HONG KONG - A newly built community isolation facility (CIF) started admitting its first batch of COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

The facility, located in Tsing Yi, is open for service one day after its construction was completed within just one week on Monday with the support of the mainland.

The CIF, with the capacity of accommodating about 3,900 patients, is a combination of modular cubicles, with each room equipped with basic furniture and bedding, air conditioner, smoke detector, and fire extinguisher.

With its construction started on Feb 22, the CIF is the first of its kind completed since the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic began in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).