The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced today (February 21) the provision of services to the members of the public as appropriate from February 24 to March 1 as follows:
 

 
     The above-mentioned offices will provide services during normal opening hours. For detailed opening hours of individual offices, please refer to the ImmD's official website or mobile application. Meanwhile, other ImmD offices, including all Smart Identity Card Replacement Centres, and other public services will be temporarily closed and suspended.
 
     Immigration control points, except for the arrangement made by the Government's separate announcement, will maintain normal operations. The 1868 hotline will continue to operate as normal to provide practicable assistance for Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong.
      
     The measures will be implemented tentatively until March 1 and will be reviewed according to the situation. Detailed arrangements will be announced in due course. Those who have made an appointment for immigration services may proceed to respective offices afterwards for relevant applications without the need for making a new appointment.
 
     For enquiries, please contact the ImmD by calling the enquiry hotline at 2824 6111 or by email to enquiry@immd.gov.hk.

     A 48-year-old male Police officer was preliminarily tested positive for the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) yesterday (February 20). The Police officer concerned lives in Yun Mei House of Yau Mei Court of the Disciplined Services Quarters in Yau Tong with his wife. He stationed at North Point Division and is currently responsible for anti-riot duties in the Eastern District.
      
     The officer has no travel history in the past 14 days and was on leave on February 17 and 18. On February 18, he felt unwell and attended a Chinese medicine clinic in Western District. On the next day (February 19), the officer visited a Government family clinic and was preliminarily tested positive for the COVID-19 on February 20.
      
     Police are highly concerned about the case and would fully co-operate with the Department of Health (DH) in tracing the pathology, by proactively providing information such as the duty record of the officer over the past 14 days.
      
     Acting upon DH’s professional advice, since the officer concerned started to develop symptoms on February 18, Police are actively tracing records of the officer’s work and daily activities over the past 14 days (from February 4 to February 18). The tracing will also cover locations frequented by the officer, to see if he had any contact with members of the public or participated in any private gathering etc.
      
     According to Police’s initial records, the officer mainly carried out his duties in Chai Wan, North Point and Aberdeen between February 4 and February 16.
      
     Meanwhile, in the evening of February 18, the officer attended a banquet with 59 Police officers in a restaurant in Western District.  According to DH’s professional advice, the 59 officers are considered as close contacts and need to undergo quarantine.
      
     Among these 59 close contacts, 36 of them were on duty in the Aberdeen Division in the evening of February 20. Upon learning of the incident, Police immediately suspended all the colleagues concerned from duty, in order to limit their contact with the public and allow them to wait for their quarantine arrangement at home.
      
     The other 23 officers who attended the banquet are attached to Commercial Crime Bureau and different districts on the Hong Kong Island. Police have contacted all concerned officers and asked them to avoid making contact with the public and stay at home to wait for quarantine arrangement. Police and DH are actively looking into the work of close contacts, including whether they have contact with the public.
      
     According to the professional advice of DH, anti-riot officers who stationed in Eastern District with the officer are not classified as persons in close contact at this stage. In the interest of public health, however, Police have immediately arranged concerned officers to stay at home for quarantine and avoid contact with members of the public. 
      
     According to the assessment of DH, citizens who came into contact with the officer concerned are not classified as persons in close contact.
      
     Following DH’s professional advice, Police will:

1. Fully co-operate with DH in providing assistance in carrying out quarantine measures for the 59 officers;
2. Conduct further investigation into the work of the confirmed officer over the past 14 days;
3. Sterilise all Police facilities, vehicles and quarters concerned by using 1:49 diluted bleach to clean public places and 75% alcohol to clean lifts and metallic surface;
4. Ensure frontline officers are given respective protective gear, and remind them to pay attention to personal hygiene when coming in touch with members of the public to lower the risk of disease transmission.
5. Remind officers to pay attention to physical health.  If feeling unwell, they need to consult a doctor and report the case
6. Assist in the medical and welfare matters of the confirmed officer; and
7. Deploy resources flexibly to ensure provision of emergency services of the relevant districts remain unaffected

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
 
     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Finance Committee (FC) will hold a meeting from 7pm to 9pm today (February 21) in Conference Room 1 of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, FC members will continue to deliberate on the proposal from the Government on setting up a fund in relation to measures concerning the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at noon today (February 21), public hospitals had reported to the Department of Health the admission of 24 patients (15 male and nine female, aged 16 to 86) in the past 24 hours who met the reporting criteria of COVID-19. Appropriate tests have been arranged for the patients.
 
     There are 94 patients under isolation currently. So far, six patients with the COVID-19 infection have been discharged upon recovery.
 
     The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.

The following press release is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
 
     In response to the Government's announcement that special work arrangements for government departments will be extended until March 1 to reduce social contacts and the risk of the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the community, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) announced today (February 21) that the following arrangements will be implemented to provide basic and limited services to members of the public:
 

• All Estate Management Offices (EMOs) of public housing estates will be open from 10am to 4pm on February 24 (Monday), February 26 (Wednesday) and February 28 (Friday) to provide limited general management services for public housing estates and handle cases with prior appointments. For enquiries outside the opening hours, residents may call the contact telephone numbers provided by the respective EMOs, and staff will render assistance as much as practicable. The EMOs' shroff offices will be open from 10am to noon on February 26 (Wednesday). Residents can also pay rent at more than 1,000 locations, such as 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;

• The Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Sales Unit and the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme Sales Unit in Kwun Tong will be temporarily closed until further notice. The following subsidised housing offices will provide limited services from 10am to 4pm on February 24 (Monday), February 26 (Wednesday) and February 28 (Friday):

        
        -The White Form Secondary Market Scheme Unit in the Lok Fu Customer Service Centre;
        -The HOS Secondary Market Scheme Unit in Lung Cheung Office Block, Wong Tai Sin; and
        -The Home Assistance Loan Unit in Lung Cheung Office Block, Wong Tai Sin;
 

•  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 from 10am to 4pm on February 24 (Monday), February 26 (Wednesday) and February 28 (Friday) to provide limited services in relation to matters involving application for public rental housing, clearance housing or redevelopment; and

• During the period, the Shroff Office on the Ground Floor of the HA Headquarters will provide limited services. All payment collection services (including premium payments by Subsidised Sale Flats Scheme owners to enable them to complete transactions of their flats) with the exception of rental payment collection will remain in operation.

 
     In addition, due to the current work arrangements, the HA may not be able to reply to public enquiries, requests or complaints in a timely manner.
 
     For enquiries, please call the HA hotline on 2712 2712.