Chief Justice Andrew Cheung has instructed that the Judiciary should immediately review the overall arrangements of handling cases involving a large number of litigants and observers at all levels of courts. The Judiciary made the statement today in response to enquiries on the arrangements for the hearing of a case involving 47 defendants at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, emphasising that the review is subject to the safeguarding of the due administration of justice. The statement pointed out that the courts must adjudicate cases in accordance with the law and court procedures, adding that the courts have always sought to complete the hearing of each case as soon as practicable to ensure efficient administration of justice. Regarding the case in question, the Judiciary explained that all 47 defendants must be heard before the same magistrate according to court procedures as they were charged with the same offence under the same case. The case was first
Chief Executive Carrie Lam today officiated at the completion and handover ceremony of the temporary hospital next to the AsiaWorld-Expo which was completed with the support of the central government.
The temporary hospital is now named North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre.
Mrs Lam, accompanied by Secretary for Development Michael Wong, Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan, together with Guangdong Governor Ma Xingrui, CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee Secretary Wang Weizhong and State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office Deputy Director Huang Liuquan, jointly unveiled the plaque for the project.
The Chief Executive said in her speech that the project again conveys the central government's support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's anti-epidemic efforts and its care to Hong Kong citizens.
She added that it also gives full play to the deep brotherhood between Guangdong and Hong Kong, as well as that between Shenzhen and Hong Kong while showcasing the determination and collaboration of the project team and staff members that yield enormous outcomes.
Mrs Lam noted the resources, nucleic acid tests and vaccines as well as the temporary hospital have all demonstrated the central government's care to the Hong Kong SAR, adding that the central government is forever the strongest backbone of the city's anti-epidemic work.
She thanked the central government, the Guangdong Provincial Government, the Shenzhen Municipal Government and the Wuhan experts for their support and guidance.
The temporary hospital comprises six ward blocks and a medical centre. There are negative pressure wards designed with reference to the standards of tier-1 isolation wards that can accommodate about 820 beds.
The Hospital Authority is striving to put the new hospital into service next month.
Together with the community treatment facility expansion completed in October last year, the central government has in total provided an extra 1,800 beds for Hong Kong to fight COVID-19, greatly increasing the healthcare system's resilience against the pandemic.
The Chief Executive said that with the adoption of modular integrated construction (MiC) technology, construction of the temporary hospital was completed in just four months.
The use of MiC technology not only enhanced the efficiency and uplifted the quality of the project but also achieved a very high safety standard, providing a valuable reference for the future construction of healthcare facilities in Hong Kong, Mrs Lam added.
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