Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Government announced today (April 1) the arrangements for designated flights from the United Kingdom (UK) to Hong Kong and the latest quarantine arrangements for arrivals from overseas low-risk specified places.
 
Designated flights from the UK to Hong Kong
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     Due to the severe global epidemic situation of COVID-19, and to guard against the importation of new virus variants, the Government has put in place since late December last year the measure under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to restrict persons who had stayed in extremely high-risk Group A specified places from boarding flights for Hong Kong. In view of the decline of confirmed cases in the UK, where the majority of the affected Hong Kong residents are situated, as well as the satisfactory vaccination progress there, there is room to gradually lift the relevant boarding restriction.
 
     A Government spokesman said, “To ensure the orderly return of the relevant Hong Kong residents, and reduce the infection risks of a large group of travellers arriving at Hong Kong at the same time, the Government will specify that passengers of designated flights will not be subject to the restriction on boarding for Hong Kong and will arrange for these returnees to undergo the 21-day compulsory quarantine in a specified quarantine facility.”
 
     The designated flights will depart from London. Hong Kong residents who have stayed in any Group A specified place on the day of boarding or the 21 days before that day can board for direct return to Hong Kong.
 
     Travellers arriving on the designated flights will all be required to undergo compulsory quarantine at the centrally managed specified quarantine facility (Rambler Garden Hotel in Tsing Yi) for 21 days so as to properly reduce the infection risks. The relevant persons under quarantine will be tested again on the seventh, 12th and 19th days during quarantine. Passengers of the designated flights must stay in the specified quarantine facility (Rambler Garden Hotel in Tsing Yi) to undergo compulsory quarantine, and cannot stay at hotels under the Designated Quarantine Hotel Scheme.
 
     The designated flights will be the CX2252 flights departing London in the UK on April 21 and April 28 at 9.10am. The airline will open the ticketing reservation system on April 8, and travellers who have successfully booked tickets will be redirected to the reservation system of the specified quarantine facility to book their rooms. The room rate per night will be $400 to $500.
 
     Upon check-in for the designated flights, travellers will be required to present negative result proof of a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) nucleic acid test for COVID-19, conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the aircraft. Results of tests conducted using other techniques will not be accepted. In addition, the travellers must present the confirmation of their room reservation in the specified quarantine facility mentioned above for 21 nights after their arrival in Hong Kong.
 
     The spokesman reiterated, “The boarding restriction currently applicable to Group A specified places is still in force. Any person who has stayed in Group A specified places (including the UK) for more than two hours on the day of boarding or during the 21 days before that day are not allowed to board for Hong Kong, unless they are boarding for a designated flight.”
 
     The Government will closely monitor the reservation situation of the designated flights and the specified quarantine facility, and discuss with the airline on arranging additional flights if necessary.
 
Quarantine arrangements for persons arriving from low-risk places
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     Meanwhile, the global epidemic situation remains severe with new virus variants ravaging many parts of the world. As such, the Government needs to maintain the 21-day compulsory quarantine requirement for most places outside China, especially for persons who have stayed in high-risk places.
 
     However, considering that the epidemic situations in certain places have stabilised and pose lower public health risks, the Government will adjust the quarantine arrangements for persons who have stayed in low-risk overseas places under the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C), the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E) and Cap. 599H, and allow the relevant non-Hong Kong residents to enter Hong Kong.
 
     The compulsory quarantine period for persons arriving at Hong Kong on or after April 9, and who have only stayed in Australia, New Zealand or Singapore on the day of arrival in Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day, will be shortened to 14 days, while they will be required to self-monitor for the subsequent seven days and be subject compulsory testing on the 19th day after their arrival at Hong Kong. The relevant persons will still be required to undergo compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine hotels. This arrangement will be applicable to both Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents.
 
     In view of the roll-out of vaccination programmes in many places, the Government is also considering adjustments to the compulsory quarantine requirements for persons who have stayed in other non-high-risk places upon their arrival at Hong Kong. If the relevant persons have completed vaccination, their existing 21-day compulsory quarantine period may be shortened, while they would still have to self-monitor for a certain period and be subject to additional compulsory testing. Persons who have not yet been vaccinated would still be subject to 21-day compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine hotels. The Government will announce the implementation date and relevant details of this measure in due course.
 
     The spokesman said, “The appropriate adjustments to the entry restrictions and quarantine arrangements will be conducive to the gradual resumption of travel between Hong Kong and other overseas places. In the meantime, we will continue various measures to stringently guard against the importation of cases.”
 
     To facilitate the public’s understanding of the latest boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements under the relevant regulations for persons who have stayed in different places outside China, the Government will add Group D specified places (i.e. Australia, New Zealand and Singapore) to the existing grouping of overseas places. The details are set out in the Annex.
 
     Except for the arrangements for the designated flights departing from the UK, and the newly added Group D specified places, the existing requirements applicable to the other groups of specified places remain unchanged.
 
     “The Government will continue to closely monitor the situation, including the developments of the epidemic both globally and locally, vaccination progress, and changes in the volume of cross-boundary passenger traffic, and will adjust the boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements for persons arriving at Hong Kong from places with different risks when necessary.”
 
     Details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/high-risk-places.html. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:      Details of the meetings of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and its Committees to be held in the LegCo Complex during the week from April 5 t… read more

     The Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, continued to meet with stakeholders in the community at a briefing session today (April 1) to explain the improvements to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)’s electoral system, enabling them to have a better understanding of the matter and thereby render their support.

     The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed the amended Annex I to the Basic Law on Method for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Annex II to the Basic Law on Method for the Formation of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Its Voting Procedures for improving the electoral system of the HKSAR. The Department of Justice will give its full support to the Government’s work with a view to improving the electoral system as early as possible.

     Ms Cheng said that the improvements aim to expand the balanced and orderly political participation as well as provide a broader representation of society, reflecting the overall interests of society and signifying an important move to advance Hong Kong’s democratic electoral system.

     To explain to the community on the importance, necessity and legality of improving the HKSAR’s electoral system, Ms Cheng has attended briefing sessions for two consecutive days, striving to gain its staunch support.

    

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, today (April 1) met with representatives from the business and accounting sectors to explain the amendments to Annex I to the Basic Law on Method for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Annex II to the Basic Law on Method for the Formation of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and its Voting Procedures approved by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in regard to the Decision of the National People’s Congress on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR.

     Two briefing sessions were conducted, with a total of more than 30 representatives of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the accounting sector attending. The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, also attended the session with the accounting sector. Mr Chan spoke on the background, objectives and amendment details of the improvements to the electoral system, exchanged views with participants and answered questions they raised. He also encouraged participants to brief their sectors and the international community on the improvements to the electoral system, including the importance, necessity and urgency of the amendments.

     Mr Chan said, “An improved electoral system will strengthen the executive-led political system and enhance the governance capability of the HKSAR Government, thereby enabling the community as a whole to focus on progressively resolving Hong Kong’s deep-seated issues to allow sustained social and economic stability and prosperity. The HKSAR Government will spare no effort in explaining the amendments and in pressing ahead with the work on amending relevant ordinances to strive for early and full implementation of the new electoral system.”

      

The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:
 
     The Research Grants Council (RGC) will present public lectures under the theme “Medical Technology and Society” on April 10 (Saturday) at the Hong Kong Central Library. The public lectures were originally scheduled in last December.
 
     The RGC has invited Patrick Huen Wing Ming Professor of Systems Engineering & Engineering Management of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Helen Meng, and Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of the University of Hong Kong, Kevin Tsia, to share their research findings and knowledge with the public. Details are as follows:
 
Time: 10.30am to 12.30pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre, G/F, Hong Kong Central Library
Language: Cantonese
Admission: Free (seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis)
Interested parties can also watch the live broadcast of the lectures through the Multimedia Information System of the Hong Kong Public Libraries via the Internet (mmis.hkpl.gov.hk).
 
     Population ageing is a global concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people aged over 60 will nearly double to make up 22 per cent of the world’s population by 2050, while the number of Hong Kong people aged over 65 will rise to make up 35 per cent of the local population. Neurocognitive disorders (NCD), which include various types of dementia – are particularly prominent in elderly people. As spoken language can be easily captured (even remotely) and enables sensitive cognitive assessments, Professor Meng’s team is developing Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven technologies to automatically extract spoken language biomarkers for early detection of NCD. She will deliver a talk titled “AI for Cognitive Health” to share how AI-enabled healthcare contributes to better NCD management. This aligns with the WHO’s plan of making dementia a public health and social care priority at national and international levels.
 
     In the past 10 years, laser microscopy has successfully permeated not only biochemistry and cell/molecular biology research, but also numerous preclinical and clinical applications. Professor Tsia will introduce the latest breakthrough in laser microscopy technologies developed at the University of Hong Kong in his talk titled “Decoding health and disease with high-speed laser imaging technologies”. These technologies include capturing high-resolution motion pictures of the swift-flying brain signals in a living animal, visualising the inner workings of biological cells and microorganisms in 3D without killing them, and detecting rare cancer cells among hundreds of millions of normal blood cells efficiently and effectively. Not only can these technologies expand the realm of biological research (e.g. in neuroscience), but they will also create many new opportunities in cost-effective clinical diagnosis, especially cancer screening. 
 
     The public lectures of the RGC aim at arousing public interest in local research developments. Since 2009, the RGC has invited numerous leading scholars to speak at these lectures. For updates on the arrangement of the public lectures, please visit the University Grants Committee webpage (www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/about/events/lectures/lectures.html). read more