The Government announced today (April 23) that the Chief Executive has re-appointed Professor Frederick Ma Si-hang as the Chairman of the Council of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) for the period from April 2… read more
Hongkong Post announced today (April 23) the postal service arrangements for the Birthday of the Buddha on April 30 and Labour Day on May 1. No mail delivery and no mail collection will be provided. All post offices will be closed. In accordance with the usual practice, mail posted on the public holidays will be processed on the next working day.
For more information, members of the public may visit Hongkong Post’s website at www.hongkongpost.hk or contact the Hongkong Post enquiry hotline at 2921 2222. read more
The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Caspar Tsui, today (April 22) met Legislative Council Member, Ms Alice Mak, and representatives from the trade unions affiliated to the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, namely the Hong Kong General Union of Security and Property Management Industry Employees and the Hong Kong Environmental Services, Logistics and Cleaning Employees Association, to exchange views on the enhancement of the “Anti-epidemic Support Scheme for Property Management Sector” (ASPM) under the “Anti-epidemic Fund”.
The participants welcomed the Government’s initiative of launching the ASPM, and considered that the ASPM could effectively support frontline workers of the property management (PM) sector in fighting the epidemic. They also proposed enhancements to the ASPM, so that buildings other than the private residential buildings may also be benefited.
“We will proactively respond to public views on enhancing the ASPM, with a view to benefiting more frontline PM workers who have been working hard in this difficult times. In this regard, we are going to extend the ASPM to cover industrial and commercial buildings, and will suitably adjust the funding cap for these buildings. We will continue to adhere to the principles of ‘simplicity’, ‘quick disbursement of funds’ and ‘better loose than tight’ in processing relevant applications. We hope frontline PM workers can continue to remain steadfast in their duties and fight the virus together,” said Mr Tsui.
The Home Affairs Department will announce the details of the second phase of the ASPM shortly. The first phase of the ASPM remains open for application. As of April 22, the Property Management Services Authority (PMSA), which has been implementing the ASPM, has received over 8 100 applications, of which over 1 800 applications have been approved, involving subsidies of over $63 million, and benefiting over 14 000 building blocks, which account for more than 40 per cent of the private residential and composite buildings in Hong Kong. Please refer to the website of the PMSA (www.pmsahk.org.hk/en/index.html) for the name of the properties for which applications have been approved.
The application deadline of the ASPM has been extended to May 31. Eligible PM companies and owners’ organisations which have not applied are reminded to submit their applications to the PMSA as soon as practicable. For details on the ASPM, please contact the PMSA at 3696 1156 or 3696 1166, or visit the website of the PMSA.
The Transport Department (TD) said today (April 22) that in order to meet the travelling needs of candidates sitting for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE), which will start from April 24 (Friday), to examination centres within the same districts or in the vicinity, public transport operators will resume and strengthen public transport services, especially those in school areas during DSE period.
At the request of the TD, KMB will resume 18 bus routes serving school areas that were previously suspended. KMB will also resume the original service frequency of 53 major bus routes that serve the schools in the districts, and will strengthen the services as appropriate to meet the passenger demand. Citybus and New World First Bus will strengthen services of nine routes throughout the DSE period, and partially resume services of 13 routes on seven examination dates (April 24, 27 to 29, May 2 and 4 to 5).
New Lantao Bus will resume some departures of three routes and strengthen services of two local routes in Tung Chung on 14 examination dates (April 24, 25, 27, 28, May 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23 and 25).
Service details of the above were set out in the Annex.
For MTR, heavy rail services (except the Airport Express and Disneyland Resort Line) will be gradually enhanced starting from 6.15am to 6.30am during DSE period. It is expected that around 30 extra trips could be arranged during the morning peak period per day. For Light Rail and MTR buses, services serving school areas will also be strengthened.
For green minibuses, the TD has reminded the relevant operators to closely monitor the transport demand and strengthen service as appropriate throughout the DSE period, in particular at the time when candidates leave homes for the examination centres in the morning.
The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) will closely monitor the traffic situation and public transport services and maintain close liaison with major public transport operators and relevant government departments. ETCC will co-ordinate with the operators to adjust frequency flexibly and strengthen services when necessary.
The TD appeals to all candidates to familiarise themselves with the public transport routes to be taken to examination centres in advance and allow sufficient travelling time. read more
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (April 22) announced it is investigating a suspected case of poisoning related to the consumption of soup containing claimed “cicada flowers”, and appealed to members of the public not to buy or consume “cicada flowers” of uncertain authenticity.
The case involves three persons in a family, comprising two males and one female, aged 22 to 58. They consumed self-prepared soup containing claimed “cicada flowers” at home on April 18 and developed vertigo, nausea, palpitation and mild shortness of breath around two hours after consumption. They attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Tin Shui Wai Hospital and were transferred to Pok Oi Hospital for treatment on April 19. On the same day, the CHP received the notification of the incident and started an investigation immediately. All patients were in stable condition and have been discharged after treatment.
Their urine samples and unused samples of claimed “cicada flowers” have been sent for laboratory testing.
Initial investigations revealed that the claimed “cicada flowers” concerned were bought by a friend of one of the patients in the Mainland. The CHP’s investigations are ongoing.
“‘Cicada flowers’ are specific fungi which infected and grew in cicada nymphs. However, there are many species of fungus which may infect and grow in nymphs similar to cicada nymphs and some can cause gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms after consumption. If members of the public purchase ‘cicada flowers’, they should go to licensed shops with a good reputation and should not consume ‘cicada flowers’ of uncertain authenticity. If they feel unwell after consumption, they should seek advice from healthcare professionals immediately,” a spokesman for the CHP advised.
