Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, welcomed the passage of the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2019 (the Amendment Bill) by the Legislative Council today (July 9). The Amendment Bill will increase statutory maternity leave from 10 weeks to 14 weeks, which will support and encourage working women to adopt breastfeeding for a longer period of time and thus improve the health and development of their children.
 
     Professor Chan said, “Breastfeeding brings immediate and long-term benefits to both mothers and babies. The World Health Organization recommends exclusively breastfeeding babies up to about 6 months of age and gradually introducing appropriate solid food while continuing breastfeeding until 2 years old or beyond. Such benefits from breastfeeding are proportional to duration and exclusiveness.”
 
     The Government has all along endeavoured to promote, protect and support breastfeeding. In 2014, the Food and Health Bureau set up a Committee on Promotion of Breastfeeding, chaired by the Under Secretary for Food and Health, to provide specific recommendations on strategies and action plans to strengthen the promotion, protection and support for breastfeeding. Its objective is to enhance the sustainability of breastfeeding and promote breastfeeding as a norm for baby care widely accepted by the general public. 
 
     The Department of Health (DH) will continue to promote and protect breastfeeding through a multi-pronged approach, including strengthening publicity and education on breastfeeding; encouraging the adoption of the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace policy to support working mothers to continue breastfeeding after returning to work; encouraging public places to become Breastfeeding Friendly Premises so that the breastfeeding mothers can breastfeed their children or express milk anytime; imposing a mandatory requirement for the provision of babycare rooms and lactation rooms in the sale conditions of government land sale sites for new commercial premises; promulgating guidelines on the provision of baby care rooms and lactation rooms in suitable new government premises; implementing the voluntary Hong Kong Code of Marketing of Formula Milk and Related Products, and Food Products for Infants & Young Children; and strengthening surveillance on the local breastfeeding situation.
 
     More information is available at the DH’s Family Health Service designated webpage on breastfeeding (www.fhs.gov.hk/english/breastfeeding/). read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      Regarding an earlier announcement on Candida auris carrier cases in Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), the spokesperson for Kowloon West Cluster (KWC) gave the foll… read more

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, visited the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC) and the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) today (July 9) to learn about the implementation of various anti-epidemic measures by the Leis… read more

     An 86-year-old man was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for five days by the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today (July 9) for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap 599C).

     The man was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that he must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. When the Police were deployed at the scene on March 26 upon receipt of a report, he was found to have left the place of quarantine several times on the same day without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer before the expiry of the quarantine order. He was charged with contravening sections 8(1) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today to immediate imprisonment for five days. 
 
     Pursuant to the Regulation, 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 March 19, all persons arriving from countries or territories outside China would also be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months. The Department of Health (DH) solemnly reminds persons under quarantine to comply with the statutory requirements and conduct quarantine for 14 days.

     A spokesman for the DH said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching the Regulation is a criminal offence and that the Government will not tolerate such actions. As of today, a total of 30 persons have been convicted by the courts with imprisonment sentences of up to three months or a fine of $10,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached the Regulation. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      As at noon today (July 9), nine COVID-19 confirmed patients (case numbers: 1084, 1176, 1184, 1186, 1188, 1193, 1194, 1227 and 1248) were discharged from hospital i… read more