HKSAR gov't to start distributing anti-epidemic service bags to households

HONG KONG, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Friday that it will start distributing anti-epidemic service bags to all households in Hong Kong from Saturday morning, and expects to complete the operation within seven days.

The service bags will be first distributed to the grassroots, such as tenants of subdivided units, in order to accord priority for access to anti-epidemic resources to those most in need, and will then be delivered to the residents in other buildings, the HKSAR government said in an online statement.

For households that cannot be reached during door-to-door distribution, the staff distributing the bags will leave a collection slip for the households to collect the anti-epidemic service bags during the second phase.

The work of distributing the anti-epidemic service bags fully demonstrates the spirit of concerted cooperation among the HKSAR government, all sectors of the community, and the public in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic, said Jack Chan, acting secretary for home affairs of the HKSAR government.

"We again express our gratitude to the country. We firmly believe that with the staunch support from our motherland, as long as Hong Kong citizens are united in one heart to fight the epidemic, Hong Kong will definitely win this battle," Chan said.

Hong Kong registered 2,743 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 3,080 additional positive cases through self-reported rapid antigen tests on Friday, official data showed.