In view of the implementation of special work arrangement for government departments since January 29 as a measure to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 in the community, the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) announced today (February 25) that the issue dates of nine regular press releases on statistical data scheduled for March will be revised.
 
     The revised issue dates are around one to two weeks later than the original scheduled dates.  The original and revised issue dates of the affected press releases are set out in Table 1.
 
     As for the other regular press releases on statistical data scheduled for March, which are listed in Table 2, the issue dates will remain unchanged.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     During the winter surge, the Hospital Authority is closely monitoring the service demand of Accident and Emergency Departments and the occupancy rates in public hospitals. Key service statistics are being issued daily for public information. Details are in the appended table.

     Following the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s announcement yesterday (February 24) on the Red Outbound Travel Alert issued on Korea and restriction imposed on non-Hong Kong residents arriving from Korea from entering Hong Kong with effect from 6am today (February 25), the Department of Health (DH) has immediately strengthened port health and quarantine measures on inbound travellers arriving from Korea. The measures are implemented in response to the latest situation of COVID-19 in Korea. 

     Starting from 6am today, the DH’s Port Health Division will issue quarantine orders under the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A) to Hong Kong residents returning to Hong Kong who have been to Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do in Korea in the past 14 days and arrange them to stay in quarantine centre for quarantine. Hong Kong residents returning from other cities and provinces of Korea will be required to undergo medical surveillance for 14 days. 

     Regardless of whether they are Hong Kong residents, people arriving Hong Kong from Korea last night and until 6am today are required to undergo medical surveillance for 14 days. A notification of medical surveillance will be issued to those who have been to Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do in Korea in the past 14 days and are required to comply with the conditions specified in the notification. 

     The Port Health Division has also deployed extra manpower to conduct additional temperature screening for travellers arriving from Korea at the Hong Kong International Airport by using handheld infrared thermometers. Travellers arriving from Korea who are found to have fever or upper respiratory infection symptoms upon arrival will be sent to the hospital for isolation and treatment.

     In view of the latest situation of COVID-19 in Korea, the DH’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has further revised relevant reporting criteria to enhance surveillance of suspected cases. Medical practitioners are requested to report to the CHP any individual fulfilling the following for further investigation:
– Presented with fever or acute respiratory illness or pneumonia; and
– Either one of the following conditions within 14 days before onset of symptom:
1. With travel history to Mainland China or Korea; or
2. Had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

     The CHP has issued letters to doctors and private hospitals to inform them of the revised reporting criteria.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, and the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, at the media session at the Central Government Offices tonight (February 24):

Reporter: I would like to ask why it takes so long for the Wuhan flights to be arranged? What made the task possible now? Where will the people coming back from Hubei be sent? Do we have enough quarantine facilities? On Korea, the ban is to include those who visited Korea in the past 14 days. How will the government check who has returned from Korea in the past 14 days?
 
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: Upon receipt of the assistance cases, we have been discussing with the relevant departments and public health experts to map out a feasible and safe plan to take Hong Kong people stranded in Hubei back to Hong Kong as early as possible. But we have to deal with it very carefully so as to minimise the public health risks. We must also have some conditions fulfilled before we could start the operation, including whether we have sufficient quarantine facilities. As you may recall, we lacked sufficient quarantine facilities at the early stage. The situation is now slightly better. I think we have places to accommodate those returnees.
 
     Secondly, we have to take into account the epidemic situations in the Mainland as well as in Hong Kong. To transfer a group of people from one place to another involves pretty much public health risk and we have to assess it very carefully.
 
     Thirdly, since all local transport (in Hubei) is basically locked down, if we have to arrange all those Hong Kong people to go to the airport and take the chartered flight back, we need the support and assistance of the Hubei Provincial Government and the local governments. We need to discuss with them the detailed arrangements and also their readiness, because we all know that at present, they are also facing a very serious epidemic situation and they have been doing their very best in achieving progress.
 
     So we have to take into account all these factors. In the meantime, of course we have discussed with the relevant government departments and health experts to map out a plan. Now is the right time that we can take it forward and discuss with the Hubei Provincial Government on the detailed arrangements so that we can kick start the operation of arranging chartered flights to take Hong Kong people stranded in Hubei back to Hong Kong in batches.
 
