Tag Archives: China

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, this afternoon (October 22) visited Tai Po District, where he met with members of the Tai Po District Council (TPDC), called at a hospital and inspected land development in the district. 
       
     Accompanied by the Chairman of the TPDC, Mr Cheung Hok-ming; the Vice Chairman of the TPDC, Ms Wong Pik-kiu; and the Acting District Officer (Tai Po), Ms Iris Lee, Mr Chan first inspected the land development of Lai Chi Shan, Tai Po.
      
     He then visited Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and listened to an introduction by the Hospital Chief Executive, Dr Man Chi-yin. Mr Chan visited the joint replacement centre and a combined heat and power (CHP) plant of the hospital. Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital is the first public hospital in Hong Kong to feature a CHP plant. It utilises landfill gas to fuel its combined heat and power generating system, which then supplies electricity to run the hospital’s central air-conditioning system. Simultaneously, the waste heat from the generator’s cooling and exhaust is captured and converted via a heat exchanger and a waste heat boiler respectively into clean hot water and steam used for showering, sterilising medical equipment, cooking and laundry washing. The CHP plant can reduce the hospital’s annual carbon emissions by as much as 2 000 tonnes, accounting for 12 per cent of the hospital’s total carbon emissions, which helps to improve air quality and protect the environment.
       
     Mr Chan said that the Government will continue its endeavours to improve the environment and combat climate change. He has set aside $800 million in this year’s Budget to further promote the installation of renewable energy facilities at government buildings, venues and community facilities. The Government will also enhance tax concessions for capital expenditure incurred by enterprises in procuring eligible energy efficient building installations and renewable energy devices.
      
     Before concluding the visit, Mr Chan met with members of the TPDC to exchange views on various livelihood and development issues of the district.

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     The Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulation 2017 (Commencement) Notice 2018 was gazetted today (October 22).        The Secretary for Transport and Housing (STH) h… read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (October 22) reported two suspected cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places of visit. The cases are detailed below:
 

Sex	Male	Male
Age	9	18 months
Affected area involved	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
High-risk exposure	Camel ride	Nil
Hospital	Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital	Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Condition	Stable	Stable
MERS-Coronavirus preliminary test result	Negative	Negative

     “Travellers to the Middle East should avoid going to farms, barns or markets with camels; avoid contact with sick persons and animals, especially camels, birds or poultry; and avoid unnecessary visits to healthcare facilities. We strongly advise travel agents organising tours to the Middle East to abstain from arranging camel rides and activities involving direct contact with camels, which are known risk factors for acquiring MERS Coronavirus (MERS-CoV),” a spokesman for the CHP said.    

     Locally, the CHP’s surveillance with public and private hospitals, with practising doctors and at boundary control points is firmly in place. Inbound travellers and members of the public who recently visited the Middle East and developed fever or lower respiratory symptoms within 14 days will be classified as suspected MERS cases. They will be taken to public hospitals for isolation and management until their specimens test negative for MERS-CoV.

     Travellers to affected areas should maintain vigilance, adopt appropriate health precautions and take heed of personal, food and environmental hygiene. The public may visit the MERS pages of the CHP and its Travel Health Service, MERS statistics in affected areas, the CHP’s Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and the World Health Organization’s latest news for more information and health advice. Tour leaders and tour guides operating overseas tours are advised to refer to the CHP’s health advice on MERS. read more

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) intercepted an unlicensed collector who illegally collected spent lubricating oil at two garages on Kam Ping Street in North Point and Warren Street in Tai Hang. This unlicensed collector had repeatedly violated the law and was previously convicted four times by the EPD for illegal collection of chemical waste. The collector himself and the owners of Hyp Sing Motor Service Limited and Hung Lee Motors Company Limited were convicted at Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (October 22) for contravening the Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO) and the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation. They were fined a total of $18,000.
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     During an enforcement operation in April this year, the EPD intercepted a light goods vehicle collecting a total of 400 litres of spent lubricating oil, which is classified as chemical waste, from two garages at Kam Ping Street in North Point and Warren Street in Tai Hang. After investigation and evidence gathering, the EPD initiated prosecution against the unlicensed collector and owners of the two vehicle maintenance workshops under the WDO and the Regulation.

     The EPD spokesman explained that spent lubricating oil generated by vehicle maintenance workshops is classified as chemical waste, which contains various toxic chemicals. Improper handling of such waste will cause the spent lubricating oil to leak into nearby watercourses or soil, causing harm to the environment and public health.

