The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
On consideration of the latest situation of the novel coronavirus infection, the Chairman of the Legislative Council Finance Committee has decided to cancel the meeting originally scheduled from 8.45am to 12.45pm and from 2.30pm to 7pm tomorrow (January 31).
Police are investigating a murder case in Aberdeen in the small hours of today (January 30) in which a 54-year-old woman died.
At about 3.30am today, Police received a report from a 56-year-old man that his 54-year-old wife collapsed inside a unit on Lee Man Road.
Police officers sped to the scene and found the 54-year-old woman lying unconsciously on a bed with a basin of burnt charcoal next to her. She was rushed to Queen Mary Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 4.18am.
Initial investigation revealed that the 56-year-old man placed a basin of charcoal inside his wife’s bedroom. The 56-year-old man has been arrested for murder and is being detained for further enquiries.
Post-mortem examinations will be conducted later to ascertain the cause of death of the deceased.
Investigation by the District Crime Squad of Western District is underway.
A man who went missing in Kwai Chung has been located.
Cheung wai-kin, aged 41, went missing after he was last seen in his residence at Kwai Fong Estate on September 15 last year. His family made a report to Police on January 2 this year.
The man turned up at Kwai Chung Police Station to cancel the missing person report yesterday night (January 29). He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.
In response to rumours circulating on the Internet and mobile instant messaging applications, claiming that the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres and Home Affairs Department (HAD) will distribute masks to all members of the public in Hong Kong, a HAD spokesperson clarified today (January 30) that the claims are totally unfounded and appealed to the public to stay vigilant and not hastily believe in rumours.
The Labour Department (LD) today (January 30) appeals to employers to provide necessary personal protective equipment like surgical masks to front-line staff and those in need in order to reduce the risk of the spread of novel coronavirus in the community.
For persons travelling from Hubei Province and now in Hong Kong, Department of Health (DH) requires them, if asymptomatic, to wear a surgical mask and continue to do so until 14 days after departing the Mainland, and self-isolate for 14 days as far as possible. If having a fever or other symptoms, they should immediately seek medical advice from the nearest hospital's Accident and Emergency Department, and inform the doctor of the travel history to Hubei Province.
Those returning from other parts of the Mainland are advised to stay home for 14 days upon their return as far as possible. Those who need to go out should wear a surgical mask. Employers should give due consideration to the circumstances of individual employees and make flexible work arrangements. This will help maintain good labour-management relations and protect the health of all the employees.
For Hong Kong residents and travellers who had been to Hubei Province in the past 14 days but had returned to or entered Hong Kong earlier, they should call the DH’s hotline (2125 1122) for health advice.
If an employee is required or ordered by a Health Officer to be put under medical surveillance or quarantine, he will be issued a medical certificate with the statement of "under medical surveillance". The employer would need to grant that employee sick leave in accordance with the requirements under the Employment Ordinance or the relevant employment contract. For enquiry on employment rights and benefits, please call the LD's 24-hour enquiry hotline at 2717 1771 (the hotline is manned by “1823”).