A health worker in personal protective equipment holds a sign marking the end of the line as residents queue for COVID-19 testing in Tai Wai district, Hong Kong, Feb 17, 2022. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

In the joint battle against the worst wave of COVID-19 outbreak, civil servants have actively participated in frontline anti-pandemic effort that is being carried out as the top priority, Hong Kong commerce chief told China Daily on Friday.

The remarks came from Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah, who’s leading a task force to ensure that the SAR is equipped with adequate anti-pandemic medical supplies.

Commerce chief Edward Yau said when he took the lead in coordinating with the city’s medical supplies, he was joined by many telecommunication and broadcasting staff under his bureau

He was responding to public concerns that the government is making many public servants work from home rather than have them engaged in frontline work against the outbreak.

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In an interview with China Daily on Friday, Yau explained that some civil servants have been forced to work from home as some of their colleagues had been infected in their offices. Many others have taken up extra work that’s beyond their normal routine, serving in communities to facilitate vaccination and virus testing work.

The SAR government said on March 3 that blocking and testing operations in infected buildings have involved staff of 39 departments from eight bureaus. The Home Affairs Department has also deployed about 1,000 in manning the 24-hour anti-pandemic hotline.

When Yau took the lead in coordinating with the city’s medical supplies, he was joined by many telecommunication and broadcasting staff under his bureau.

He said more manpower will be deployed after the universal testing campaign kicks off later this month.

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Yau added that the government has also mobilized resources from hard-hit sectors in the anti-pandemic fight.

About 2,000 people from the tourism industry, for instance, were involved in the community vaccination campaign for five months last year. The government has used part of the venues at AsiaWorld-Expo on Lantau Island and at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal to build community isolation facilities.

To deal with the raging pandemic, the government will team up with more sectors whenever the need arises, Yau said.