A staff member guides citizens to conduct nucleic acid testing for COVID-19 at a mobile testing site in Ma On Shan in Hong Kong, March 7, 2022. (PHOTO/XINHUA)

The first phase of the central government-aided Penny’s Bay isolation facility, the city’s largest, was completed and handed over to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Tuesday, offering about 2,000 beds.

The facility is expected to eventually offer 7,000 units with 14,000 beds

The facility is expected to eventually offer 7,000 units with 14,000 beds. The remaining phases will be handed over in the next three months.

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Built by China State Construction International Holdings Limited, each unit in the two-story facility is fitted with a separate toilet and bathroom.

It is among nine isolation projects being built with the central government’s support, which will provide 50,000 beds. So far six projects have been finished, with over 20,000 beds. All were completed within a month.

During the handover ceremony, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the nation’s backing has greatly enhanced Hong Kong’s anti-pandemic capabilities, and has greatly increased the number of isolation facilities compared with two months ago.

She expressed her gratitude for the efforts made by the central government, its liaison office in Hong Kong, and the construction team, noting that with the concerted endeavor of Hong Kong communities, the city will be able to resume normal life soon.

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As the largest isolation facility, the building will play an important role in Hong Kong’s fight against the pandemic, she added.

Lam said that the Penny’s Bay community isolation facility has adopted advanced construction

technologies. The successful completion of its first phase will enhance Hong Kong’s resilience to the pandemic, she added.

Among the first batch of engineers to arrive at the construction site before work began, Peter Chiu Wai said he was excited to witness the completion of the first phase.

Chiu said that over the past two months, the project had experienced various difficulties, such as numerous rainy days and infections among engineers, but they did their best to get their work done.

Before the handover, the team faced great pressure but worked day and night to complete the task on time. As the first phase was finished, he felt a sense of achievement and said all the difficulties were worthwhile.
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Jacky Ko Chung-kit, an antipandemic volunteer, expressed his gratitude to the construction engineers and workers, adding that the facility’s construction speed is a “real eye-opener” for Hong Kong people.

He added that as the facility is designed for permanent use, it can serve as a transitional housing facility after the pandemic is over.