Hong Kong is facing a very severe economic situation and its recovery requires an end to violence and the restoration of social order, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said on Thursday.

Hong Kong's current economic situation is very severe, and this is closely related to everyone in Hong Kong, Lam said in a Facebook post on Thursday night.

Earlier in the day, the HKSAR government's Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced a series of measures to support enterprises and safeguard jobs.

Lam said these measures were aimed at helping small- and medium-sized enterprises cope with the deteriorating economic situation and alleviating the burden on the people.

She stressed that to help Hong Kong's economy recover from both internal and external troubles, "the most important task at the moment is to put an end to violence and restore social order."

The recent spate of violent or sabotage activities in the name of demonstrations in Hong Kong were deeply distressing, Lam said. "I believe anyone who cherishes Hong Kong could not bear to see it destroyed."

"We all have a stake in Hong Kong," she said, calling on the public to work together to deal with the current difficulties and get Hong Kong back on track as soon as possible.