The Mainland expert delegation led by the Head of the National Health Commission's COVID-19 leading task force, Professor Liang Wannian, continued its visit in Hong Kong today (March 2). They visited the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) to exchange views with representatives of the DH and the Hospital Authority (HA) and offer advice.

     The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Controller of the CHP of the DH, Dr Edwin Tsui; and relevant DH colleagues and representatives from the HA held a meeting at the CHP this morning with Professor Liang and the Mainland experts led by him as well as Mainland experts from the task force of epidemiologists. They had an in-depth discussion on the epidemic situation in Hong Kong and analysed relevant statistics. The challenges posed by the fifth wave of the epidemic and the Mainland experience in tackling the epidemic were also elaborated.

     Dr Lam expressed gratitude to the Central People's Government for their extensive and swift support to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He also thanked the NHC expert delegation for their visit and advice offered on the anti-epidemic work. Representative of the CHP explained about the statistical analysis under the fifth wave of epidemic in Hong Kong and illustrated the key measures in risk prevention and control. The experts provided valuable opinions during the meeting and the CHP will continue its exchange with the expert delegation in exploring and intensifying the strategies and measures to control the fifth wave of the epidemic.

     Led by Professor Liang, the delegation came to Hong Kong on February 28. They were joined by the four epidemiological experts who arrived in Hong Kong earlier to conduct visits in Hong Kong.

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Arts Development:

     The Council of the China National Arts Fund announced yesterday (March 1) the list of arts projects to be funded by the China National Arts Fund 2022. Nine Hong Kong arts projects have been selected. The Advisory Committee on Arts Development (ACAD) is encouraged to see the result and considers that the support will have a positive impact on the arts and culture sector of Hong Kong.

     The Chairman of the ACAD, Mr Vincent Chow, said "It is the first time the China National Arts Fund 2022 accepted applications from eligible arts institutions and practitioners in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Nine projects from Hong Kong are selected under keen competition from over 10 000 formal applications. The arts projects selected cover various areas including performing arts productions, visual arts creations, cultural exchange and training of arts talents. The funding support has a positive impact on the long-term and diversified development of arts and culture in Hong Kong. On behalf of the ACAD, I wish every success for the projects funded by the China National Arts Fund."

     The Council of the China National Arts Fund announced yesterday (March 1) the list of arts projects to be funded by the China National Arts Fund 2022 (mp.weixin.qq.com/s/bh7TarpvbACtd6NFzocecg)(Chinese only). After assessment, the adjudication panel of the China National Arts Fund selected 628 projects out of 10 978 formal applications. For the first time, nine Hong Kong arts projects are selected. The Acting Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Jack Chan, today (March 2) expressed his heartfelt thanks to the motherland for her support of arts development in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and extends his congratulations to the nine arts projects to be funded by the China National Arts Fund. 

     Mr Chan said, "For the first time, nine Hong Kong arts projects are selected and funded by the China National Arts Fund. They include performing arts productions, cultural exchange, training of arts talents and visual arts creations. The result is encouraging. On behalf of the Home Affairs Bureau and the arts and culture sector in Hong Kong, I would like to thank the motherland again for her support of the development of arts and culture in Hong Kong, which enables us to grasp and consolidate Hong Kong’s role as an East-meets-West centre for international arts and cultural exchange."

     The Council of the China National Arts Fund announced in July 2021 that the China National Arts Fund 2022 would accept applications from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions for the first time. The opening up of the China National Arts Fund to accept applications from eligible arts institutions and practitioners in the HKSAR is a testimony to the nation's care for the development of the arts and culture sector and arts talents in the HKSAR. The HKSAR Government will continue to proactively promote arts development in Hong Kong and consolidate Hong Kong's role as an East-meets-West centre for international arts and cultural exchange as laid down in the nation's 14th Five-Year Plan. 

     The China National Arts Fund also announced the application guide of the China National Arts Fund 2023 yesterday. The application period will begin on April 15 and end on June 15, 2022. Details are available on www.cnaf.cn/gjysjjw/jjsbzn/jjsbzn_list.shtml (Chinese only).

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (March 2) announced that in view of cases of COVID-19 found to be related, for prudence's sake, Kin Wing Cooked Food Market and Tsun Yip Cooked Food Market of the FEHD will be closed earlier today at 7pm, as well as all day tomorrow (March 3). Deep cleaning and disinfection will be conducted during the closure period so as to safeguard the health and safety of market stall tenants and the public.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said, "The FEHD has cleaned and disinfected the areas where the persons concerned worked. During the deep cleaning and disinfection period, FEHD staff will also thoroughly clean and disinfect communal areas and facilities in the markets, and call for the co-operation of market tenants to conduct cleaning and disinfection at their respective stalls. In addition, the FEHD will arrange for street cleaning and disinfection in the vicinity of the markets."

