Author Archives: hksar gov

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations: Yellow fire danger warning      The fire danger situation today (May 1) is yellow and the risk of fire is high. People are urged to prevent fires breaking out and hikers s… read more

     The Government’s financial assistance of $25 million to PMQ, under the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund (AEF), will be used for waiving rentals and fees payable by PMQ tenants from today (May 1) until the end of 2020.
      
     “Tenants of PMQ have been suffering from unprecedented pressure in recent months amidst the COVID-19 epidemic, which led to cancellation of multiple creative events and a sharp decrease in the number of visitors. The financial assistance will help to relieve the business pressures of PMQ tenants during this challenging time,” a spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said.
  
     During the said period, rentals and fees payable by creative industries-related tenants, which make up the vast majority of PMQ’s tenants, will be waived in full, and those payable by other tenants will be reduced by 75 per cent. A total of 107 tenants will stand to benefit.
      
     The Government has also rendered support to the cinemas under the AEF by providing a one-off subsidy of $100,000 per screen to each cinema licensed as a place of public entertainment with commercial operation in March 2020. The maximum subsidy for a cinema circuit is $3 million. As at the application deadline on April 30, Create Hong Kong has received and finished processing applications from all eligible cinema operators (operating a total of 59 cinemas). Funding will be disbursed in the next two weeks. read more

     Police today (April 30) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Cheung Sha Wan.      Kwong Wai-keung, aged 61, went missing after he left his elderly home on Un Chau … read more

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced today (April 30) that except for its Smart Identity Card Replacement Centres (SIDCCs) service and passenger immigration clearance service, the Department will resume full public services next Monday (May 4).

     To avoid large gatherings of people, the ImmD appeals to applicants who are not required to visit its offices in-person for applications, they should submit their applications by post, by drop-in, online or by using the mobile application. Members of the public who have appointments previously may proceed to relevant offices/registries without the need of making another appointment. To shorten the waiting time for services, those without appointments should make one prior to their visit.

     In view of the situation of the novel coronavirus infection, the services of nine SIDCCs had been suspended earlier. Around 640,000 persons could not replace their Hong Kong identity cards (HKIC) during their specified periods, and around 90,000 persons are awaiting to collect their new HKICs. To arrange those affected persons to apply for and collect HKICs in an orderly manner, the SIDCCs will first provide HKIC collection service and arrange those applicants born in 1957 to 1961 who had made appointments before to have their HKICs replaced upon service resumption. Other applicants are advised to make appointment for replacement of their HKICs if they have not done so before. 

     The ImmD is planning to revise the designated periods of replacement for HKIC holders born in 1957 to 1963 and 1970 to 1976. Details will be announced later. For enquiries regarding identity cards, please call 3521 6565 during working hours.

     In addition, according to the existing arrangements by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, except for the Hong Kong International Airport, Shenzhen Bay and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Points, passenger immigration clearance services in other immigration control points will remain suspended until further notice. Besides, the operating hours of the passenger clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Points have been adjusted as follows with effect from April 3 and April 5 respectively until further notice:

     Shenzhen Bay Control Point:

• Operating hours of all passenger clearance services have been adjusted to 10am to 8pm daily while the operating hours for cargo clearance will remain unchanged (i.e. from 6.30 am to midnight daily).

     Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point:

• Operating hours of the Passenger Clearance Building (i.e. for passengers crossing the boundary by cross-boundary coaches and shuttle buses) have been adjusted to 10am to 8pm daily; and
• Operating hours of the clearance for private cars have been adjusted to 6am to 10pm daily while the operating hours for cargo clearance will remain operating 24 hours daily.

     For detailed opening hours of individual offices, please refer to the ImmD’s official website or mobile application. For other enquiries, please contact the ImmD by calling the enquiry hotline at 2824 6111 or by email to enquiry@immd.gov.hk. read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (April 30) investigating a case of human infection of rat Hepatitis E virus (HEV) and urged members of the public to be vigilant against hepatitis E infection and to strictly observe good personal, food and environmental hygiene.
 
