The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     Exchange Fund Bills tender results:
 

 
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     Hong Kong Monetary Authority tenders to be held in the week beginning August 3, 2020:
 

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 is 106.5 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).

     Hongkong Post today (July 28) announced that postal services to the destinations listed below will resume from July 29 as airlines gradually scale up their air traffic capacity and some postal administrations have resumed acceptance of overseas mail. Notwithstanding this, local postal operations are still under the influence of the pandemic and delays in mail delivery are expected.
 

 
     Members of the public may visit the web page at www.hongkongpost.hk/en/about_us/whats_new/notices/index_id_958.html to refer to the service types currently available for overseas destinations.

     The first meeting of the Assessment Committee for the Funding Scheme to Support Transitional Housing Projects by Non-government Organisations, chaired by the Under Secretary for Transport and Housing, was convened via video conferencing this morning (July 28). 
 
     The Assessment Committee agreed to subsidise the following transitional housing programmes:
 
(i) Transitional housing development at Kong Ha Wai, Kam Tin, Yuen Long, by Pok Oi Hospital. With total funding of $1,098.9 million, it is expected to provide about 1,998 units;
 
(ii) Transitional housing development at junction of Chatham Road North and Hok Yuen Street, Hung Hom, by St James' Settlement. With a total funding of $16.15 million, it is expected to provide about 38 units; and
 
(iii) Transitional housing development at Yip Shing Street, Kwai Chung, by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. With total funding of $60.886 million, it is expected to provide about 116 units.

     In view of severity of the COVID-19 epidemic, a spokesman for the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) today (July 28) appealed to households again to participate in its surveys, including the Pilot Survey for 2021 Population Census and the General Household Survey (GHS), by online questionnaire or telephone interview in order to reduce face-to-face contacts.
 
     The C&SD is conducting the Pilot Survey for 2021 Population Census from June 23 to August 4 to test the questionnaire design and operational arrangements for the 2021 Population Census to be conducted in mid-2021. The spokesman said, "Completing the online questionnaire is convenient and secure. It enables households to submit the requested information anytime and anywhere through the dedicated and secured website using their computers or mobile devices."
 
     The GHS is conducted continuously on a monthly basis to collect information on the labour force, employment, unemployment and underemployment, as well as the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population in Hong Kong.
 
     Households sampled for a C&SD survey will receive notification letters issued by the department. Households can follow the instructions in the letters to complete the online questionnaire, call the C&SD for telephone interview or return the completed paper questionnaire by post (where applicable).
 
     For enquiries, please contact the C&SD by telephone or email: