Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the Musicus Fest 2018 Opening Ceremony and Concert today (November 15):

Mrs Choi (Chairman of the Musicus Society, Mrs Janice Choi), Ms Lee (President and Development Chair of the Musicus Society, Ms Lee Chui-inn), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good evening. It gives me great pleasure to join you all at the opening concert of the Musicus Fest 2018.

     Since its foundation in 2010, the Musicus Society has played a commendable role as a facilitator of musical collaboration between celebrated international artists and promising local musicians. Over the years, the Society has brought us many memorable performances. Returning for its sixth edition, the Musicus Fest has established itself not only as a highly anticipated event in our cultural calendar, but also a wonderful occasion for musicians of different backgrounds to engage in cultural and artistic exchange as well as showcase their musical artistry.

     I am delighted to have witnessed Musicus Society's realisation of its mission by providing invaluable opportunities for local musicians to perform alongside world-renowned maestros. Through its acclaimed Heritage Community Concert Series, the Society reaches out to the public by bringing music directly into the community. And by organising on-campus programmes for students to enjoy classical music, the Society also contributes actively to music education in Hong Kong.

     Sharing the same vision with the Musicus Society, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to nurturing gifted local artists and promoting cross-cultural collaboration. In this year's Budget, we have set aside $20 billion to develop and expand our cultural facilities. Besides, we have injected an additional $500 million into the Art Development Matching Grants Scheme and have relaxed its matching parameters to encourage donations from the business and private sectors in support of the development of arts groups. We will also progressively increase the recurrent provision to support local arts groups and artists to take part in arts and cultural activities outside Hong Kong.

     However, to enable the arts and culture sector to thrive, the Government's efforts alone are never enough. I am very pleased to learn that the Musicus Society has formed close partnerships with its sponsors and patrons, and it is most encouraging to see that Hong Kong's cultural life has been enriched by the support from our generous corporate citizens. Their contributions to this annual event as well as the wider arts community are indeed indispensable and greatly appreciated.

     On this note, may I wish the Musicus Fest 2018 a phenomenal success and all of you a most enjoyable evening. Thank you.

     The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH) today (November 15) held the ground movement exercise of an exercise code-named "Onyx" at Wang Tau Hom Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHC) in Wong Tai Sin to assess the operability of the DH's contingency plan for poliomyelitis and the interoperability of relevant government departments and organisations against poliomyelitis.
 
     About 30 participants from relevant government departments took part in the exercise, which consisted of two parts. The first part was a table-top exercise conducted on November 1, in which relevant DH units and other government departments discussed and co-ordinated the communicable disease response measures required in a simulated scenario following the detection of a confirmed poliomyelitis case in Hong Kong.
 
     The second part, conducted today, was a ground movement exercise. Under the exercise simulation, an imported poliomyelitis case involving a Pakistani boy, who had just arrived in Hong Kong and had visited Wang Tau Hom MCHC after disease onset, was reported. The DH conducted immediate epidemiological investigations and contact tracing to identify contacts of the index case, and conducted disinfection of the MCHC. A health talk on infection control measures against poliomyelitis was arranged for contacts of the index case and vaccinations were provided for those indicated.
 
     "Poliomyelitis is caused by poliovirus and mainly affects young children. Most patients will recover, but in severe cases it can lead to permanent disability and death. Vaccination against the disease was introduced in Hong Kong in 1963, with the coverage rate of the vaccination among local children at more than 95 per cent for a long time. Hong Kong has been certified as polio-free by the World Health Organization since 2000," a spokesman for the DH said.
 
     "Nevertheless, since the disease still occurs in some countries, including Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, and given the busy population movement in Hong Kong and beyond, there is a risk of introduction of poliomyelitis to Hong Kong. Members of the public are reminded that vaccination is the most effective way of preventing the disease."
 
     The DH conducts public health exercises regularly to test and review the effectiveness of the Government's preparedness and response plans, as well as procedures to combat communicable diseases. The exercises can help identify areas for improvement and enhancement, as well as heighten the alertness of relevant stakeholders towards public health crises.
 
     "The exercise provided a valuable opportunity for relevant government departments to test and evaluate the response measures. We will continue to conduct interdepartmental exercises with government departments, organisations and stakeholders concerned in close partnership, with a view to enhancing Hong Kong's overall preparedness in the control and prevention of communicable diseases," the spokesman added.

