The finale concert of the first Innovative Music Making: MO x e-Orch music training pilot scheme in the 2022/23 academic year will be held at 7.30pm on July 15 (Saturday) at the Auditorium of Kwai Tsing Theatre. The pilot scheme is organised by the Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, in collaboration with the Education University of Hong Kong. Various awards and certificates of attendance will be presented to the participating students at the concert, which is also one of the commemorative programmes in celebration of the Music Office transcending beyond its 45-year mark. 

     Four digital music orchestras (e-Orchs) formed by about 80 students participating in the first pilot scheme from the Ho Lap College (Sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen), Lingnan University Alumni Association (Hong Kong) Primary School, Tuen Mun Government Primary School and Wah Yan College, Hong Kong, will showcase their original collaborative multimedia works at the concert. They will also be joined by the Chinese and String Ensembles formed by the trainees from the Instrumental Music Training Scheme of the Music Office to perform music pieces written or arranged for e-Orchs and acoustic instruments. Musicians from the e-Orch@EdUHK Music Innovation and Design Lab will also be invited to present their original collaborative works at the concert, bringing a brand new and extraordinary musical experience to the audience.

     Highlights include world premieres of local composers Leung Chi-hin's "Toward the Unreachable Galaxy" and Au Tin-yung's "Deconvolution", which are commissioned by the Music Office with sponsorship from the CASH Music Fund, and Lau Hiu-lam's arrangements of Tchaikovsky's "Waltz from The Sleeping Beauty" and Yan Laolie's "Thunder in a Drought".

     To promote the integration of music and technology, the Music Office launched the first Innovative Music Making: MO x e-Orch music training pilot scheme in 2022 for students of participating primary and secondary schools to form e-Orchs and learn musical knowledge and music creation with the use of tablets.

     Tickets priced at $60 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2158 6467 or 3842 7776 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/mo/activities/schoolprogrammes/arttech/23art/2023imm.html.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 15) announced that the test results of 33 rice dumpling samples collected under a recently completed seasonal food surveillance project on rice dumplings (second phase) were all satisfactory.

     "The CFS announced the results of 67 samples collected under the seasonal food surveillance project on rice dumplings (first phase) in early June which were all satisfactory. As the Tuen Ng Festival is around the corner, the CFS has completed the second phase of the surveillance project on rice dumplings and the results of 33 samples were all satisfactory. In conclusion, samples of rice dumplings from different retail outlets (including online retailers and online food delivery platforms) and food premises (including restaurants and food factories) were collected for chemical, microbiological and nutrition content analyses during the two phases. The chemical analyses included tests for colouring matters, preservatives, metallic contamination, mineral oil, antioxidants, sweeteners and pesticide residues. The microbiological analyses covered pathogenic bacteria including Salmonella, coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms, Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus. In addition, nutrition contents such as energy contents, protein, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, sodium and sugars of the samples were also tested to check whether the test results complied with their declared values on the nutrition labels," a spokesman for the CFS said.

     The spokesman reminded members of the public to observe the following food safety tips in purchasing, preparing, storing and consuming rice dumplings:

Buying rice dumplings
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* Buy rice dumplings from reliable outlets;
* When purchasing non-prepackaged rice dumplings, choose those that are securely wrapped in wrapping leaves; and
* When purchasing prepackaged rice dumplings, check the expiry date and whether the packaging is intact.
 
Home-made rice dumplings
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* Buy wrapping leaves from reliable suppliers and avoid leaves that are unnaturally bright green or with chemical smells;
* Wash hands and utensils thoroughly before and after handling food; and
* Handle raw and cooked food separately to avoid cross-contamination.
 
Storing and preparing rice dumplings
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* Consume rice dumplings as soon as possible and avoid prolonged storage;
* Both the glutinous rice and the stuffing should be well covered until the rice dumplings are unwrapped. Do not come into direct contact with the strings upon cooking to prevent contamination at all times.
* Store rice dumplings at 4 degrees Celsius or below, or store them properly according to the instructions on the package if they are not consumed or cooked immediately;
* Keep cooked rice dumplings that are not consumed immediately in a covered container and put them in the upper compartment of the refrigerator. Keep raw food in the lower compartment to prevent cross-contamination;
* Reheat rice dumplings thoroughly until the core temperature reaches 75 degrees C or above before consumption;
* Do not reheat rice dumplings more than once; and
* Consume reheated rice dumplings as soon as possible.
 
