A 56-year-old man was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for six weeks by the Shatin Magistrates' Courts today (June 17) 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 a restaurant inside a shopping arcade on March 28 upon receipt of report, he was found to have left the place of quarantine without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer before the expiry of the quarantine order. Further investigation revealed that the man had also left the place of quarantine on March 27. He was charged with two counts of contravening sections 8(1) and 8(5) of the Regulation. He was sentenced by the Shatin Magistrates' Courts today to immediate imprisonment for six weeks for each of the two charges, which are to run concurrently.
 
     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 a quarantine order is a criminal offence and that the Government will not tolerate such actions. As of today (June 17), a total of 20 persons have been convicted by the Court with imprisonment sentence up to three months or a fine of HK$10,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached a quarantine order.

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting was adjourned today (June 17) due to the lack of a quorum. The President of LegCo has, in accordance with Rules 17(6) and 14(4), decided to call a meeting tomorrow (June 18) at 9am to continue the unfinished business on the Agenda for the Council meeting of June 17, 2020.

     Police today (June 17) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Mong Kok.

     Wong Ka-hing, aged 68, went missing after he left his hostel on Ivy Street on June 15 morning. The staff of the hostel made a report to Police on the next day (June 16).

     He is about 1.72 metres tall, 70 kilograms in weight and of medium build. He has a round face with yellow complexion and short white hair. He was last seen wearing a pink short-sleeved T-shirt, grey shorts, black slippers and a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon West on 3661 8036 or 9020 6542 or email to rmpu-kw-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.
     

  

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (June 17) investigating two suspected food poisoning clusters affecting four persons, and reminded the public to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent food-borne diseases.
      
     The first cluster involved two females aged 43 and 52 respectively, who developed abdominal pain and diarrhoea about six to 39 hours after having dinner at a restaurant in Mong Kok on June 12.
      
     Another cluster involved one male and one female aged 25 and 26 respectively, who developed similar symptoms about 16 to 47 hours after having dinner at the same restaurant on June 14.
      
     Three of the affected persons sought medical advice and none required hospitalisation. All affected persons are in a stable condition. 
      
     "We have alerted the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to the incident and investigations are ongoing," a spokesman for the CHP said.
      
     To prevent food-borne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out:
 
• Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;
• Avoid eating raw seafood;
• Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters, at a buffet;
• Ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating during a hot pot or barbecue meal;
• Handle raw and cooked foods carefully and separate them completely during the cooking process;
• Use two sets of chopsticks and utensils to handle raw and cooked food;
• Do not patronise illegal food hawkers;
• Drink boiled water;
• Do not try to use salt, vinegar, wine and wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
• Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.

     Four women and a man were charged with contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts and the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (June 17). Three of the women were fined $20,000 to $40,000, while the other woman was fined $14,000 for two charges and also fined $300 for the period in which the offences continued, and the man was fined $4,000 and also fined $300 for the period in which the offence continued. 
           
     The courts heard that between August and November last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected five suspected unlicensed guesthouses on Castle Peak Road and Wah Yuen Drive in Kwai Chung, Portland Street in Mong Kok, Tai Nan Street in Sham Shui Po and Hoi Ting Road in Tai Kok Tsui. During the inspections, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in these guesthouses on a daily basis.
           
     According to the OLA's records, these guesthouses did not possess licences under the Ordinance on the days of inspection. The women and the man responsible for operating and managing the premises were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
           
     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and can lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.
                
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".