Secretary for Food and Health: On how to identify those people who are coming from Korea, whether they are from Korea as or whether they are coming from Daegu or Gyeongsangbuk-do, we are working very closely with colleagues from the Immigration Department, so that they will identify these people for us. Then, these people (for the two areas) will be approached by the Port Health Office colleagues for health assessment as well as put them on medical surveillance. For the rest, they will be put on medical surveillance. This is the arrangement for tonight. As far as tomorrow is concerned, those Hong Kong residents who are coming from the two areas will be given quarantine order and they will undergo compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine centre. The rest, who are not coming from those two areas, will be put under medical surveillance.
 
Secretary for Security: Let me add that there are two new measures that we have introduced in view of the situation in Korea. First of all, we have issued a red travel warning (Red Outbound Travel Alert) in regard to visit to Korea. This is first of all to let Hong Kong people think really carefully whether the visit to Korea is avoidable. Try not to go, right? Unless it is really necessary. That will reduce, first of all, the number of Hong Kong people who may be returning to Hong Kong after visiting Korea. That will reduce the number of people who need to be examined carefully at the airport. And this measure is for the benefit of people who are planning to visit Korea and also for Hong Kong people at large because they will be in some way interacting with the people who have visited Korea. 

     The second thing is the Immigration Department will be examining visitors who arrive at Hong Kong since the new quarantine order, i.e. to ascertain whether the visitors have ever been to the Mainland within the last 14 days, so that the examination has taken place. And now we will extend that examination to cover whether the visitors have been to Korea in the last 14 days.

     One thing I have to remind people is that anybody who provides wrong or misleading information to the Immigration Officers or in the course of the Port Health (personnel) examining them, they are likely to commit an offence against the public health relevant legislation. Besides, there is a general provision under the Immigration Ordinance that anybody who provides false or misleading information to an Immigration Officer, that is an offence liable to imprisonment up to 14 years, so it is a very serious offence. And I wish to reiterate that the measure that we are introducing is for the benefit of the visitors themselves and also for the benefit of Hong Kong people at large. So, understand the consequences and appreciate the need that we need to introduce the measure. 
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) 

     To support the property management (PM) sector in anti-epidemic efforts, the Government has established the "Anti-epidemic Support Scheme for Property Management Sector" (ASPM) under the "Anti-epidemic Fund". The Home Affairs Department (HAD) issued today (February 24) the application form to the property management sector.
 
     The objective of the ASPM is to provide financial support to frontline PM workers (i.e. cleansing and security workers) in private residential and composite (i.e. commercial cum residential) buildings, with a view to improving their personal protection and environmental hygiene, and giving recognition to their services. The ASPM will also alleviate the additional costs arising from heightened cleansing efforts and the burden on the residents.
 
     The ASPM will provide the following support for the private residential and composite buildings:
 
(a)     "Anti-epidemic Hardship Allowance" – to subsidise eligible PM companies (PMCs)/owners' organisations (OOs) to give each frontline PM worker a monthly "Anti-epidemic Hardship Allowance" of $1,000 for four months (February to May 2020), subject to a cap of six headcounts per eligible building block.  The cap of a property is the sum of the headcounts of the eligible building blocks therein; and
 
(b)     "Anti-epidemic Cleansing Subsidy" – eligible PMCs/OOs will be given a lump sum "Anti-epidemic Cleansing Subsidy" of $2,000 for every eligible building block. The total subsidy for a property is  the sum of the subsidy for the eligible building blocks therein.
 
     The ASPM is expected to benefit over 200 000 frontline PM workers serving around 33 000 residential and composite building blocks (involving around 800 PMCs and/or 10 000 OOs) .
 
     The HAD will commission the Property Management Services Authority to implement the ASPM. Interested parties may refer to the dedicated website of HAD (www.had.gov.hk/en/pmsa/index.htm) for the application form and the introduction of the ASPM. The application form applicable to OOs and other updates of the ASPM will also be uploaded soon.