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     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (August 29) that Victoria Park Swimming Pool in Wan Chai District has been temporarily closed for cleaning and superchlorination following the discovery of a small amount of faeces in the pool.

     It will be reopened at 6.30am tomorrow.

     The department appeals to swimmers to be considerate and to keep the swimming pools clean. They are advised not to swim after a full meal and should use the toilet facilities if necessary before swimming.

     The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (August 29) that in the Third School Allocation Exercise (SAE) 2019, two school premises under planning in Sham Shui Po District and Kowloon City District are open for application by eligible school sponsoring bodies (SSBs) for reprovisioning of existing public sector primary schools located in Primary One Admission (POA) school nets of Kwai Tsing District and Wong Tai Sin District respectively.
 
     The two new school premises under planning are located at Lin Cheung Road, Sham Shui Po, and Site 1B-4 at Kai Tak Development, Kowloon City. Details of the two premises are set out in the Annex.
 
     "To meet the projected shortfall of public sector primary school places in Sham Shui Po District and Kowloon City District, there is a need to set up an additional public sector primary school in each of the two districts. On the other hand, surplus in public sector primary school places in the neighbouring Kwai Tsing District and Wong Tai Sin District respectively is expected to persist. The EDB now decides to reprovision existing public sector primary schools from POA school nets of Kwai Tsing District and Wong Tai Sin District to Sham Shui Po District and Kowloon City District respectively to help cope with the shortfall in school places in the two districts. This arrangement can on one hand, provide an additional public sector primary school in each of the Sham Shui Po District and the Kowloon City District and on the other hand, alleviate the primary school place surplus in the POA school nets of Kwai Tsing District and Wong Tai Sin District. In addition, the schools allocated with the new school premises will be able to have a facelift improvement in school facilities," an EDB spokesman said.
 
     "Allocation of the school premises will be conducted on a competitive basis. Quality of education will be the prime consideration in assessing the applications. Factors to be considered include the operation track record of the school proposed to be reprovisioned, the quality of the school plan after reprovisioning, especially the arrangement and supporting measures for students to return to school during the transitional period, and the physical condition of the school's existing premises. In respect of the physical condition of existing school premises, we believe that schools with a site area less than 3 000 square metres and premises over 30 years old which have not benefited or have only marginally benefited from the School Improvement Programme will warrant our serious consideration. However, these are not prerequisites for the submission of applications. Each case has to be assessed on its own merits.
 
     "In line with the established arrangement, the successful SSB will be required, upon allocation of the new premises for reprovisioning, to return its existing school premises. For those schools currently located within a private lot under the ownership of the SSB, the school or a third party related to the SSB/school, the relevant private land owner will be required to surrender the existing school premises and site to the Government," he added.
 
     All applications will be considered by the School Allocation Committee comprising official and non-official members. SSBs are required to complete an application form and submit it together with the required supporting documents, a proposed school plan (of not more than 10 pages including all annexes plus a two-page executive summary) and a list of operating school(s). The proposed school plan should cover the vision and mission, management and organisation, learning and teaching, school ethos and support for students, students' performance targets, self-evaluation indicators, etc. The SSB may also make reference to the school(s) that it is operating and their respective performance to substantiate its case.
 
     In line with the EDB's established policy for school allocation, when submitting the application, the SSB should be exempt from tax under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance, and be:
 
(1) incorporated under the Companies Ordinance, (the successful SSB would be required to ensure that its articles of association contain all the standard clauses and articles required for allocation of a school premises); or
 
(2) incorporated under other ordinances, with its constitution satisfying the Permanent Secretary for Education as being fit to be considered for allocation of a school premises.
 
     In addition, the SSB must be running one or more public sector primary schools in Hong Kong and must be the registered SSB of the applicant school. In this SAE, only existing public sector primary schools operating in premises below the prevailing standard and designs in POA school nets of Kwai Tsing District (i.e. POA School Net 64, 65 and 66) and Wong Tai Sin District (i.e. POA School Net 43 and 45) may submit application in respect of the planned new primary school premises at Lin Cheung Road, Sham Shui Po, and the premises at Site 1B-4, Kai Tak Development, Kowloon City respectively.
 
     The application form for the Third SAE 2019 and other reference materials can be downloaded from the EDB homepage (www.edb.gov.hk/en/sch-admin/sch-premises-info/allocation-of-sch/index.html). More information on this SAE can also be found on the homepage.
 
