Author Archives: hksar gov

     In response to a call by a group for holding a so-called strike and class boycott as a referendum to oppose the Decision by the National People’s Congress (NPC) on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security, a spokesman for the HKSAR Government today (June 7) strongly condemned the call and appealed to the public for their full understanding and staunch support for legislation of the national security law in Hong Kong.

     The spokesman said that Hong Kong is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China. It is a local administrative region that comes directly under the Central People’s Government and enjoys a high degree of autonomy. Safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the constitutional requirement of the HKSAR, the duty of the HKSAR Government, and is also in the interest of all Hong Kong residents. The constitutionality, lawfulness and reasonableness of formulating at the national level the legal framework for national security for HKSAR is beyond doubt.

     The law for the HKSAR to safeguard national security, to be introduced by the Standing Committee of the NPC as authorised under the Decision, targets four types of activities or acts that seriously jeopardise national security, namely secession, subversion, organising and carrying out terrorist activities as well as interference in the HKSAR’s affairs by foreign and external forces. Such laws target the very small minority of people who participate in acts or activities which seriously undermine national security. They will not affect the legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by the vast majority of Hong Kong residents under the law, including freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of demonstration and of procession. Moreover, the national security law will better maintain safety and stability in society and ensure that Hong Kong becomes a safer and more stable city, making it conducive to maintaining a favourable environment for business and investment. All relevant law enforcement will be conducted strictly in accordance with the law as well as statutory powers and procedures.

     Since last year, some people have been advocating openly for “Hong Kong independence”, “self-determination” and “referendum”, participating in acts of secession or activities which clearly undermine national unity, challenge the Basic Law and “one country, two systems”. Such acts and activities not only undermine the rule of law and order in Hong Kong, but also jeopardise national sovereignty, security and development interests. Furthermore, some organisations have continuously incited students and the young to perform illegal acts. Many young people have thus been arrested and jailed, with their future seriously affected.

     “The Basic Law and Hong Kong’s legal system do not provide for any ‘referendum’ mechanism. Conducting any form of a so-called ‘referendum’ will have no constitutional basis or legal effect. Holding a strike and a class boycott as a referendum is obviously taking advantage of students for political purposes,” the spokesman stressed.

     “All of society should dissociate themselves from any organisation, which has repeatedly through different means used school as a venue for expressing political demands and even intentionally misleading or inciting students, especially primary and secondary school students, to take part in such meaningless activities and holding so-called strikes or class boycotts as a referendum. We call on parents and teachers to better protect our next generation, to urge the young children and students not to participate in such activities and work together in preventing politics and fallacies from invading schools.”

     The spokesman stressed that the HKSAR Government firmly supports and fully co-operates in implementing work relating to the Decision passed by the NPC. No person or organisation will succeed in intimidating the HKSAR Government by extreme means. read more

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    As the Landslip Warning has been cancelled, the Home Affairs Department’s Emergency Co-ordination Centre and the emergency hotline 2572 8427 have ceased to operate. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      As at noon today (June 7), one COVID-19 confirmed patient (case number: 1055) was discharged from hospital in the past 24 hours. So far, a total of 1 049 pati… read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) has announced that as of 4pm today (June 7), the CHP was investigating an additional confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), taking the number of cases to 1 107 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 1 106 confirmed cases and one probable case).

     The newly reported case announced today involve a 25-year-old woman who had a travel history during the incubation period. The CHP’s epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed case are ongoing. For case details and contact tracing information, please see the Annex.
 
     Meanwhile, the CHP has been proactively conducting epidemiological investigations and carrying out preventive control measures in regard to the cluster in Luk Chuen House, Lek Yuen Estate, Sha Tin. As of 4pm today, 1 382 deep throat saliva samples had been collected in Luk Chuen House, among which 9 samples need to be collected again owing to leakage, while 1 373 samples have had testing for COVID-19 completed. Except for the four confirmed cases announced on June 2 with positive results, other samples have tested negative.
 
