Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     The Hong Kong Observatory has issued the Very Hot Weather Warning.

     To prevent heat stroke, avoid prolonged activities outdoors.

     If engaged in outdoor work or activities, wear a wide-brimmed hat and light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes. Stay in shaded areas as much as possible.

     Drink plenty of water, and avoid beverages containing caffeine or alcohol.

     If you feel sick, consult a doctor right away.

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) has been informed by the three flag day organisers that the regional flag-selling activities in public places scheduled to be held today (July 18) have been cancelled, a spokesman for the SWD said.
 
     The three charities are Children's Thalassaemia Foundation, Hong Kong Rehabilitation Power and Sai Kung District Community Centre Limited. They had been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and in the New Territories from 7am to 12.30pm today.

     For enquiries, please contact the organisations concerned. Contact information of the organisations is as follows:
 

 
     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permit have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search/). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_flagdays/) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.
 
     If any flag day activity is suspected to be fraudulent, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

     In view of the development and severity of the COVID-19 epidemic situation in Hong Kong, the Government announced today (July 18) that it had gazetted the specifications under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to impose conditions based on public health grounds on travellers who has visited specified high risk places within 14 days before arrival in Hong Kong, in order to further reduce the number of imported cases.

     The Government is very concerned about the considerable number of imported cases. New cases recorded during the period from June 20 to July 17 include 234 imported cases. 

     A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said, "As the epidemic situation evolves and develops, taking into account the limited capacities of our quarantine and isolation facilities, the Government needs to implement measures to prevent imported cases. To this end, having regard to the latest public health risk assessment, we consider it necessary to impose conditions on travellers coming to Hong Kong from high risk places to reduce the health risk they may bring to Hong Kong."

     Specification by the Secretary for Food and Health

     A traveller who, on the day on which the traveller boarded a civil aviation aircraft that arrives at, or is about to arrive at Hong Kong (specified aircraft), or during the 14 days before that day, has stayed in any specified place (i.e. Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa), must provide the following documents:
     (1) a letter or certificate in English or Chinese issued by a laboratory or healthcare institution bearing the name and identity card or passport number of the relevant traveller to show that:
     (a) the relevant traveller underwent a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 the sample for which was taken from the relevant traveller within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the specified aircraft;
     (b) the test conducted on the sample is a nucleic acid test for COVID-19; and
     (c) the result of the test is that the relevant traveller was tested negative for COVID-19;
     (2) the original of the report for the test issued by the laboratory or healthcare institution bearing the name and identity card or passport number of the relevant traveller;
     (3) a letter in English or Chinese issued by the relevant authority of the government of the place in which the laboratory or healthcare institution is located certifying that the laboratory or healthcare institution is recognised or approved by the government; and
     (4) the relevant traveller has confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 14 days starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

     The operator of the specified aircraft should submit to the Department of Health (DH) before the specified aircraft arrives at Hong Kong a document in a form specified by the DH confirming that each relevant traveller has, before being checked-in for the flight to Hong Kong on the aircraft, produced for boarding on the aircraft the above documents.

     The relevant specifications will come into effect at 0.00am on July 25, 2020, and will remain effective until further notice. In addition, a person who is in transit in Hong Kong, and a person exempted by the Chief Secretary for Administration from compulsory quarantine under section 4(1) of either the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) or Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E) will not be affected.

     If any conditions specified by the Secretary for Food and Health is not met in relation to any relevant traveller on the conveyance, each of the operators of the conveyance commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to the maximum penalty of a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months. If an operator fails to comply with a requirement to provide information, or knowingly or recklessly provides any information that is false or misleading in a material particular, he or she is liable on conviction to the maximum penalty of a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     As for travellers, if a traveller coming to Hong Kong fails to comply with a requirement to provide information, or knowingly or recklessly provides any information that is false or misleading in a material particular, he or she is liable on conviction to the maximum penalty of a fine at level 3 ($10,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     Travellers to Hong Kong should note that they will be mandated to wait for their test results at a designated location after their deep throat saliva samples are collected for conducting testing for COVID-19 at the DH's Temporary Specimen Collection Centre pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599).

     If their test results are negative, they will be allowed to go to the hotel for which they made the reservation to continue the 14-day compulsory quarantine until completion. If their results are positive, the travellers will be transferred to hospital for isolation and treatment.

     The Government will continue to monitor closely the situation including the development of the epidemic situation both globally and locally and changes in the volume of cross-boundary passenger traffic, and will not hesitate to adopt further measures if necessary.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at a media session at the Legislative Council Complex yesterday (July 17):
 
Reporter: Secretary, the UK President of the Supreme Court has just issued a statement, where I quote "Whether judges of the Supreme Court can continue to serve as judges in Hong Kong will depend on whether such service remains compatible with judicial independence and the rule of law." Do you have any plans to revisit the National Security Law, the rules of appointment of judges and how do you respond to the prospects of judges dropping out from serving as the non-permanent judges of the court appointment?
 
Chief Secretary for Administration: Hong Kong's judicial independence is enshrined in the Basic Law and is something which we will preserve and we value greatly. I don't think there should be any ground for concern about the appointment of judges, and I don't think there will be any change in the judicial system in the long, long time to come. It's all enshrined and protected under the Basic Law. In fact, one of the cardinal principles in designing and drawing up the National Security Law is to preserve Hong Kong's core values and to ensure that 'one country, two systems' will progress steadily and smoothly in the years ahead.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, welcomed the passage of the Insurance (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2020 by the Legislative Council today (July 17).
 
     The Ordinance seeks to amend the Insurance Ordinance (Cap. 41) to enhance the regulatory framework for the regulation and supervision of insurance groups where a holding company for the group is incorporated in Hong Kong.
 
     Mr Hui said that the Ordinance would help align Hong Kong's insurance regulatory regime with international standards and practices, reinforce Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre and establish Hong Kong as a preferred base for large insurance groups in Asia Pacific. 
  
     Going forward, the Government and the Insurance Authority will proceed with the next stage of preparatory work, including formulation of implementation details and drafting of subsidiary legislation. The target is to commence the group-wide supervisory regime by end 2020 or early 2021.