Consuming rice dumplings
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* Wash hands with running water and liquid soap, and rub for at least 20 seconds before consumption; and
* Reduce seasonings such as soy sauce or granulated sugar during consumption.
 
     The spokesman said, "Rice dumplings in general are relatively high in energy, fat and salt. During the festival, people should maintain a balanced diet, and consume rice dumplings moderately, with due consideration of their health condition. People are recommended to share rice dumplings with their family members and friends, as this not only enhances the festive atmosphere, but also allows them to taste rice dumplings of different flavours and avoid over-consumption. People are also advised to make use of nutrition labels on prepackaged food to compare their nutritional contents for healthier food choices."

     The spokesman also reminded the food trade to purchase food ingredients from reliable suppliers and maintain proper records to facilitate source tracing when necessary. They should follow Good Manufacturing Practice in the preparation of food products and comply with legal requirements when using food additives. The spokesman advised the food trade to adopt the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) System to identify, assess and control possible hazards in the food production process.

  

     â€‹The Department of Health (DH) today (June 15) appealed to members of the public to actively support organ donations. The DH has been committed to promoting registration for organ donations and will further strengthen its efforts by setting up promotion booths in 18 districts during the two weeks following next Monday (June 19). Members of the public can obtain information about organ donations and register in the Centralised Organ Donation Register (CODR) on-site.

     From June 19 to 30, the DH will set up 18 organ donation promotion booths at various District Health Centres, community halls and Home Affairs Enquiry Centres, etc. The public can register their wish to donate organs at the booths so as to bring hope to patients awaiting organ transplants and their families. For details of the promotion booths, please visit: www.organdonation.gov.hk/en/promotional_activities.html.

     The CODR, set up by the DH in 2008, aims to facilitate voluntary registration of prospective donors and to record their wish to donate organs reliably and securely. The CODR enables healthcare personnel responsible for organ donations to know about the wish of the deceased to donate their organs, and the bereaved families to acknowledge and honour such wishes to rekindle the lives of others.

     A spokesman for the DH said that there are currently over 2 000 patients in Hong Kong with organ failures in imminent need of organ transplants. Without matched organs, these patients have to depend heavily on devices and drugs to sustain their lives. Many of them have lost their lives before the right organ match became available. To shorten the waiting time of patients and give them a new lease of life in time, active support for organ donations by the public is exceptionally important.

     Hong Kong has been adopting an "opt-in" system for cadaveric organ donations, under which even if a deceased person has registered in the CODR, organ donation co-ordinators would seek the consent of the deceased's family members. Should there be any objection from the deceased's family members, the relevant transplant operation will not be performed. In this regard, the CODR is an effective way for donors to clearly express to their families and healthcare personnel their wish to donate organs after death. Moreover, it is also vital that donors speak to their family members about their organ donation wish.  Experience demonstrates that when the bereaved are apprised of their loved ones' expressed wish to donate organs before their death, family members are likely to be inclined to respect and fulfil the wish. By sharing the decision with their family members, donors can ensure that their spirit of benevolence will be realised after their passing. 

     The DH is calling on members of the public to actively support organ donations and garner support from their families and friends for this benevolent act to rekindle the lives of others, and help spread the message to every corner of society. 

     In addition to registering at the promotion booths, the public can also register at the CODR website (www.codr.gov.hk) or submit completed registration forms to the CODR Office by post or by fax. For more information about organ donations, please visit the thematic website at: www.organdonation.gov.hk or the "Organ Donation at HK"  Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/organdonationhk.

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, at the 37th International Travel Expo and the 18th MICE Travel Expo opening ceremony today (June 15):
 
Mr Tong (Founder and Managing Director of TKS Exhibition Services, Mr KS Tong), distinguished guests, Consuls-General, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good morning. It is my great honour joining you all again for the opening ceremony of the International Travel Expo (ITE) and MICE Travel Expo twin shows. May I first extend a very warm welcome to you all. Your presence here today clearly underlines that Hong Kong is back – back to the world stage, bringing opportunities with the world.
      
