Two men were sentenced by the magistrates' courts today (December 29) for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) (the Regulation).

     The first case involved a man aged 48, who was issued a compulsory quarantine order when he entered Hong Kong on August 13, stating that he must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. Without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer, he tried to leave Hong Kong on the same day and was stopped by an immigration officer at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point. He was charged with contravening sections 8(4) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts today to immediate imprisonment for 14 days.

     The second case involved a man aged 27, who was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that he must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. Before the expiry of the quarantine order, he had taken off his wristband and left the place of quarantine twice without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer. He was charged with two counts of contravening sections 8(1) and 8(5) and one count of contravening sections 8(4) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today to immediate imprisonment for a total 14 weeks for the three charges. 

     Pursuant to the Regulation starting from February 8, save for exempted persons, all persons who have stayed in the Mainland, Macao or Taiwan in the 14 days preceding arrival in Hong Kong, regardless of their nationality or travel documents, will be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Moreover, pursuant to the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E), starting from December 25, all persons arriving in Hong Kong (either via the airport or land boundary control points) who have stayed in places outside China on the day of arrival in Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day have to undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in designated quarantine hotels. Breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months.

     A spokesman for the Department of Health said the sentences send a clear message to the community that breaching a compulsory quarantine order is a criminal offence that the Government will not tolerate, and solemnly reminded the public to comply with the Regulation. As of today, a total of 92 persons have been convicted by the courts for breaching compulsory quarantine orders and have received sentences including immediate imprisonment for up to 14 weeks or a fine of $15,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached the relevant regulations.

     According to the Hong Kong Observatory's weather forecast for the next few days, Hong Kong may experience a sudden drop in temperatures, especially on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day when the temperature may drop sharply to around 7 to 8 degrees Celsius. The Home Affairs Department (HAD) today (December 29) appealed to members of the public to prepare for the cold weather.

     In view of the cold weather and the situation of COVID-19, which remains severe, the elderly and people with chronic illness may face higher risks. As such, the HAD appeals to members of the public, especially the elderly and people with chronic illness, to dress warmly and stay at home as far as possible.

     The HAD and District Offices have already touched base with local organisations, social welfare organisations, kai fong associations and more, and appealed to them to take the initiative to contact the elderly and people in need to remind them to expect cold weather, as well as to provide necessary assistance. 

     The elderly or people with chronic illness who need special meal arrangements in the coming few days can call the hotlines of the Social Welfare Department (Tel: 2343 2255) and the HAD (Tel: 2572 8427), or contact district organisations.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) today (December 29) unearthed a time capsule laid in Lai Chi Kok Park. As one of the millennium celebration activities, the time capsule was buried by the former Provisional Regional Council (ex-Pro RC) and the former Provisional Urban Council (ex-PUC) on December 26, 1999.
 
     The time capsule contained Annual Reports of the two ex-municipal councils, millennium souvenirs and items selected by ex-municipal councillors. These included programmes of the ex-Pro RC's town halls and civic centres of December 1999, the ex-Pro RC's logo, the City News Magazine December 1999 issue and a uniform tie of the ex-PUC.
 
     The LCSD will inspect the conditions of the retrieved items in the unearthed time capsule and organise a display for the public later. Details of the exhibition will be announced.

    

     The Government announced today (December 29) the launch of a one-stop personalised digital services platform, "iAM Smart", to provide a new experience for the public to login and use online services with a single digital identity with their personal mobile phone. The "iAM Smart" mobile app will be available for free download starting from 9am tomorrow (December 30).
     
Single digital identity
———————–
     Development of the "iAM Smart" platform is led by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). The platform provides four major functions, namely:
 

• authentication (e.g. login online services),
• form filling (e.g. address, contact phone number and email),
• personalised notification (e.g. notification of billing deadlines), and
• digital signing.

     Members of the public will be able to access more than 20 commonly used online services of the Government and the public utilities such as the two electricity and the gas companies once they register for "iAM Smart". It is expected that by mid-2021, the number of public services accessible through the platform will increase to more than 110.

     As digital infrastructure for smart city development, "iAM Smart" aims, among others, to further promote smart government as well as digital transformation of the entire community. The Government has been actively facilitating public and private organisations' joining the "iAM Smart" platform, including the provision of Application Programming Interfaces (API) for commercial organisations and public bodies to adopt "iAM Smart" in their online services. The OGCIO has been conducting the "iAM Smart" pilot sandbox programme in collaboration with Cyberport since March this year to enable private organisations to conduct simulated tests on API functions to better prepare for the adoption of "iAM Smart" in future. So far, more than 180 companies in the financial sector and the FinTech tenants and incubatees from Cyberport and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks have joined the pilot sandbox programme.

     Furthermore, the OGCIO is working with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) in assisting financial institutions to adopt "iAM Smart" in their online services. The HKMA, the Securities and Futures Commission, the Insurance Authority as well as the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority have issued circulars to relevant authorised institutions to encourage their adoption of "iAM Smart".

Registration procedures of "iAM Smart"
——————————————-
     All Hong Kong Identity Card (HKIC) holders aged 11 or above are eligible to register for "iAM Smart". Registration for "iAM Smart" is simple and easy. Members of the public can download the "iAM Smart" mobile app and perform remote registration using a personal mobile phone with biometric authentication. If digital signing for services like vehicle licence renewal is required, members of the public should go to registration service counters located at any of the 121 post offices (except mobile post offices) to upgrade to "iAM Smart+". The Government will at a later stage also set up self-registration kiosks and deploy mobile registration teams in various districts for easy registration of "iAM Smart+" and to assist those in need (such as the elderly).

Personal privacy protection and data security
————————————————–
     Photos of the HKIC provided and selfies taken during registration via mobile phones or at self-registration kiosks will be deleted immediately after verification of the user's identity by checking against the computer system of the Immigration Department. Such data will not be stored in the "iAM Smart" system. Other personal information provided during registration will only be used for "iAM Smart" account management. User data will be encrypted and stored in the government data centre facilities to ensure data security.

     In the design and operation of the "iAM Smart" platform, the OGCIO has also sought advice from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data and engaged independent third parties to conduct privacy impact assessment and information security risk assessment and audit, covering such areas as data storage, network and communication, user access management and application system security. In addition, the OGCIO is pursuing the certification of information security and privacy management in accordance with international standards ISO 27001 and ISO 27701.

     The "iAM Smart" mobile app supports iOS and Android operating systems and mobile phones with biometric authentication. Members of the public can download and use the app for free starting from 9am tomorrow. Please visit the "iAM Smart" website (www.iamsmart.gov.hk) for more information.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 9am today (December 29), 90 COVID-19 confirmed patients were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 7 616 patients with confirmed or probable infection have been discharged.

     At present, there are 691 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1 259 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 879 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in 23 public hospitals and a community treatment facility, among which 47 patients are in critical condition, 60 are in serious condition and the remaining 772 patients are in stable condition.

     The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.

     Details of the above-mentioned patients are as follows: