The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat: The Legislative Council Subcommittee on Air Pollution Control (Vehicle Design Standards) (Emission) (Amendment) Regulation 2020 has not been for… read more
The Development Bureau said today (May 18) that in accordance with the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2020, the Government has launched the mechanism for enterprises with provision of construction-related professional services (see Note) in the Mainland to apply for exemption from the compulsory quarantine arrangement. The corresponding departments, including the Architectural Services Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Planning Department and the Lands Department, have started processing applications.
Currently, travellers to the Mainland would still be subject to the 14-day compulsory quarantine requirement imposed by the Mainland authorities. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is discussing with the relevant authorities in the Mainland on mutual recognition of COVID-19 testing results conducted by recognised medical laboratories, with a view to exempting the quarantine requirement for Hong Kong travellers to these places. Details of the arrangement will be announced when available.
The Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2020 commenced on April 29 this year, amending the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) (amended Regulation). The expiry date of the amended Regulation has been extended to June 7 this year. In accordance with the newly added section 4(1)(b) in the amended Regulation, the Chief Secretary for Administration may designate any person or category of persons for exemption from the compulsory quarantine arrangement if he is satisfied that the person’s or persons’ travelling is necessary for purposes relating to manufacturing operations, business activities or the provision of professional services in the interest of Hong Kong’s economic development.
In accordance with the above-mentioned provision, the Chief Secretary for Administration has exempted the following categories of “Construction Personnel for Provision of Professional Services in the Mainland” from the compulsory quarantine arrangement with effect from May 13 this year:
(a) either the owner of an enterprise with a valid business registration certificate issued under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) and with provision of construction-related professional services in the Mainland, and up to one person employed and so authorised by the enterprise; or
(b) up to two persons employed and so authorised by such an enterprise as described in (a).
An exempted person must only travel to and stay in the city/area where the construction-related professional services are provided for the purpose of provision of the intended construction-related professional services as approved, and must take every precautionary measure to ensure personal hygiene and avoid unnecessary social contact. After returning to Hong Kong, the exempted person will be subject to medical surveillance arranged by the Department of Health for a period of 14 days. The person will be required to wear masks and check body temperature daily, and report to the Department of Health on any discomfort.
Details of the exemption arrangement and the application form are in Annex 1 and Annex 2 respectively. The application form can be downloaded from the website of the Development Bureau (www.devb.gov.hk/en/public_forms/index.html).
Eligible enterprises should submit the completed application form with all required supporting documents to the corresponding departments by email as listed below.
| Processing department | Professional services | Enquiries | |
| Architectural Services Department | Architectural, landscape architectural, structural engineering or quantity surveying services | wongcfw@archsd.gov.hk | 2867 3577 |
| Civil Engineering and Development Department | Civil or geotechnical engineering services | quarantine_exemption@cedd.gov.hk | 2762 5460 |
| Electrical and Mechanical Services Department | Electrical, mechanical, building services or electronic engineering services | exempt@emsd.gov.hk | 2333 3762 |
| Planning Department | Town planning services | enquire@pland.gov.hk | 2231 5000 |
| Lands Department | Surveying services (other than quantity surveying services) | 599Cexemption@landsd.gov.hk | 2231 3187 |
The Department of Health (DH) today (May 18) appealed to the public not to buy or use two topical products named Zangyao Xuanduwang and Qi Du Zang Wang Gao as they were found to contain undeclared controlled drug ingredients.
Acting upon a public complaint, the DH purchased samples of the above two products for analysis. Test results from the Government Laboratory revealed that the product samples contained undeclared Part 1 poisons under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (PPO) (Cap 138):
| Product name | Part 1 poisons found | |
| 1. | Zangyao Xuanduwang | Clobetasol propionate, miconazole and ketoconazole |
| 2. | Qi Du Zang Wang Gao | Miconazole and ketoconazole |
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat: The Legislative Council House Committee held a meeting today (May 18) and Ms Starry Lee was elected as the Chairman for the 2019-2020 … read more
The Government today (May 18) announced the re-appointment of Mr Ashley Alder as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). The re-appointment is for a term of three years, from October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2023.
The appointment was approved by the Chief Executive under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571).
Mr Alder has been appointed as the CEO of the SFC since October 1, 2011, and played a pivotal role in leading the SFC in setting strategic direction and establishing it as a fair, effective and robust regulator amidst a fast-changing and challenging financial landscape both locally and globally. His able leadership and vision led the SFC to accomplish notable achievements through a range of policy and operational reforms that are crucial to enhancing market quality whilst encouraging market development to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as a premier international financial centre.
The Government is pleased that Mr Alder has accepted its invitation to continue to lead the work of the SFC and facilitate market development in his new term. With the outbreak of COVID-19, the local, regional and global financial markets have been facing unprecedented challenges, volatility and uncertainties. Continuity of leadership at the SFC would significantly boost the confidence of international and local investors about Hong Kong’s financial markets and be tremendously beneficial to financial stability.
Profile of Mr Ashley Alder
Aged 60, Mr Alder attained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London in 1982 and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Master of Laws degree in 1983. He worked for the SFC as its Executive Director (Corporate Finance) from 2001 to 2004. Mr Alder has assumed the position of CEO of the SFC since October 1, 2011, prior to which he was a partner and Head of Asia of Herbert Smith. He is currently Chair of the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions. read more