Details of the meetings of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and its Committees to be held in the LegCo Complex during the week from July 6 to 10 are available in the meeting schedule attached.

     The information in the meeting schedule is subject to change. Please refer to the "LegCo Calendar" on the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk) for the latest details of meetings.

     Members of the public can watch or listen to the meetings via the "Webcast" system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meetings at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats.

     The Home Affairs Bureau today (July 3) announced the results of applications for the ninth-round funding exercise of the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme. A total of 13 successful applications for Project Grants will be funded to a total amount of around $38.47 million.
 
     A total of 69 applications were received for the ninth-round funding exercise. The successful applications are of a high standard and feature a diverse representation across genres covering music, dance, theatre, visual arts, arts education/appreciation/promotion, community arts and multi-disciplinary arts.
 
     The successful applicants (in alphabetical order) are as follows:
 

 
Note: The award of grants is subject to the successful applicants' signing of funding agreements with the Government.
 
     Introduced in 2011, the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme of the Home Affairs Bureau is administered on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Arts Development. Members of the Committee take part in the assessment of applications together with the Expert Advisers. The funding scheme aims to provide funding support for innovative and impactful proposals that contribute to the objectives of capacity development, programme/content development, audience building and arts education. It also seeks to provide an avenue of support for large scale and cross-year arts and cultural initiatives/activities so as to enhance capacity development for promising arts groups and arts practitioners as well as to encourage the community and the private sector to support and sponsor the arts.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at noon today (July 3), five COVID-19 confirmed patients (case numbers: 1112, 1145, 1154, 1167 and 1174) were discharged from hospital in the past 24 hours. So far, a total of 1,125 patients with confirmed or probable infection have been discharged.
 
     At present, there are 602 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1,170 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 111 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in eight hospitals, among which one patient is in critical condition (case number: 595), and the remaining 110 patients are in stable condition.
 
     In addition, the Hospital Authority (HA)'s current stockpile of personal protective equipment comprises 30 million surgical masks, 2.6 million surgical respirators, 5.1 million protective gowns and 8.3 million face shields, adequate for almost around three months of consumption.
 
     The HA will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) made the following announcement today (July 3):
     
     A 41-year-old male patient was admitted to the Medicine and Geriatrics (M&G) ward of PMH on June 23. The hospital arranged an admission screening for the patient. His screening specimen was confirmed to carry Candida auris, without signs of infection. In accordance with the prevailing guideline, PMH has commenced contact tracing for patients who have had close contact with the index patient. One more 86-year-old male M&G patient who stayed in the same M&G ward was confirmed to carry Candida auris without signs of infection. The two patients are now being treated under isolation and the patients are clinically stable.
 
     The hospital has reported the cases to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection (CHP). The following enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted:
     

1. Thorough cleansing and disinfection of the wards concerned;
2. Enhanced patient and environmental screening procedures; and
3. Application of stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene of staff and patients.

     The hospital will continue to closely monitor the situation of the patients as well as follow up the cases with concerned departments and the CHP.

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) concluded the first round of this year's anti-rodent operation in designated target areas in all districts on June 26. During the operation, the FEHD collected 626 dead rodents, caught 620 rodents in traps and took out 69 prosecutions. The operation effectively enhanced the rodent prevention and control work at the district level.
      
     An FEHD spokesman said today (July 3), "The FEHD launched the eight-week anti-rodent operation in designated target areas on May 4, with multi-pronged strategies including improving environmental hygiene and stepping up rodent disinfestation and enforcement actions to carry out targeted rodent prevention and control work in the districts. In the past eight weeks, the FEHD strengthened rodent control work at problematic spots such as rear lanes, refuse collection points, markets, hawker bazaars, cooked food markets, peripheral areas of construction sites, etc. The department placed poisonous baits at 9 271 locations, placed 19 333 traps and destroyed 221 rat holes, with 626 dead rodents collected and 620 rodents caught in traps.
      
     "Apart from strengthening rodent control work, FEHD staff also enhanced street cleaning services and cleaning of public markets and hawker bazaars in the target areas including sweeping and washing of streets and rear lanes, and clearing of refuse and waste on the streets, in public markets and hawker bazaars so as to keep the environment clean.
      
     "In addition, the FEHD stepped up inspections of markets, hawker bazaars, cooked food markets and food premises. Enforcement actions especially against premises causing poor environmental hygiene conditions, food preparation and scullery at rear lanes, and improper storage of articles and illegal dumping of refuse were strengthened. The FEHD conducted 16 540 inspections and issued 1 849 health advisories, 1 694 verbal warnings, two warning letters, 940 fixed penalty notices and took out 69 prosecutions in the past eight weeks."
      
     The FEHD also stepped up public education and publicity, and arranged 110 health promotion and publicity activities for building management companies of private buildings, persons-in-charge of food premises and market and hawker stall operators to provide information and technical advice on rodent prevention and control.
      
     The spokesman said that the FEHD will continue its efforts in rodent prevention and control. With the commencement of the second phase of the territory-wide anti-rodent campaign starting from July 6, which will last for 10 weeks, he called on all sectors of the community to continue to participate in the campaign and eliminate the three fundamental survival conditions of rodents in their daily life, namely food, harbourage and passages, i.e. the elimination of the food sources and hiding places of rodents as well as blockage of their dispersal routes so as to work together to combat the rodent problem.