In alignment with the Government’s special work arrangement for government employees in order to contain the spread of the epidemic, the opening hours of the Land Registry (LR) offices were adjusted from February to March 2022. While continuing to provide essential public services, albeit on a limited scale, during this period, we also mobilised manpower and resources to join the Government to fight against the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Maintaining Essential Services under Contingency Situation

Despite the closure of the Customer Centre on 19/F, Queensway Government Offices (QGO) on 10 February 2022 due to a preliminarily tested positive case, the LR had striven to maintain the provision of essential services, including deeds lodgement, owners’ corporation and search of memorial day book services, on other unaffected office floors of QGO in accordance with its contingency plan.

“Although the queuing tickets were manually distributed, customers from lodging solicitors’ firms showed understanding and patience when waiting for service at our temporary deeds lodgement counters which were converted from workstations on 18/F of QGO. Collection of payment, printing of receipts and allocation of memorial numbers to the deeds received were not affected. With our concerted efforts, we are happy to note that all deeds lodged on the day were received in an orderly and efficient manner”, said Mr LAM Chun-wai, an Assistant Clerical Officer of the Registration Services Division.

Mr Jerry LI, a Land Registration Officer supervising frontline colleagues of the Search & Departmental Services Division, remarked, “With growing number of our colleagues getting infected, we have to react and redeploy staff promptly in order to maintain uninterrupted counter search services to members of the public. My team has worked single-heartedly to overcome all obstacles during this difficult time. I am grateful for their total devotion and commitment and for the understanding of our customers.”

Packaging and Distributing Anti-epidemic Service Bags

Separately, many members of our department actively joined the Government’s anti-epidemic work.

Led by the Land Registrar, 36 of our colleagues volunteered to support the operation of packaging of anti-epidemic service bags in March 2022 and distribution of the service bags to households in April 2022.

LR’s colleagues worked in four shifts at the packaging centre located at the Quarry Bay Sports Centre to prepare the service bags. Each of the bags contained medical supplies, including two boxes of Chinese medicine, 20 sets of rapid antigen test kits, and 20 KN95 masks.

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Ms Joyce TAM, Land Registrar (fourth right) engaged in the packaging work with the LR’s colleagues.

Mr Paul CHAN, Financial Secretary (third right) and Mr Michael WONG, Secretary for Development (first right) showed support to LR’s colleagues at the packaging centre.

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Joining the Development Bureau (DEVB) and together with staff members from other departments under DEVB, our colleagues distributed the service bags to residents in Quarry Bay and called for their support for the Voluntary Testing Exercise.

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Mr Michael WONG, Secretary for Development (front row, seventh left) and Ms Bernadette LINN, Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands) (front row, sixth left), together with staff members from DEVB and departments under its purview, distributed anti-epidemic service bags to households in Quarry Bay. Ms Joyce TAM, Land Registrar (front row, second right) led LR’s colleagues to join the operation.

Participation in Restricted-Testing Declarations (RTD) Operations

Since March 2022, 46 of our colleagues, with about 23 of them each time, were teamed up with colleagues from the Buildings Department and DEVB (Planning and Lands Branch) in manning the RTD operations in different districts.

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“During the operation at Choi Hung Estate with over 1,500 residents involved, it rained heavily throughout the day which made our work more difficult. As many of the residents were elderly, we held up umbrellas for them when they were carrying the food packs, daily necessities and anti-epidemic supplies back home after testing. I was happy that our efforts were paid off by recognition from many residents, with words of thanks expressing gratitude for our hard work,” said Ms Alice LEUNG, a Deputy Registry Manager who led a LR’s team in the RTD operations.

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Mr LAU Kin-ho and Mr WONG Man-kit, both Clerical Assistants, said, “Working in the Deeds Lodgement Unit of the LR, our client-facing experience had facilitated us to handle residents’ enquiries and anxiety confidently and effectively. Despite that all of us were exhausted when the operation was completed, the morale of the whole team remained high. We were proud to step out to serve members of the public in this critical situation.”

Supporting Contact Tracing Office (CTO) and Call Operation Centre (COC)

A total of 50 colleagues have been deployed to the CTO of the Department of Health since March 2022 and 10 colleagues to the COC of the Public Health Laboratory Centre since February 2022 to provide support for following up on positive cases of COVID-19 including data inputting, making follow-up calls to help individuals who were tested positive to fill in the online declaration forms, and assisting in the issuance of Quarantine and Isolation Orders.

“It is a challenge for us to quickly familiarise ourselves with the latest quarantine and testing requirements and keep abreast of the up-to-date procedure for submission of the testing result. We have to ensure that immediate assistance can be provided to the people in need,” said Mr Andy WU, an Accounting Officer who led the LR’s team working at the CTO.

Mr LEUNG Po-tak, the Commander of the CTO at San Po Kong expressed appreciation that our colleagues had settled down so well and quickly tuned in for a new work function with competence and professionalism. He was very impressed that our team leaders had displayed a keen sense of responsibility and took up a leading role in motivating all LR’s staff to maintain effectiveness of the CTO.

Together, We Fight the Virus!