     The spokesman reminded all garage operators and workers engaged in vehicle repairing businesses that they should register as chemical waste producers with the EPD in accordance with the Regulation. Chemical waste must be properly packaged, labelled and stored, and has to be collected by licensed chemical waste collectors for delivery to licensed chemical waste disposal facilities for treatment. For replacement of lubricating oil or batteries, vehicle owners should engage the services of vehicle repair garages or companies registered with the EPD. Anyone engaged in illegal collection, storage and disposal of chemical waste will be prosecuted. First-time offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months’ imprisonment. For subsequent offences, offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $500,000 and two years’ imprisonment.

     Members of the public may visit the EPD’s website for more information about the control of chemical waste: www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/guide_ref/guide_cwc.html. read more

     The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) will commence operation on October 24 (Wednesday) at 9am. The Transport Department (TD) today (October 22) announced the detailed traffic and public transport arrangements as follows:

(1) At 8.45am on October 24, the Police will remove the barriers set up at Chek Lap Kok Road on Airport Island and at Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link (Southern Connection) respectively for vehicular access to the Hong Kong Port of the HZMB;

(2) To tie in with the commissioning of the HZMB, three franchised bus routes and one Green Minibus (GMB) route will be introduced on October 24. The routes are:
* Route B4 (Hong Kong Port – Airport)
* Route B5 (Hong Kong Port – MTR Sunny Bay Station)
* Route B6 (Hong Kong Port – Mun Tung Estate, Tung Chung (via MTR Tung Chung Station)
* GMB Route 901 (Hong Kong Port – Tung Chung North)

     The first trips of the above routes from the airport, Sunny Bay Station, the en-route bus stop at Tung Chung Station and Tung Chung North will depart at 8.45am that day.

(3) Regarding the following eight airport “A” routes, their departures to the airport will start to serve Hong Kong Port on or after 8.30am, while their departures to urban and NT areas will start to serve Hong Kong Port after 9am that day:
* A11  (to/from North Point);
* A21  (to/from Hung Hom);
* A22  (to/from Lam Tin);
* A29  (to/from Tseung Kwan O);
* A31  (to/from Tsuen Wan);
* A33X (to/from Tuen Mun);
* A36  (to/from Yuen Long); and
* A41 (to/from Sha Tin).

     Airport “A” route A35 (to/from Mui Wo) will be extended to terminate at Hong Kong Port from 9am onwards that day.

(4) The first trips of shuttle buses going to Zhuhai and Macao will be at about 9.15am that day.

     The Government encourages the public to take public transport services to Hong Kong Port. For motorists who wish to drive to Hong Kong Port and then take shuttle bus, the Government appeals to them to make on-line booking of parking spaces at the domestic car parks at Hong Kong Port. The website for pre-booking is www.hzmbparking.com.hk/en-us.

     Members of the public are reminded that if they wish to drive their private cars to or from Zhuhai or Macao, they must be registered under the private car quotas of the three governments for using the HZMB, and have the necessary permits, completed registration with the Mainland Authority and reserved parking spaces for the East Car Park of the HZMB Frontier Post at Macao Port under the HZMB Macao Port Park-and-Ride Scheme.

     The Government stressed that although the mainline of the Southern Connection of the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link will be opened simultaneously with the HZMB to vehicular traffic, the TD will continue to implement temporary traffic management measures, including issuing Closed Road Permits progressively to cross-boundary private cars under the regular quotas for using the HZMB, so as to ensure smooth traffic flow at Hong Kong Port, the airport and Tung Chung, to facilitate members of the public going to these areas during the initial period after the commissioning of the HZMB. However, cross-boundary private cars registered under the regular quotas for using other boundary crossings cannot use the HZMB at this stage. The TD will closely monitor the traffic situation in the vicinity of the Hong Kong Port upon the commissioning of the HZMB, and will issue letters to owners of these cross-boundary private cars to inform them of the arrangements for using the HZMB as soon as possible.

     Details of the traffic and transport arrangements for the HZMB are available at the following dedicated website www.hzmb.gov.hk.

     Members of the public and motorists are advised to plan their trips well in advance and stay alert to the traffic news. They can also check the latest traffic conditions via the TD’s all-in-one mobile application “HKeMobility”. read more