     The CHP is also following up with the residents in Luk Chuen House who have not yet returned their deep throat saliva samples. As of 4pm today, the CHP, with assistance from the police, had got in touch with residents of one more unit and ascertained that they had moved out from Luk Chuen House before April. There are still three units of relevant residents that the CHP cannot get in touch with. The CHP strongly appeals to them to contact the CHP personnel according to the medical test order issued and return their samples to the CHP as soon as possible for early testing.
 
     Meanwhile, as of 4pm today, the CHP had collected and tested 2 109 samples for Luen Yuet House, Kwai Luen Estate, with no positive results.

     The CHP again urged members of the public to maintain an appropriate social distance with other people as far as possible in their daily lives to minimise the risk of infection. In particular, they should go out less and avoid social activities such as meal gatherings or other gatherings to reduce the chance of contacting infected persons who may not present any symptoms, and minimise the risk of outbreak clusters emerging in the community.
 
     A spokesman for the CHP said, “Given that the situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.

     “The CHP also strongly urges the public to maintain at all times strict personal and environmental hygiene, which is key to personal protection against infection and prevention of the spread of the disease in the community. On a personal level, members of the public should wear a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, taking public transport or staying in crowded places. They should also perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

     “As for household environmental hygiene, members of the public are advised to maintain drainage pipes properly, regularly pour water into drain outlets (U-traps) and cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use. After using the toilet, they should put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs.”
 
     Moreover, the Government has launched the website “COVID-19 Thematic Website” (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) for announcing the latest updates on various news on COVID-19 infection and health advice to help the public understand the latest updates. Members of the public may also gain access to information via the COVID-19 WhatsApp Helpline launched by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. Simply by saving 9617 1823 in their phone contacts or clicking the link wa.me/85296171823?text=hi, they will be able to obtain information on COVID-19 as well as the “StayHomeSafe” mobile app and wristband via WhatsApp. 

     To prevent pneumonia and respiratory tract infection, members of the public should always maintain good personal and environmental hygiene. They are advised to:
 
• Wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes, after touching public installations such as handrails or doorknobs, or when hands are contaminated by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing;
• Maintain drainage pipes properly and regularly (about once a week) pour about half a litre of water into each drain outlet (U-trap) to ensure environmental hygiene;
• Cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use;
• After using the toilet, put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water, and rub for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse with water and dry with a disposable paper towel. If hand washing facilities are not available, or when hands are not visibly soiled, performing hand hygiene with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub is an effective alternative;
• Cover your mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissues into a lidded rubbish bin, then wash hands thoroughly; and
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending class at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly. read more

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will hold a webinar tomorrow afternoon (June 8) to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the Basic Law. The webinar will review the historical background and successful implementation of the Basic Law so that the public would have a deeper understanding of the essence of the “one country, two systems” principle.
      
     Article 1 of the Basic Law states that the HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China. It is the constitutional duty of the HKSAR as part of China to safeguard national security. The National People’s Congress passed on May 28 the Decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security. The webinar will discuss the importance of the Decision in safeguarding our country’s sovereignty, security and development interests, protecting the long-term prosperity of Hong Kong and ensuring the robustness of “one country, two systems”.
      
     The webinar comprises two parts, i.e. keynote addresses and a dialogue session. The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will first address the webinar, followed by the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Zhang Xiaoming, and the Vice-Chairperson of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee under the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (BLC), Mr Zhang Yong, who will deliver keynote speeches on the Basic Law, “one country, two systems” and national security. 
      
     There will also be a dialogue session at the webinar, to be moderated by the BLC Vice-Chairperson Ms Maria Tam. She will host a discussion on the historical background and implementation of the Basic Law with the first Secretary for Justice Ms Elsie Leung and Professor Albert Chen from the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong.
      
     The webinar will be broadcast online from 3pm to 6pm tomorrow. Members of the public can watch it online at webcast.info.gov.hk or log on to the Facebook page of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) (www.facebook.com/cmab.gov.hk). To revisit the webinar, please visit CMAB’s webpage (www.cmab.gov.hk/en/issues/basic.htm). read more