Temporary shelters that are open by the Home Affairs Department for people in need are set out in the annex. For enquiries, please contact the emergency hotline on 2572 8427.

     A Government spokesman said today (September 8) that, after reviewing the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, considers the weather has moderated, traffic has gradually resumed normal and road conditions have greatly improved, and thus decided to end at midnight the extreme conditions announced at around 5.30am today.
      
     The Highways Department and its contractors have finished the clearance work of major roads and bus routes. It is expected that most of the franchised bus services will be resumed from the first departure tomorrow morning (September 9). A few roads remain closed for repair works. Therefore, it is expected to take some time for full resumption of bus services.
      
     As for railways, except for the suspension of services at certain stations of the Kwun Tong Line, other lines generally maintain services. The MTR Corporation Limited has arranged free shuttle services for suspended stations and will strive to resume full services as soon as possible.
      
     The Government spokesman said that although the extreme conditions will end at midnight, the public should remain highly vigilant and avoid approaching dangerous areas such as those at risk of landslides.
      
     As of 7.30pm, the Home Affairs Department opened 15 temporary shelters for people in need. A total of 335 people have sought refuge at the shelters. The Home Affairs Department, together with relevant District Offices, will continue to provide appropriate assistance for those affected.
      
     As of 8pm, the Drainage Services Department received 60 confirmed cases of flooding. The flooding situation was eliminated for 59 cases after taking actions, and the affected areas were reopened. The department is following up on the remaining case and will strive to complete it by tomorrow.
      
     Meanwhile, the Civil Engineering and Development Department received 39 reports of landslides. It has finished inspecting 17 landslides cases of them. Departments responsible for slope maintenance including the Highways Department and the Lands Department were advised to carry out urgent slope maintenance works as required, and relevant departments are following up the works. The Geotechnical Engineering Office's Emergency Control Centre will remain in operation to inspect, with relevant maintenance departments, the remaining landslide cases with smaller impact and newly reported landslides, and conduct special investigations regarding slopes with high potential risks.
      
     According to the Hospital Authority, as of 8.15pm, a total of 144 people, aged between 8 and 94, sought medical treatment at public hospitals during the period of extreme conditions.
      
     The Government spokesman stressed that in the light of the severe flooding in most parts of the territory caused by a considerably rare rainstorm, the Government will continue to strive to handle and finish the residual relief work with every effort possible to ensure that citizens' daily lives could be fully resumed as early as possible.

     The HKSAR Government announced today (September 8) that the clearance services at Liantang/ Heung Yuen Wai and Man Kam To boundary control points will continue to suspend until further notice as a result of power outage and the corresponding repair works owing to rainstorm and flooding, as reported by the Shenzhen authority earlier. 

     Cross-boundary passengers and vehicles may use other land boundary control points to travel to the Mainland. They should plan their journeys ahead and check the latest traffic situation and public transport arrangements before their journeys. The HKSAR Government will flexibly deploy manpower to alleviate the traffic flow and passenger flow at individual boundary control points.
 
     All goods vehicles carrying fresh food have been diverted to Huanggang/ Lok Ma Chau Control Point to enter Hong Kong. The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has made emergency response arrangements with the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), and deployed personnel to the Food Inspection Point at the C&ED Inbound Cargo Examination Complex in Lok Ma Chau on duty. Imported food vechicles can go to the Food Inspection Point of CFS for food clearance.

     Regarding cross-boundary students (CBS), the Education Bureau has already co-ordinated with the relevant operators of the cross-boundary school coaches and the schools, and notified the students and parents concerned through schools of the latest transportation arrangements for commuting to schools in Hong Kong next week, including the possibility of switching to other boundary control points for immigration clearance. The HKSAR Government will take corresponding measures at other land-based boundary control points to enhance the capacity of each boundary control point to handle CBS.

     The HKSAR Government will continue to maintain close liaison and co-ordination with the Shenzhen authority on the resumption of clearance services at these control points. Announcement will be made in due course once further details are available.

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     Having regard to the Government's announcement that the "extreme conditions" will end at midnight, the Judiciary has announced that all hearings of the courts and tribunals which were affected will be resumed on the next working day (September 11). Those hearings scheduled for tomorrow (September 9) will be held as scheduled.

     Those who were due to attend court hearings today (September 8), including the jurors, should do so at 9.30am on September 11.

     Those who have been summoned for jury empanelment in the High Court today are not required to attend court until further notice in writing.

     Court/tribunal registries and offices will open at 8.45am on September 11. Court users may also use the integrated Court Case Management System (iCMS) for electronic services provided by the registries of the District Court and Magistrates' Courts as usual. Any documents filed via the iCMS during the registries' closure period will be deemed to have been received upon their reopening.

     It is anticipated that there will be a significant number of people going to the courts. In particular, for the High Court, District Court and West Kowloon Law Courts Building, given the need for security screening, court users are advised to arrive at the court buildings earlier to allow time for screening, particularly during the peak hours in the morning.

     As the "extreme conditions" will cease to exist at midnight, employers are reminded to make practical and reasonable work arrangements for staff, including flexible arrangements for staff to resume work or work from home (if applicable), with due consideration to road and traffic conditions and other factors. 
 
     "For staff who have practical difficulties in resuming work on time, employers should give due consideration to their situations and handle each case flexibly, such as permitting employees who have difficulties in returning to workplaces to work from home or allow more time for them to report for duty and resume work. Moreover, employers should not withhold their wages, good attendance bonuses or allowances without reasons, and should not penalise or dismiss the employee concerned rashly," a Labour Department spokesman said today (September 8).

     The spokesman also reminded employers to observe the statutory liabilities and requirements under the Employment Ordinance, the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, the Employees' Compensation Ordinance and the Minimum Wage Ordinance.

     Employers should not deduct annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days to which employees are entitled under the Employment Ordinance to compensate for the loss of working hours resulting from employees' failure to report for duty when the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal is in force, or when the "extreme conditions" exist. An employer who without reasonable excuse fails to comply with the relevant provisions under the Employment Ordinance is liable to prosecution.

     Employers should also note that they have an obligation to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance.