HONG KONG -- The construction of four temporary community isolation and treatment facilities, or mobile cabin hospitals, for COVID-19 patients, began on Tuesday in Hong Kong with the support of the central government.

Around 14,000 to 17,000 isolation units will be available when these facilities at Tsing Yi, San Tin, Yuen Long and Hung Shui Kiu are fully put into operation. The facility in Tsing Yi will be ready for use in about a week.

Xie Hui, a member of the construction team from the mainland, said they are collecting materials from all parts of the country and mobilizing various resources to provide support and guarantee for the project. "We will be racing against time and sparing no effort to protect the lives and health of Hong Kong residents."

Yan Jianguo, chairman of China State Construction International Holdings Ltd., the construction contractor that is building the four temporary facilities, said with the experience of building Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital and Leishenshan (Thunder God Mountain) Hospital in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, they will fully consider the actual needs of Hong Kong and mobilize all forces and resources to complete the construction task.

Last Saturday, the construction of two community isolation and treatment facilities built with assistance from the mainland began at Penny's Bay and Kai Tak Pier in Hong Kong. These two permanent facilities will provide about 9,500 quarantine units when fully operational.

Also on Tuesday, members of a medical team from the mainland visited the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Center and exchanged views on COVID-19 testing and control with their Hong Kong peers.

The mainland experts were briefed by the center about the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients with mild and moderate symptoms, and the operation of the inpatient wards. They also visited the center's clinical pathology lab.

A responsible officer of the center said the advice given by mainland epidemiologists will help the center improve its medical arrangements.

Hong Kong reported 6,211 new COVID-19 cases and 32 deaths on Tuesday, official data showed.