The temporary hospital built  in Yuen Long district, Hong Kong Photo: Xinhua

The official handover of the second temporary hospital by the central government took place on San Tin Tsuen Road in Yuen Long district, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday. The delivery of the aid from the Chinese mainland is being implemented closely as planned to support the epidemic prevention and control work of Hong Kong, which has been tightened with the rise in reported cases.

John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR, present the handover ceremony on Wednesday, extended his sincere gratitude for the full support the city has received from the central government in assisting the local authorities to build community isolation and treatment facilities. 

He also thanked the liaison office of the central government in Hong Kong for its strong coordination and advance of the work.

The fifth wave of COVID-19 in the city has registered more than 512,600 cases as of Tuesday, with 28,475 new infections reported on that day alone.

The facility will be under operation immediately when it is handed over to the HKSAR government on Wednesday.

The construction of four temporary hospitals in Hong Kong with the help of the central authorities began on February 22 to help control the surge in coronavirus cases.

The temporary community isolation and treatment facilities will offer 14,000 to 17,000 quarantine units when fully operational.

Moreover, the HKSAR government submitted a request to the mainland to dispatch medical teams to help the city deal with the severe outbreak and boost the capacity to treat patients in public hospitals, Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the HKSAR government, announced Wednesday.