two months as the Chief Executive election - originally scheduled for March 27 - has been postponed only to May 8.

By delaying the election for less than two months, the central government is sending a message that the outbreak should be contained by the time the election takes place, he said.