     The duly completed application form and supporting documents, together with 22 copies of the proposed school plan with executive summary and list of operating schools, if any, should reach the Infrastructure and Research Support Division of the EDB (6th Floor, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong) by 5pm on October 10, 2019. Late or incomplete applications, as well as applications via email, will not be processed.
 
     For enquiries, please call 3509 8413 or 3509 8411.

     An operational event at Taishan Nuclear Power Station (TNPS) was reported today (August 29) on the website of Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Co Ltd (TNPJVC), a spokesperson for the Security Bureau said today.

     On August 20, Unit 1 of TNPS was at normal operating condition. At 4.50pm, on configurating the operation status of the ventilation system according to the maintenance work arrangement, the unable of remote control of two ventilation dampers of the safety plant was observed, which was inconsistent with the requirements of the operational technical specifications. Station staff took corrective measures immediately. At 5.46pm, the system functionality was resumed to normal.

     The event was classified as a "Below Scale Licensing Operational Event" (i.e. "Level 0" event) on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and had no effect on the safe operation of the nuclear power station, or on the health of the workers, nearby public or the environment. All nuclear generating units currently in operation at TNPS remain in safe and stable operation.

     â€‹TNPJVC has disclosed the details about this event on its website. The details can be viewed at www.tnpjvc.com.cn (Chinese only).

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (August 29) reported a suspected case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places they visit. The case is detailed below:
 

     "Travellers to the Middle East should avoid going to farms, barns or markets with camels; avoid contact with sick persons and animals, especially camels, birds or poultry; and avoid unnecessary visits to healthcare facilities. We strongly advise travel agents organising tours to the Middle East to abstain from arranging camel rides and activities involving direct contact with camels, which are known risk factors for acquiring MERS-CoV," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     Locally, the CHP's surveillance with public and private hospitals, with practising doctors and at boundary control points is firmly in place. Inbound travellers and members of the public who recently visited the Middle East and developed fever or lower respiratory symptoms within 14 days will be classified as suspected MERS cases. They will be taken to public hospitals for isolation and management until their specimens test negative for MERS-CoV.

     Travellers to affected areas should maintain vigilance, adopt appropriate health precautions and take heed of personal, food and environmental hygiene. The public may visit the MERS pages of the CHP and its Travel Health Service, MERS statistics in affected areas, the CHP's Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and the World Health Organization's latest news for more information and health advice. Tour leaders and tour guides operating overseas tours are advised to refer to the CHP's health advice on MERS.

     The main contractor and subcontractor of a Kai Tak residential development construction site, namely Tysan Foundation Geotechnical Limited and Kit Kee Engineering Limited, failed to meet the requirements of a construction noise permit (CNP) as a result of using unpermitted powered mechanical equipment to carry out construction works at night. The main contractor and subcontractor involved were convicted and fined a total of $60,000 at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (August 29) for contravening the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO).

     In the light of the new housing developments in the Kai Tak Development Area (KTDA) gradually reaching completion and beginning residential intake, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has been closely controlling construction noise in the area in accordance with the NCO, with a view to preventing nearby residents from being disturbed. The EPD received a complaint from a local resident in January against noise nuisance caused by the carrying out of construction work at night at a construction site in the KTDA. Law enforcement officers of the EPD conducted a blitz inspection of the construction site in early February and discovered that a concrete lorry mixer and a concrete-pump lorry were being used to carry out works till almost 8pm, generating loud noise. However, the CNP for the construction site only permitted the use of quieter powered mechanical equipment at night. The EPD revoked the permit for the construction site immediately and prosecuted the main contractor and subcontractor of the construction site under the NCO.

     The spokesman for the EPD explained that the NCO aims to protect the public from disturbance of rest. Construction contractors should arrange for construction works to be carried out during daytime and non-general holidays as far as possible to minimise noise disturbances to nearby residents. If powered mechanical equipment has to be used during restricted hours (between 7pm and 7am on the following day, or at any time on a general holiday), construction contractors must obtain a CNP from the EPD in advance. Such construction works shall only commence when a CNP is granted upon completion of an assessment that support its compliance with regulatory requirements. Construction contractors should only use specified powered mechanical equipment with noise mitigation measures in place within the period stipulated in a CNP. Otherwise it constitutes an offence. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 on first conviction. A maximum fine of $200,000 may be imposed on a subsequent conviction.