      

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (November 15) signed a memorandum of co-operation (MOC) with the Hong Kong Green Building Council, the Building Services Operation and Maintenance Executives Society, the Macao Institution of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, the City Air-conditioning Energy Conservation and Control of Guangdong Project Technology Research Exploitation Center of the South China University of Technology, the Building Energy Conservation Research Center of Tsinghua University and the Shanghai Research Institute of Building Sciences at the "Co-creating a Smart Future" Symposium to promote the development and application of retro-commissioning (RCx) of buildings in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, also attended the ceremony to witness the signing of the MOC.
 
     Through conducting regular "health checkups" of a building's energy performance to identify areas of energy saving for operational improvement, RCx is a cost-effective solution for building owners to fine-tune their building systems and equipment with a view to achieving optimal operation efficiency and reducing operating costs.
 
     The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Alfred Sit, said that the MOC aimed to promote further collaboration between various organisations in the Greater Bay Area and other Mainland cities to adopt RCx as a new solution for achieving building energy efficiency through sharing of knowledge, experience and training. He also said he believed that this methodology could be promoted to other cities in the Mainland to achieve greater synergy in energy saving and emission reduction.
 
     The EMSD has all along been promoting RCx through various measures, which include publishing technical guidelines, organising seminars and sharing sessions, and setting up an online resource centre for information sharing. Meanwhile, the Government is also partnering with public bodies, such as the ACT-Shop Programme of the Hong Kong Green Building Council, and offering relevant hands-on training certification programmes for the industry to deepen professional knowledge on RCx.

  

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (November 15) that a public auction for stalls at the 2019 New Year Fair at Fong Ma Po, Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, will be held on November 29 (Thursday).
 
     A spokesman for the FEHD said the annual fair will be held for 15 days from February 5 to 19, 2019. The opening prices for the 22 dry goods stalls and six wet goods stalls are $1,300 and $1,290 respectively.
 
     The auction will begin at 9.30am at the Assembly Hall, 1/F, Tai Po Community Centre, 2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po. Dry goods stalls will be auctioned first, followed by wet goods stalls.
 
     Bidders must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily resident in Hong Kong.
    
     Anyone can bid for more than one stall. A bidder must pay the bid price and register in his or her own name as the licensee of the stall immediately after successfully bidding for a stall. The bidder is also required to sign at once a licence agreement with the FEHD, or will forfeit the rights to operate the stall.
 
     The spokesman said that successful bidders should comply with all the stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement. Otherwise, the department is entitled to terminate the agreement and the licensee shall immediately vacate the stall.
 
     For the conservation of the Wish-Making Trees, stall operators will not be allowed to sell placards tied to any heavy object (including fruit). The licence agreements of those who fail to comply with the requirement will be terminated.
 
     The fair site will be made available three days in advance for the setting up of stalls from February 2 to 4, 2019. However, no business shall be conducted on these three days.
 
     Stall licensees should not destroy, damage or abandon any unsold commodities at and in the vicinity of the stall. They shall completely remove the stall structure and all paraphernalia, together with all refuse, debris and unsold commodities (whether damaged or otherwise), from the licensed area before 6pm on February 19, 2019.
 
     For more information about the auction, please call the FEHD's Tai Po District Environmental Hygiene Office at 3183 9162 or 2657 1137. Details are also available on the FEHD website at www.fehd.gov.hk.
 

     The Transport Department (TD) today (November 15) reminded the public that special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented this Saturday (November 17) to facilitate the holding of a public procession on Hong Kong Island.

     The special traffic and transport arrangements mainly include:

* From about 2pm, traffic lanes of certain major roads in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Admiralty and Central including Yee Wo Street, Hennessy Road, Queensway and Harcourt Road will be intermittently closed to all vehicular traffic, until the crowd is dispersed and the traffic returns to normal; and 

* From about 2pm, 58 bus routes and nine green minibus routes on Hong Kong Island will be temporarily diverted in phases, until the crowd is dispersed and the traffic returns to normal.

     The TD anticipates that the traffic in the vicinity of Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Admiralty and Central will be significantly congested. Motorists are advised to avoid driving to the affected areas. In case of traffic congestion, they should exercise tolerance and patience, and follow the instructions of the Police. Members of the public who plan to go to the affected areas are advised to plan their routes early, allow more travelling time to cater for unexpected delay, and use public transport services as far as possible. Public transport commuters are advised to pay attention to the arrangements of route diversion and changes of stop locations.

     Depending on the actual traffic conditions in the areas, other temporary traffic and transport measures, including road closures and traffic diversion as well as alteration and suspension of public transport services, may be implemented by the Police. Members of the public are advised to be alert to the latest traffic news on radio and television.

     Details of the special traffic and transport arrangements are now available on the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call 1823.