     The case involves a 61-year-old male. He was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital for management due to underlying illnesses on April 7 and was found to have a deranged liver function on April 12. His condition has improved and he was transferred to Tung Wah Hospital for rehabilitation yesterday (April 29). The patient’s blood sample tested positive for rat HEV upon laboratory testing.
 
     The CHP’s epidemiological investigations revealed that the patient resided in Southern District. According to his home contacts, no rodents or their excreta were noticed in their residence. The patient had no travel history during the incubation period and his home contacts have remained asymptomatic so far.
 
     “Based on the available epidemiological information, the source and the route of infection could not be determined. The CHP’s investigation is ongoing,” a spokesman for the CHP said.
 
     “The CHP has already informed the Pest Control Advisory Section of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department about the case to carry out rodent control measures and a survey as appropriate,” the spokesman added.
 
     The exact mode of transmission of rat HEV to humans is unknown at the moment. Possible routes of transmission include ingestion of food or water contaminated by rodents or their excreta, exposure to environments or objects contaminated by rodents or their excreta and direct contact with rodents or their excreta. The usual HEV causing human infection is transmitted mainly through the faecal-oral route.
 
     To prevent hepatitis E infection, members of the public should maintain good personal, food and environmental hygiene. For example, they should wash hands thoroughly before eating, store food properly or in the refrigerator, not leave food at room temperature for a long time, and use 1:99 diluted household bleach for general household cleaning and disinfection as household detergent may not be able to kill HEV. High-risk individuals, such as elderly persons with a major underlying illness (especially those who have undergone organ transplantation), pregnant women, patients with chronic liver disease and patients with Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency (also known as G6PD Deficiency), who are infected with HEV may develop a serious illness, so they should exercise extra caution.
 
     The Five Keys to Food Safety should be adopted when handling food, i.e. Choose (choose safe raw materials), Clean (keep hands and utensils clean), Separate (separate raw and cooked food), Cook (cook thoroughly) and Safe Temperature (keep food at a safe temperature), to prevent food-borne diseases.
 

• Drink only boiled water from the mains or bottled drinks from reliable sources.
• Avoid drinks with ice of unknown origin.
• Purchase fresh food from hygienic and reliable sources. Do not patronise illegal hawkers.
• Clean and wash food thoroughly. Cook food, especially seafood (e.g. shellfish), pork and pig offal, thoroughly before consumption. Avoid raw food or undercooked food.
• Slice raw meat and offal into thin strips to allow thorough cooking, especially during hotpot or congee cooking.
• For sliced pig liver, depending on the thickness and quantity, boil at 100 degrees Celsius or stir-fry in hot skillet/wok for at least three to five minutes.
• Heating to an internal temperature of 90 degrees Celsius for 90 seconds is required for cooking of molluscan shellfish. If possible, remove the shells before cooking as they impede heat penetration. Otherwise, boil at 100 degrees Celsius until their shells open; boil for a further three to five minutes afterwards. Discard any shellfish that do not open during cooking.
• For meat and offal, make sure that juices are clear, not red, and blood is not visible when you cut the cooked meat and offal.
• When having hotpot, use separate chopsticks and utensils for handling raw and cooked foods to prevent cross-contamination.

     In general, rodents (such as rats) can transmit multiple diseases to humans directly and indirectly. The public are advised to adopt the following measures:
 

• Eliminate sources of food and nesting places for rodents in the living environment. Store food in covered containers and handle pet food properly to avoid it becoming food for rodents;
• Store all refuse and food remnants in dustbins with well-fitted covers. Dustbins must be emptied at least once a day;
• Keep premises, especially refuse rooms and stairways, clean. Avoid accumulation of articles;
• Inspect all flower beds and pavements for rodent infestation regularly; and
• Avoid the high-risk activities below to reduce rodent contact:
  – Avoid rodent contact and places dirtied with rodent excreta;
  – Avoid handling rodents with bare hands;
  – Wash hands with liquid soap and water immediately after handling animals, and disinfect contaminated areas; and
  – If a wound appears, clean the broken skin immediately and cover it properly with waterproof adhesive dressings. 

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