Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident in Cheung Sha Wan this afternoon (May 10) in which a 50-year-old woman died.

     At about 5.24pm, a light goods vehicle (LGV) driven by a 45-year-old man was travelling along Cheung Sha Wan Road towards New Territories. When approaching Cheung Sha Wan Playground, it reportedly knocked down the 50-year-old woman who was crossing the road.

     Sustaining injury to her head, the woman was rushed to Caritas Medical Centre in unconscious state and was certified dead at 5.48pm.

     The LGV driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and is being detained for further enquiries.

     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, Kowloon West is underway.

     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers at 3661 9062.

     Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, regarding an African Swine Fever laboratory test result at the Central Government Offices tonight (May 10) :
 
Reporter: Can you talk about the situation? What measures are you going to take to prevent the spread of the disease? Would you stop the import of pork from the infected area?
 
Secretary for Food and Health: The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) confirmed this afternoon that African Swine Fever (ASF) virus was found in a pig in Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse (SSSH). I just now chaired an inter-departmental meeting with the AFCD and the Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) to discuss the response actions and follow-up work. In order to minimise the risk of ASF virus spreading from the slaughterhouse, all pigs in SSSH will be culled so that thorough cleansing and disinfection could be conducted. The operation of SSSH will be suspended until the completion of disinfection work. We envisage that fresh pork supply will be reduced in the near future. However, as Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse is not affected and will operate as normal, there will still be a limited supply of live pigs to the market. We would like to reiterate that ASF will not be transmitted to human and hence posing no food safety risk. Well-cooked pork is safe for consumption. Finally, we will enhance the surveillance and testing of pigs. Currently, we collect samples from pigs with ASF symptoms for testing. In the future, we will step up the sampling of other pigs for testing.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, at a media session on matters relating to trade conflict between China and the United States (US) after meeting with representatives of major chambers of commerce and associations of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) today (May 10):

Reporter: Do you mean the impact on Hong Kong trade and Hong Kong business has been minimal because Hong Kong trade has been expecting the tariff hike? Would the Government roll out more extra measures in spite of this? Are you expecting that a trade deal can be reached, and no more tariff hike?

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development: Having discussed for the 12th time with all major (business) chambers in Hong Kong, the general reaction to the additional tariffs just imposed this afternoon is saddened but calm. Saddened in the sense that nobody wishes to see, particularly from Hong Kong's perspective, the US using tariffs as a trade protection measure to distort trade. Certainly it would add burden to not just manufacturers, exporters, traders, but eventually also consumers. From where Hong Kong stands, we obviously wish that any trade disputes should be settled through negotiations instead of exchanging, or doing tit for tat, sanctions.

     The general feedback from the trade remains calm partly because this is not totally unexpected. We recall that since last September when we sat down to tackle the increase of additional tariff at 10 per cent, there were worries and preparations for further increase in tariff. That's why feedback from the trade said that they are getting prepared in a number of ways – in finding an alternative source of products for the US market, including relocation of certain factories and production lines outside the Mainland to Southeast Asia and further away; and also starting negotiations with importers on who to share the additional tariff. From the trade, the 25-per cent tariff is certainly a toll far beyond they can afford, therefore somebody has to foot the bill. That would be a matter of negotiation between exporters and importers. So all these have to be taken into account of and that explains why the reaction from the people I met today is calmer that I expected.

     Certainly that (additional tariff) would pose a very negative impact on trade and our economy. We see in the first quarter (of 2019), export trade decreased at 2.4 per cent. Although the business sentiment has taken up in early months of this year, it would be dampened with this additional (tariff) measure. As to how hard it would hit Hong Kong's economy, I think it's yet to tell because the negotiation between the US and China is still going on and we still hope that there would be positive developments. As usual, both the Government and the trade are preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.

      For the additional (government) measures, we have been getting ourselves prepared for this. A lot of measures were actually rolled out well before the scenario today. The export (credit) insurance has been enhanced with the reduction of premium and extension of services, which are used by about 1 300 policy holders. This demonstrates that more people are using the export credit insurance, which also covers pre-shipment. The Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation also intends to extend these special enhanced measures for another year until the middle of 2020.

       The second batch of measures is related to financing. Liquidity is a major concern among SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in facing all these challenges. Since we stepped up the measures regarding the loan financing scheme, i.e. the financing guarantee for SME (special concessionary measures under the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme), additional loans approved (amounted) up to $3.9 billion and additional guarantee commitment of $3.1 billion. The total amount of guarantee approved under the scheme represents a 49 per cent of take-up rate of the commitment we have made for this scheme. We still have money around and certainly this (scheme) provides a timely relief for SMEs.

