Ministers To Lobby Legco Over Relief Package

The Chief Secretary and other ministers will be going to Legco to secure support for the government's HK$24-billion third round of Covid-19 relief funding on Friday.

Writing in his blog on Sunday, Matthew Cheung said the city's reserves have dropped to some HK$800 billion after the government provided over HK300 billion in various anti-epidemic measures amid the economic slump.

He urges lawmakers to focus on fighting the epidemic with the government, and to improve people's livelihood and the economy.

The Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, also said in his blog that the government had rolled out measures to support the economy, but it must manage its finances prudently when resources were limited.

Meanwhile, Labour secretary Law Chi-kwong says the government's scheme to help employers pay wages have helped people keep their jobs.

In his blog, he noted there was an increase in the employed population between June to August - when Hong Kong experienced the third wave of Covid-19 infections, compared to April to May.

But he says the labour market had still suffered a big hit from the epidemic in the first half of the year, and it's hard to estimate when the impact will fade.