Hong Kong’s financial secretary to deliver budget address in person at Legislative Council next week, despite coronavirus disruptions

Paul Chan’s fourth budget speech will detail the extent of the city’s first deficit in 15 years

Media members will still meet with officials for briefings though be subject to temperature checks and asked to bring their own masks

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Financial Secretary Paul Chan is expected to address Legco in person on February 26 to deliver the annual budget address. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 6:34pm, 21 Feb 2020Updated: 11:57pm, 21 Feb 2020

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will deliver his budget address in person at the Legislative Council on Wednesday despite disruptions to government services caused by the coronavirus outbreak, his office said on Friday.

Chan’s fourth budget speech will reveal the extent of the city’s deficit for 2019-20, a first in 15 years, which has been driven by the double whammy of the US-China trade war and Covid-19 epidemic.

Of key interest is whether the finance minister will announce cash hand outs – something called for by numerous interest groups – in addition to the raft of relief measures totalling HK$30 billion announced by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor earlier this month.

“[The budget] will be delivered as usual,” a government source told the Post. “Members of [Chan’s] office have been working in the office.”

Hong Kong’s battle with the coronavirus has seen the government largely have its employees work from home since January 29. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Most civil servants, aside from those providing emergency and essential public services, have been working from home since January 29, a policy that has since been extended until March 1.

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