     Last but not the least, the last seven to eight months has been a very active time (for the trade) as we see enterprises and SMEs seeking out to find new markets, new trading partners and new production locations. Essentially, they go out to the Mainland to look at the Mainland market. As a result, the applications for the SME funding (the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales) for the Mainland market jumped by 100 per cent. The new initiative, which allows them to use the funding on ASEAN markets, has received about 300 applications. We have also rolled out a new measure, which is still subject to Legislative Council's approval, an additional $1 billion for branding, upgrading and market development (the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales) for extension to markets which have entered into free trade agreements with Hong Kong.

     All these measures are timely taken up, and hopefully, they will provide some buffer (to the trade) in this difficult time.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     A sick 69-year-old male person in custody at Tai Lam Correctional Institution died in a public hospital today (May 10).

     On April 30, he was convicted for the offence of possession of dutiable goods. Thereafter, he has all along received treatment in the institution hospital due to his heart disease, lung disease, hypertension and physical discomfort. Yesterday (May 9), he was sent to a public hospital due to shortness of breath. During hospitalisation, his condition suddenly deteriorated and he was certified dead at 8.12am today.

     The case has been reported to the Police. A death inquest will be held by the Coroner's Court.

     The Department of Health (DH) today (May 10) presented commendations to over 70 community members and 80 participating organisations at the "I'm So Smart" Community Health Promotion Programme Recognition Ceremony for their participation in promoting an active lifestyle with regular physical activity and less sedentary behaviour, and a healthy diet with adequate intake of fruits and vegetables.

     Addressing the recognition ceremony, the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the DH, Dr Wong Ka-hing, said that Hong Kong faces an increasing threat from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). An unhealthy diet and insufficient physical activity are among the behavioural risk factors responsible for NCDs. In 2019/20, the Programme will continue to promote reducing sedentary behaviour, and will encourage members of the public to walk more to increase their physical activity levels and to integrate physical activity into daily life. In addition, the programme will emphasise a low-salt healthy diet, raising the public's awareness about salt consumption and enhancing their knowledge about the hidden salt in food.
 
     Dr Wong pointed out that consuming too much salt is detrimental to health, which may raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that healthy adults should consume below 5 grams of salt per day, and that children should consume less salt than adults.
 
     However, according to the findings of the DH's Population Health Survey 2014/15, over 85 per cent of the respondents had a salt intake above the WHO's recommended daily limit. The DH has been carrying out various measures to encourage the public to reduce salt intake, such as implementing the Salt Reduction Scheme for School Lunches in the 2017/18 school year to build a favourable school environment for promoting a healthy diet, and to cultivate good eating habits for children.
 
     Dr Wong added that globally about one in four adults are not physically active enough, while an alarming four in five of the world's adolescent population are not sufficiently physically active. The DH launched the "Healthy Hong Kong 2025 | Move for Health" Campaign last year to encourage the public to "move for health" and increase their physical activity to build an active lifestyle.

 â€‹     Dr Wong said, "To address the threat of NCDs, last year the Government launched 'Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong' (SAP), with a focus on four NCDs, namely cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, and four shared behavioural risk factors, namely an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.

​     "The SAP sets out a series of actions to prevent and control NCDs and address the burden of NCDs. Nevertheless, the participation and co-operation of the community is of paramount importance in achieving the goal of reducing the burden of NCDs. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all participating organisations and members of the community for their support and involvement, and hope that we shall continue to work in close partnership to establish healthy lifestyles and a healthy culture and make Hong Kong a healthier city.”

     The "I'm So Smart" Community Health Promotion Programme was launched in 2012 and aims at enhancing community collaboration to promote healthy lifestyles with healthy eating and regular physical activity. Over 80 groups participated in the Programme last year, including the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA), Estate Management Advisory Committees of housing estates under the HKHA, Healthy Cities Projects and 50 non-governmental organisations. Related activities by participating organisations attracted a total attendance of more than 65 300 last year.
 
     Other officiating guests at today's ceremony included the Chief Manager/Management of the Housing Department, Mrs Harriet Lau; the Vice President of the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China, Mr Roy Ngai; and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Dietitians Association, Ms Sylvia Lam.