The disease has caused a significant impact on the local economy in the past two months. Various sectors have been hard hit, and the public has been challenged to get through these difficult times. To show that the governing team are fighting the disease and riding out the difficult times with the public, the Chief Executive and all politically appointed officials (including Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux, the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, under secretaries and political assistants) will donate one month's remuneration to the Community Chest of Hong Kong for charity purposes.
 
     The Non-official Members of the Executive Council have also unanimously agreed to donate one month's honorarium to the charity.
 
     The governing team appeals to the public to be united to win the battle against the disease. The governing team will spare no efforts in implementing relief measures under the Anti-epidemic Fund and the 2020-21 Budget so that Hong Kong can ride out the difficult times as soon as possible and regain momentum in going forward.

The following press release is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:

     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) announced today (February 28) that public services of the HA will resume near-normal starting from March 2(Monday). Measures will be implemented to reduce the risk of infection and the spread of the virus. These measures include controlling the flow of people and queuing order where necessary (e.g. having regard to physical constraints of the HA premises), and requiring visitors to undergo body temperature checks and wear masks. The arrangements are as follows:
 

• All public estate management offices under HA will resume normal services to five days a week between Monday and Friday, opening from 10am to 5pm, from March 2.The service hours of the estate management offices' shroff offices will be adjusted according to the situation of individual estates. For details, please pay attention to the notice posted by the estate office. Residents can pay rent at more than 1 000 locations, such as designated convenience stores and supermarkets. They may also make payments via the Payment by Phone Service (PPS). For details, please browse the following website: www.housingauthority.gov.hk/tc/public-housing/rent-related-matters/rent-payment-methods/index.html;
• Most recreation and community facilities will continue to be closed and all large-scale activities will be suspended;
• All public rental housing application offices (including the Lok Fu Customer Service Centre Office and the Sham Shui Po Housing Information Centre), the Clearance Housing Office and the Redevelopment Sub-section Offices (Pak Tin and Mei Tung) will be open and resume to provide services five days a week between Monday and Friday from March 2 (Monday). Except for Lok Fu Customer Service Centre Office which will be open from 8am to 5pm, other offices will be open from 10am to 5pm.The Lok Fu Customer Service Centre Office will provide limited services by issuing service tickets;
• All subsidised housing offices will be open from 10am to 5pm and resume to provide services five days a week between Monday and Friday from March 2 (Monday), including the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Sales Unit and the White Form Secondary Market Scheme Unit in the Lok Fu Customer Service Centre, the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme Sales Unit in Kwun Tong, the HOS Secondary Market Scheme Unit and the Home Assistance Loan Unit in Lung Cheung Office Block, Wong Tai Sin;
• Moreover, flat selection sessions of Sale of Home Ownership Scheme Flats 2019 will resume on a limited scale from March 2.The number of flat selection sessions per day as well as the number of people invited to those sessions will be suitably adjusted. Flat selection days next week are on March 2, 4 and 6 . There will be two flat selection sessions each day, commencing from 10am and 2.30pm respectively.We have issued flat selection notification letters by batches to the concerned HOS applicants.For enquiries, please contact Housing Authority Sales Hotline: 2712 8000;
• The shroff office on the Ground Floor of the HA Headquarters will resume all normal services from March 2.

     The Department of Justice announced today (February 28) that the public services provided by the department will resume as normal from March 2 with the implementation of targeted measures to reduce social contact and for infection control. The opening hours of the reception counters of the Prosecutions Division and Civil Division, as well as the shroff office of the Civil Division are as follows:

* Reception counters

Prosecutions Division – 12/F, West Wing, Justice Place, 18 Lower Albert Road, Central
Monday to Friday: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm

Civil Division – 6/F, East Wing, Justice Place, 18 Lower Albert Road, Central
Monday to Friday: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm

* Shroff office

Civil Division – 8/F, West Wing, Justice Place, 18 Lower Albert Road, Central
Monday to Friday: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.30pm

     In order to reduce the risk of the spread of the COVID-19, a body temperature check has been arranged for all persons, including staff and visitors, entering the Justice Place through any of its entrances. Anyone found to have fever will be advised to refrain from entering the Justice Place. Body temperature measurements may need to be taken more than once when commuting within the premises.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson of Kwai Chung Hospital made the following announcement today (February 28):
 
     Four patients (aged 10 to 16) of a child and adolescent ward were tested positive to Community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus between November 9, 2019 and February 24, 2020. One of the patients is still being hospitalised under medical surveillance and isolation with stable condition. The rest of them have been discharged.
 
     The hospital has enhanced surveillance and contact tracing for all patients involved. Infection control measures have already been stepped up in accordance with the prevailing guidelines.
 
     The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.

     To align with the work arrangement announced by the Government yesterday, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (February 28) that it will implement targeted measures to reduce social contact and infection control measures and gradually resume more public services from next Monday (March 2) in an orderly manner. These services mainly include handling of public reports on building safety and unauthorised building works, critical statutory submissions for new building works, registration of building professionals and contractors, advisory services for licensing authorities, and the implementation of the Mandatory Building and Window Inspection Schemes and the Operation Building Bright 2.0. In this connection, the handling time of the services may still be longer than usual.    
 
     The Building Information Centre at 2/F and the Receipt and Enquiry Counters at the ground floor of the BD Headquarters at North Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon will be reopened between 10am to 4pm from Monday to Friday to provide services. The services will include inspection and copying services for private building records, receipt of documents and handling of enquiries from members of the public. There will be limits on the number of customers to be served in order to reduce social contact. In addition, a drop-in box and a tender/quotation box will be provided at G/F of the BD Headquarters from 9.30am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday to supplement the counter services.  
 
     Based on experience gained in the past two weeks, the Receipt and Dispatch Counter services at the office of the BD’s New Buildings Divisions on 7/F, 14 Taikoo Wan Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong (NBDs Office) will be enhanced.  Thus, the drop-in counter located at NBDs Office will be open from 9am to 2.30pm, for receiving statutory submissions and related documents and forms for new building works on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and for the applicants to collect the processed plans and related documents on Tuesday or Thursday by appointment.
 
     The meeting rooms (except for meetings essential to meet statutory requirements such as Minor Works Contractors Registration Committee meetings) and interview rooms in the BD’s offices will remain closed to the public until further notice.
 
    ​ The department appeals to the public to minimise visiting the BD’s offices in person unless they genuinely require BD public services urgently. The public can call 1823 to make emergency reports. For general enquiries and other reports, they may call 1823 or inform the department by email (enquiry@bd.gov.hk), online reporting (eform.one.gov.hk/form/bd0001/en), fax (2537 4992) or post (North Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon). In addition, electronic information can be submitted to the BD via receipt@bd.gov.hk.