The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) announced today (April 8) that, in light of the latest development of COVID-19 and to encourage the public to reduce social contact, the country park barbecue sites and campsites will continue to be closed until April 23 (11.59pm of Thursday night).

     There are currently 163 barbecue sites and 41 campsites under the management of the AFCD, and all of them have been closed since 6pm on March 28 until 6pm on April 11. In view of the latest development of the epidemic, the Department decided to extend the closure until April 23. Details of these sites are available in the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk). During the closure of the above facilities, no one should carry out barbecuing or camping activities in country parks. Staff of the AFCD will step up patrols of the sites concerned. Violation of relevant regulations will be subject to prosecution.

     The AFCD will continue to closely monitor the situation and review the above arrangement as appropriate. For enquiries, please call 1823. For the latest updates on the facilities in the country parks, members of the public can also visit the "Enjoy Hiking" website (www.hiking.gov.hk).

     The AFCD would like to remind visitors to country parks to ensure personal and environmental hygiene and maintain social distancing. Visitors should properly handle used masks and waste and take their litter home.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health has announced that as of 4pm today (April 8), the CHP was investigating 25 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, taking the number of cases to 961 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 960 confirmed cases and one probable case).
 
     The newly reported cases announced today involve 11 males and 14 females aged between two months and 71. Among them, 15 had travel history during the incubation period and four are overseas students. The CHP's epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. For case details and contact tracing information, please see the Annex.
 
     The CHP urged members of the public to maintain an appropriate social distance with other people as far as possible in their daily lives. In particular, they should go out less and avoid social activities such as meal gatherings or other gatherings to reduce the chance of contacting infected persons, who may not present any symptoms, and minimise the risk of outbreak clusters emerging in the community.
       
     A spokesman for the CHP said, "In view of the proliferation of the disease and continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.
 
     "The CHP also strongly urges the public to maintain at all times strict personal and environmental hygiene, which is key to personal protection against infection and prevention of the spread of the disease in the community. On a personal level, members of the public should wear a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, taking public transport or staying in crowded places. They should also perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes.
 
     "As for household environmental hygiene, members of the public are advised to maintain drainage pipes properly, regularly pour water into drain outlets (U-traps) and cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use. After using the toilet, they should put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs."
 
     The CHP will report the cases to the World Health Organization, the National Health Commission, the Health Commission of Guangdong Province, relevant health authorities and the Hospital Authority.
 
     The CHP has set up hotlines (2125 1111 and 2125 1122), which operate from 8am to midnight daily, for public enquiries. As at 4pm today, a total of 86 375 calls were received.
 
     Moreover, the Government has launched the website "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) for announcing the latest updates on various news on COVID-19 infection and health advice to help the public understand the latest updates.
 
     To prevent pneumonia and respiratory tract infection, members of the public should always maintain good personal and environmental hygiene. They are advised to:
 
• Wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes, after touching public installations such as handrails or door knobs, or when hands are contaminated by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing;
• Maintain drainage pipes properly and regularly (about once a week) pour about half a litre of water into each drain outlet (U-trap) to ensure environmental hygiene;
• Cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use;
• After using the toilet, put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water, and rub for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse with water and dry with a disposable paper towel. If hand washing facilities are not available, or when hands are not visibly soiled, performing hand hygiene with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub is an effective alternative;
• Cover your mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissues into a lidded rubbish bin, then wash hands thoroughly; and
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending class at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly.
 

     The Department of Health (DH) today (April 8) announced that two of the member companies of the Cyberport Startup Alumni Association, namely GoGo Tech Limited ("GOGOVAN") and HK PICK-UP LIMITED ("Pickupp") (hereafter "service providers"), will further extend its door-to-door specimen collection service for COVID-19 testing provided for Enhanced Laboratory Surveillance Programme of the DH's Centre for Health Protection (CHP).
 
     Starting from April 14, service providers will provide door-to-door specimen collection service for patients who have been arranged with COVID-19 testing by private doctors under the Enhanced Laboratory Surveillance Programme.
 
     The CHP will issue a letter to private doctors to provide details of the arrangement of the door-to-door specimen collection service.
      
     Patients who have been arranged with COVID-19 testing by private doctors are free to choose to use the service by contacting the service providers and making their own direct payment. Upon receipt of a request from the patients concerned, one of the two service providers will collect their specimen bottles from the address they provided (except outlying islands and other remote areas, for details please refer to websites provided below) and drop them off at either the 13 designated clinics under the DH or the Public Health Laboratory Centre of the DH. The service providers will directly contact the individual and charge the latter a fee of $100.
      
     For service subscriptions and enquiries related to the two companies, please refer to the information below:
 

 
     For more information about the service, please refer to the following link of the Cyberport Startup Alumni Association: www.csaa.com.hk/blog/door-to-door-specimen-collection-service-new.
      
     The DH also reminded members of the public that the 13 designated clinics under the DH will remain open from 9am to 11am during the Easter holidays. Patients who have been arranged with COVID-19 testing by private doctors; persons undergoing compulsory home quarantine under the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E); and persons who have been to Hubei Province in the past 14 days arriving via land boundary control points (Shenzhen Bay Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port) and are undergoing compulsory home quarantine, can still arrange to submit their deep throat saliva sample during the above period.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) announced a sentinel event today (April 8).
 
     A terminally ill female patient with lung cancer was admitted to an oncology ward of QMH on April 5 due to shortness of breath. Appropriate treatment was provided and the patient's condition as well as emotion were stable upon clinical assessment following her admission.
 
     A member of the ward staff served the patient at around 11.15pm on April 7. The patient was in a stable mood with no abnormality observed. After 15 minutes, the staff member approached the patient again and found her hanging on the lifting pole of the bed with a scarf around her neck. The staff member released the patient from the lifting pole and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation immediately. The patient's family members were also informed. Resuscitation was carried out but the patient was certified dead early this morning.
 
     QMH is deeply saddened by the incident and expresses deep condolences to the family members, and will offer necessary assistance. The Hospital is very concerned about the incident and has reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System. A root cause analysis panel will be set up to look into the incident. The investigation report will be submitted to the Head Office in eight weeks. The case has been referred to the coroner for follow-up.

The following is issued on behalf of the Executive Council Secretariat:
 
     The Non-official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo) today (April 8) issued the following statement:

     The Government has announced a package of measures to support individuals and businesses affected by COVID-19. The ExCo Non-official Members support the Government in putting forward these bold and prompt measures as a decisive response to the challenges that the coronavirus pandemic posed to the economy of Hong Kong.

     The ExCo Non-official Members note that the measures announced by the Government are all-encompassing in scope and unprecedented in scale and intensity. The measures include assistance to businesses from all sectors, programmes for retaining jobs, as well as relief measures for easing the financial burden of the public. These measures should alleviate the pandemic's effect on the economy and pave the way for economic recovery.

     Members also note that while the challenges currently faced by Hong Kong are immense, these challenges can be overcome so long as different sectors of the community and the Government can join hands and work in concert. To support the decision of the Chief Executive and her team in taking a pay cut and encourage different sectors of the community to show solidarity with the people, all ExCo Non-official Members will, further to the donation of one month's honorarium to charitable organisations in March this year, reduce their honorarium by ten percent for one year in response to the pay cut of the Chief Executive and her team.