Legco Outsourced Worker Tests Preliminary Positive

Legislative Council President Andrew Leung said on Monday that an outsourced Legco worker has tested preliminary positive for Covid-19, but he brushed aside concerns over a possible outbreak at the complex.

The worker, who lives in the virus-stricken Yat Kwai House in Kwai Chung Estate, last worked at the complex on January 19.

"I don't think everybody at Legco will be close contacts. The person only worked on the 3/F and 1M/F. I think we are fully cooperating with the health department to see what needs to be done after that," Leung said.

In view of the latest outbreaks, Legco Secretariat staff members have been advised to work from home, except for those responsible for assisting Legco meetings and maintaining basic services.

But lawmakers will still have their council meeting face-to-face in the chamber on Wednesday.

They had passed two resolutions last week empowering them to hold high-level meetings virtually in case the pandemic gets so serious that it prevents any physical meetings.

The Legco president said the Secretariat will hold practice rounds on Tuesday for lawmakers to better understand the contingency arrangement, but did not say when it will actually be implemented.

Separately, Leung said anyone entering Legco, including lawmakers, government officials and members of the press, must have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from February 16.

Unvaccinated workers will be barred from going to work and will be considered as absent without permission, he said.

Leung added that around 97 percent of Secretariat staff members have been vaccinated.