In the past two months, in order to prevent the rebound of COVID‑19, the Government has stepped up the anti-epidemic measures on various fronts, including carrying out swift and intensive testing, strengthening the tracing of close contacts and tightening the flight suspension mechanism to address the risk of importation of variants of concern. Since the full resumption of public services on 18 February, we have arranged targeted group testing for staff at the frontline or engaged in high-risk duties, and promoted the use of LeaveHomeSafe mobile application in government buildings or offices to raise the vigilance of government employees and members of the public. Thanks to the continuous efforts from various parties, the number of confirmed cases has declined recently, and the epidemic situation is easing gradually. During this period, civil servants have all remained dedicated to their duties, and have devised strategies and implemented them vigorously. You have also undertaken additional and unexpected tasks for combating the epidemic from time to time. Once again, let me offer my sincere gratitude to all of you.
Vaccination is a vital step in the fight against the virus and the pandemic. Since the launch of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme on 26 February, a total of 29 Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) have come into operation and so far more than 1.3 million doses of vaccines have been administered. While many places around the world are still scrambling for vaccines, we have secured a relatively assured and adequate supply of vaccines and managed to launch the vaccination programme smoothly in a short period of time. This is indeed attributable to the preparation and strenuous efforts of civil servants at all levels. On another front, to show support to the travel industry hard hit by the epidemic, the Government will, from 1 May, provide short-term jobs for practitioners of the industry to take up the administrative work at the CVCs. Civil servants who have been deployed to these CVCs earlier will gradually return to their original posts.
Although over 13% of eligible persons in Hong Kong have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination, there is still a rather long way to go before herd immunity can be achieved. The Chief Executive, Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux, as well as a number of Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments (HoDs), have set examples by receiving vaccination. Earlier on, we have also encouraged colleagues at the directorate ranks to take the lead to respond to the Government’s call for vaccination, and have invited parties from relevant sectors to join hands and promote vaccination in the community.
As a team serving the public, no matter in meeting the expectation of the community or safeguarding the health of fellow colleagues or the people being served, it is the obligation of all civil servants to proactively receive vaccination. Except for those whose medical conditions are not fit for vaccination, I hope that all civil servants will get vaccination as soon as practicable in order to avoid being infected or spreading the virus during work, as well as to lower the risk of a rebound of the epidemic in the community. I have called on HoDs to provide facilitation to colleagues receiving vaccination during work hours. Where necessary, colleagues may also apply for leave to get rest after vaccination. We must not procrastinate. The sooner we get vaccinated, the earlier we build an effective protection and immunity barrier in our community.
I had announced earlier that the Government planned to arrange for the CVCs to operate until the end of September. Those who wish to receive the BioNTech vaccine have to get the first dose by the end of August so as to complete the vaccination and be protected by the vaccine by receiving the second dose by the end of September. Since the quota for vaccination is limited, we should treasure this hard-earned opportunity and take action now by making a booking as soon as possible.
The four elements of the Government’s direction in fighting the pandemic in future are to restore to normality in a gradual manner, refrain from using a “stop and go” approach, reinforce infection control measures in a targeted manner and reiterate the need for concerted community efforts. Under the new direction, the Civil Service Bureau is planning to enhance the Targeted Group Testing Scheme for government employees and, at the same time, allow vaccination in lieu of regular testing. The details will be announced soon. I believe that our fellow colleagues will, as always, actively cooperate and show our commitment to keep working hand in hand in combating the disease!