The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
 
     As at noon today (February 8), public hospitals had reported to the Department of Health the admission of 44 patients (26 male and 18 female, aged 10 months to 78) in the past 24 hours who met the reporting criteria of severe respiratory disease associated with a novel infectious agent. Specimens of the patients concerned have been sent for testing. There are still 81 patients under isolation.
 
     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.
 

     In response to the developments in controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus epidemic, a Government spokesman today (February 8) urged all sectors to step up efforts in reducing social contacts and appealed to the public to stay at home as far as possible.

     The spokesman said that in order to safeguard public health, social distancing is of paramount importance to prevent the further spread of the epidemic. The Government has urged all statutory and advisory bodies, including all District Councils, to cancel activities and meetings in the coming two weeks. District Offices will not provide venues and secretarial service for convening meetings.

     Various cultural, sports and district activities have also been cancelled. About 3 000 programmes have been cancelled due to the closure of all performing venues under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the West Kowloon Cultural District. Public libraries, museums and sports facilities have been temporarily closed already.

     The spokesman urged the general public to comply with the measures that the Government rolled out earlier to reduce the risk of the spread of the virus in the community.

     To align with the extension of the special work arrangements for government departments until February 16 as announced by the Government yesterday (February 7) with a view to further reducing the risk of the spread of the novel coronavirus in the community, a Buildings Department (BD) spokesman announced today (February 8) that the BD will continue to provide emergency services and other essential services as well as basic and limited-scale public services between next Monday (February 10) and February 16. The services will be concentrated on public reports on building safety and unauthorised building works in progress, statutory submissions for new developments received, registration of building professionals and contractors, advisory services for licensing authorities and implementation of Operation Building Bright 2.0.  
     
     For specified forms and supporting documents required to be submitted under the Minor Works Control System, the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme and the Mandatory Window Inspection Scheme, as well as applications for registration and renewal of registration of building professionals and contractors under the Buildings Ordinance, members of the public can place them in the drop-in box located at G/F, Buildings Department Headquarters, North Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, during the period from 10am to 4pm from Monday to Friday. The department will issue receipts/acknowledgements of submissions in due course. However, the handling times of the above services may be longer than usual. In addition, the tender/quotation box located at the ground floor of the Buildings Department Headquarters will be open for receiving tender/quotation documents during the period from 9.30am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday.
     
     The Building Information Centre and all receipt counters, dispatch counters, general enquiry counters and meeting rooms of the BD will not be open to the public until further notice. All appointments, meetings (except meetings essential to meet statutory requirements such as Minor Works Contractor Registration Committee meetings) and inspections scheduled for the period will be rescheduled to later dates and the individuals concerned will be notified in due course.
 
     Emergency reports can be made on 1823. For general enquiries and reports, members of the public may call 1823 or inform the department by email, online reporting, fax or post.

Email: enquiry@bd.gov.hk
Electronic Reporting Form: eform.one.gov.hk/form/bd0001/en/
Submission of Electronic Information: receipt@bd.gov.hk
Mailing address: G/F, Buildings Department Headquarters, North Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon
Fax: 2537 4992

     Given that home quarantine may bring inconvenience to the people affected, the Home Affairs Department (HAD) and the District Offices have set up 37 telephone hotlines since the home quarantine arrangement for people returning to Hong Kong from Hubei was implemented by the Government on February 4. Details are set out as follows:
 
     The District Offices have taken the initiative to contact some 200 Hong Kong residents who are required to stay at home for quarantine due to their return from Hubei, explaining to them the quarantine arrangements and providing support for them with relevant departments. Most of the residents contacted said they did not have any problem or special needs.
 
     As of 6am today (February 8), the HAD and the District Offices had recorded nine cases requesting assistance, including the supply of food and daily necessities, social worker counselling support services and other assistance.
 
HAD provides hotline services for people staying on World Dream cruise ship
 
     The 37 hotlines are also providing assistance to people on the cruise ship who are in need. As of 7am today, the HAD had received though the hotlines 47 requests, which were mainly requests by family members for arrangements to provide medicines and other resources to people on board as well as requests relating to catering on board. These requests have already been referred to relevant departments for follow-up. The District Offices, together with other departments, will continue to provide assistance to residents staying on board.
 
District Offices provide hotline services for Hong Kong residents returning from Mainland since February 8, 2020
 
     The arrangement of 14-day home quarantine for Hong Kong residents returning from the Mainland has been implemented since midnight of February 8. As of 6am today, the HAD had recorded two cases seeking assistance for food and daily necessities respectively. The HAD will closely monitor the situation and further strengthen the services if necessary.
 
District Office hotlines:

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 to reduce social contacts and the risk of the spread of novel coronavirus in the community, the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) announced today (February 8) that the following arrangements will be implemented until February 16 tentatively to provide basic and limited services to members of the public; 
  

• All the Estate Management Offices (EMOs) of public housing estates will be open from 10am until 1pm on February 10 (Monday), February 12 (Wednesday) and February 14 (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 far as practicable. The operating hours of the EMOs’ shroff offices will also be adjusted. They will be open only between 10am and noon on February 12 (Wednesday). Residents can 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 White Form Secondary Market Scheme (WSM) Unit in the Lok Fu Customer Service Centre and the Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme Sales Unit in Kwun Tong will be temporarily closed until further notice. The HOS Secondary Market Scheme (SMS) Unit in Lung Cheung Office Block, Wong Tai Sin, will provide limited services from 10am to 1pm on February 10 (Monday) and February 11 (Tuesday) in relation to applications for the Letter of Nomination under the SMS and the WSM. The Home Assistance Loan Unit in Lung Cheung Office Block, Wong Tai Sin, will provide limited services from 10am to 5pm on February 13 (Thursday) and February 14 (Friday) in relation to matters under the Home Assistance Loan Scheme and the Home Purchase Loan Scheme;

• All public rental housing application offices including the Lok Fu Customer Service Centre Office and the Sham Shui Po Housing Information Centre will be closed until further notice. All detailed vetting interviews, as well as flat selection under the Territory-wide Overcrowding Relief Exercise and the Living Space Improvement Transfer Scheme will also be suspended until further notice;

• The Clearance Housing Office and the Redevelopment Sub-section offices (Pak Tin and Mei Tung) as well as the Public Housing Resources Management Sub-section will also be closed until further notice;

• Specific closing times for tenders received through the Tender Boxes on the Ground Floor of the HA Headquarters Building at 33 Fat Kwong Street, Ho Man Tin, and all other HA offices on or before January 31 and February 7, 2020, will be extended to the same designated time on February 14 (Friday); and

• During the period, the Shroff Office on the Ground Floor of HA Headquarters will provide limited services. All payment collection services (including premium payment 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 time. 

     For enquiries, please call the HA hotline on 2712 2712.