     The FEHD will maintain liaison with tenants of the markets, and ask them to go to community testing centres for free testing as soon as possible or to conduct testing by using rapid antigen test (RAT) kits, and obtain negative results before they return to the markets to work. If all goes well, the FEHD will reopen the markets concerned on March 4 (Friday) after the completion of the deep cleaning and disinfection work.

     In addition, since San Hui Market, Kwun Chung Market, Yeung Uk Road Market and Lei Yue Mun Market were also found to be related to cases of COVID-19, the markets will also be closed earlier today at 7pm. Deep cleaning and disinfection in the areas where the persons concerned work, as well as the communal areas and facilities in the markets, will be conducted during the closure period. Also, the FEHD will call for the co-operation of market tenants to conduct cleaning and disinfection at their respective stalls, and arrange for street cleaning and disinfection in the vicinity of the markets. If all goes well, the FEHD will reopen the markets tomorrow after the completion of the deep cleaning and disinfection work.

     The FEHD attaches importance to the hygiene conditions of public markets, cooked food markets (CFMs) and cooked food centres (CFCs), and has adopted the following measures in view of the epidemic situation:

* Stepped up regular cleaning and disinfection of communal areas and facilities in the markets, CFMs and CFCs, including toilets, escalators, elevators and stair handrails, with diluted household bleach regularly every day. Management service contractors also conduct thorough cleaning in all markets, CFMs and CFCs after the venues are closed every day. Also, the FEHD strongly appeals to the public to use the disinfectant hand sanitisers that are always provided in the markets, CFMs and CFCs;

* With the assistance offered by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, a check on air change in the FEHD's markets, CFMs and CFCs has been completed in 2021 and installation of air purifiers has been carried out according to needs, and the FEHD is now following up with the installation of ultraviolet-C sterilisers at escalator handrails and arranging a special round of cleaning and disinfection of air-conditioning and exhaust systems at the FEHD's markets, CFMs and CFCs; and

* Apart from free testing on a regular basis that has been routinely made available to tenants of markets, CFMs and CFCs and licensed hawkers and registered assistants, etc, RAT kits have been delivered to them and stationed staff of management service contractors on a one-off basis for testing in case of need.

     "The FEHD will continue to closely monitor the situation of each market, CFM and CFC, and will take necessary follow-up action accordingly," the spokesman said.

     With a stronger than normal winter monsoon affecting southern China in the month, the weather of Hong Kong was much colder than usual in February 2022. The monthly mean temperature was 15.2 degrees, 1.9 degrees below the normal figure of 17.1 degrees. Mainly owing to the continuous rain episode from February 19 to 22, the month was also much wetter than usual with a total rainfall of 168.5 millimetres, more than four times of the normal of 38.9mm and the sixth highest on record for February. The accumulated rainfall recorded in the first two months of the year was 172.6mm, more than two times the normal figure of 71.9mm for the same period.
 
     Under the influence of the winter monsoon and a broad cloud band over southern China, the weather was cloudy with a few rain patches on the first three days of the month. With the cloud band thinned out by the drier northerly airstream, local weather turned generally fine in the afternoon of February 4. The northerly airstream also brought cold mornings to the territory from February 3 to 4. With winds gradually turning to the east, it was mainly cloudy with sunny intervals on February 5. Affected by a fresh to strong easterly airstream, there were sunny periods the next day. With a broad band of clouds covering southern China, the weather turned cloudy with a few rain and mist patches on February 7. Local weather remained mainly cloudy from February 8 to 10. There were a few rain patches in the morning of February 8.
 
     With the cloud band thinning out, the weather became generally fine on February 11. Under the influence of an easterly airstream, there were morning mists and sunny periods during the day on February 12. A cold front moved across the coastal areas of Guangdong during the day on February 13. The weather turned cloudy and cooler with a few rain and mist patches on that day. Under the influence of a dry continental airstream, local weather became generally fine and dry later on February 14. With winds freshening from the east, local weather turned cloudier with sunny periods during the day from February 15 to 16. Affected by a strong easterly airstream and a cloud band covering the coast of Guangdong, it was cloudy and cool with a few rain and mist patches on the next two days.
 
     A cold front moved across the coastal areas of Guangdong in the small hours of February 19. Under the influence of the associated intense winter monsoon and the upper-air disturbances, the weather became overcast and cold with frequent rain from February 19 to 22, during which more than 150mm of rainfall were generally recorded over the territory. The prolonged cold and rainy weather also brought the temperature recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) down to 7.5 degrees on the morning of February 21, the lowest of the month. With the departure of the upper-air disturbances, the weather turned generally fine with cold mornings from February 23 to 25. With the moderation of the winter monsoon, local weather remained generally fine with temperatures rising progressively towards the end of the month. In the afternoon of February 28, the temperature recorded at the HKO rose to a maximum of 22.5 degrees, the highest of the month.
 
     There was no tropical cyclone over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in February 2022.
 
     Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in February are summarised in Table 1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal for February are tabulated in Table 2.