The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced today (22 December) the launch of the Jockey Club Facilities Enhancement Scheme for Pandemic Preparedness at Residential Care Homes which will offer a one-off subsidy to all residential care homes for the elderly (“RCHEs”), residential care homes for persons with disabilities (“RCHDs”) and Nursing Homes (“NHs”) subvented by the Social Welfare Department (“SWD”) in Hong Kong to upgrade their safety and infection control facilities in response to COVID-19. Together with a related pilot programme, the approved funding from the Club’s Charities Trust for the scheme totals HK$243 million.

The Club’s support is made possible through its integrated business model comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. In particular, thanks to strict health measures, the Club has continued racing throughout the pandemic, enabling it to maintain its tax and charity support for Hong Kong. 

“COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on our community. We need to deal not only with the present effects but also to build the long-term resilience of our community in facing similar threats in future,” said Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. “This latest scheme will strengthen residential care homes’ preparedness and capacity to protect their residents now and in the future against communicable diseases.”

Residential care homes have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the Club’s Charities Trust launched a pilot programme in September to help 25 RCHEs purchase equipment to enhance their safety and infection control. Following positive feedback, the Club’s Charities Trust is now extending the programme to cover all NGO-operated and private RCHEs and RCHDs as well as SWD-subvented NHs in Hong Kong under the Jockey Club Facilities Enhancement Scheme for Pandemic Preparedness at Residential Care Homes. 

The scheme will provide a one-off subsidy ranging from HK$60,000 to HK$300,000 to each residential care home, subject to their size or capacity. The funding will enable homes to purchase equipment such as air purifiers, disinfection machines, UV sterilising machines and body temperature monitors and related items. About 1,100 RCHEs, RCHDs and SWD-subvented NHs (including the 25 RCHEs which joined the pilot programme) are expected to benefit from it, involving about 80,000 elderly persons and persons with disabilities and about 40,000 staff.

The scheme is complemented by the Time-limited Programme on Enhancing Infection Control and Ventilation of Residential Care Homes launched by the SWD under which resources will be deployed to support on-site infection control assessment and training as well as ventilation assessment. It will also make suggestions for improvement. The SWD will issue letters to inform the residential care homes of details of the programme.

“Since the beginning of this year, we have been trying to source additional resources to meet changing needs with the outbreak of COVID-19. The subsidy provided by the pilot programme allowed us to purchase suitable equipment and devices to respond to the challenges of the pandemic. It has enabled us to provide a safe and hygienic living environment to protect our residents in the long run,” said Connie Chu, Chief Operation Officer of Helping Hand, one of the RCHEs participating in the pilot scheme.

In addition to supporting residential care homes, the Club’s Charities Trust also launched an 18-month project, Jockey Club Support Project for the Elderly under COVID-19, in October with approved funding of HK$39.36 million. The project, in collaboration with eight organisations, aims to help elderly singletons and doubletons mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on their daily lives by offering telecare services, attending to their daily needs, such as through out-patient escort services and daily necessities delivery, as well as medical and health support services.

The two projects are among the latest initiatives to help those hard hit by the pandemic, bringing the Club’s total approved funding for COVID-19 relief initiatives to over HK$987 million.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class racing club that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2019/20, the Club contributed HK$19.9 billion in duty and profits tax and HK$0.8 billion to the Lotteries Fund. Approved charity donations were HK$4.5 billion. The Club is Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer and one of the city’s major employers. Its Charities Trust is also one of the world’s top ten charity donors. The Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.

Attachment: The Hong Kong Jockey Club COVID-19 Community Support Initiatives