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HKSAR gov't making all-out efforts to support residents' livelihood amid COVID-19: officials

梁晨婕

梁晨婕

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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government is deeply concerned about Hong Kong residents' financial burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to make all-out efforts to implement relief measures, Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR government Matthew Cheung said on Sunday.

Cheung wrote in his blog that most eligible Hong Kong permanent residents will receive the handout of 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (1,290 U.S. dollars) before the end of August as the HKSAR Legislative Council (LegCo) has passed the appropriation bill of the 2020-21 Budget.

An extra month of allowance will also reach the hands of recipients of social welfare payments including the elderly and the disabled, which will cover over 1.4 million residents, Cheung added.

Meanwhile, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR government Paul Chan wrote in his blog on Sunday that under the current difficult circumstances, it is important to provide cash flow for businesses, saying the HKSAR government has started receiving applications for the special loan for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Chan said a stable social environment is a key factor to boost the economy. He warned that the resurgence of violence will scare away international investors and reduce foot traffic for local shops, bringing no economic recovery in sight even if the COVID-19 outbreak subsides.

Amid an economic downturn, those who hype up the "burn with us" mentality are irresponsible and beneficial for no one, and they are the biggest obstacle to Hong Kong's economic recovery, Chan said.

Cheung, in his blog, also urged members of the public to say no to violence. He said that after a report on the social unrest in Hong Kong was released recently by the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC), some people claimed that the report was used to "support the police" and "whitewash the police."

Those who made such comments are troublemakers intending to undermine Hong Kong's police force, Cheung said, adding that as an independent body, IPCC has laid out facts through careful, indepth, objective and detailed reviewing.

Cheung appealed to the public not to believe the misleading information and false accusations online.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)