     I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to KS for successfully bringing the twin shows back to their pre-pandemic grandeur. Today we have over 400 exhibitors from some 50 countries and regions, and the shows are set to attract more than 60 000 visitors. Our key partners in the travel trade are making the best use of this first forum in Hong Kong after the pandemic to reconnect, revive business, and reveal their exciting offerings, with the theme of "Onward to Full Recovery" of the shows. 
      
     The recovery of the tourism industry is evident from the upsurge in visitor arrivals since our full resumption of normal travel with the Mainland and the rest of the world. We recorded a visitor arrival of over 2.8 million last month, and since the beginning of the year, we have had over 10 million visitor arrivals.
      
     To keep this momentum going, the Government, together with the Hong Kong Tourism Board and our partners in the tourism sector, will continue to strengthen our promotion under the "Hello Hong Kong" Campaign and to extend our heart-warming welcome to visitors which include distribution of 500 000 free air tickets and a million "Hong Kong Goodies" visitor consumption vouchers. 
      
     This year, we are also hosting and supporting a series of large-scale events in Hong Kong, ranging from arts and culture to sports and entertainment such as the first-ever annual Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, Hong Kong Cyclothon and Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival. In the next weekend (June 24 and 25), we will be receiving the participating teams and audience to the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races after a four-year hiatus. Meanwhile, we are deploying additional resources to attract more MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) events and international cruise lines to come to Hong Kong. New tourism offerings are also coming on stream. For example, later this year we will be welcoming the world's first Frozen-themed area at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, the launch of the next phase of the Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival and the next edition of Design District Hong Kong.
      
     We are also looking into opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). In fulfilling Hong Kong's role as an international tourism hub and a core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism, we are working together with our friends in the GBA, many of them are present here today, in establishing a coherent tourism brand for the GBA and promoting multi-destination tourism to different source markets. With the full support of our nation, I am confident that Hong Kong will bring a positive impact on developing the GBA into a world-class bay area for leisure. Looking ahead, we will actively align ourselves with national development strategies and integrate into overall development of our nation.
      
     Ladies and gentlemen, the path towards recovery is surely not without challenges. But do rest assured that the Government will continue to provide the necessary support to the industry to boost the momentum of revival. I am confident that with the concerted efforts of the Government, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, our industry and the community at large, we would rise above the challenges and march into an even brighter future together. 
      
     In closing, I wish the ITE and MICE twin shows another year of great success and the best of business. For those who are visiting Hong Kong, I wish you all a fruitful and an enjoyable stay in this world city of Asia. Thank you!

     The Government today (June 15) announced the standing down of the Alert Response Level under the Preparedness and Response Plan for Ebola Virus Disease and the Preparedness and Response Plan for Zika Virus Infection, with immediate effect.

     The Alert Response Level for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and Zika Virus Infection, the lowest level under the three-tier preparedness plans, was activated in July 2019 and March 2016 respectively. As both viral haemorrhagic fever (including EVD) and Zika Virus Infection are statutorily notifiable infectious diseases in Hong Kong, suspected or confirmed cases must be promptly notified for investigation, control and surveillance. This remains effective after the standing down of the Alert Response Level. The Department of Health will issue letters to doctors and hospitals on the update.

Ebola Virus Disease
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     The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the EVD outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in July 2019, and has then terminated the PHEIC status on EVD in June 2020 after considering the outbreak was over. In Hong Kong, the Alert Response Level was activated on July 18, 2019, and no confirmed Ebola cases have been detected to date.

Zika Virus Infection
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     "Microcephaly, other neurological disorders and Zika virus" was considered a PHEIC by the WHO from February to November 2016. Aedes aegypti, which is the principal vector for transmitting Zika virus to humans, is currently not found in Hong Kong, while Aedes albopictus widely present locally is considered a potential vector. The Alert Response Level was activated on March 11, 2016. A total of three imported cases were recorded in Hong Kong so far (with two in 2016 and one in 2017), while no suspected cases have been reported in Hong Kong after August 2019.

     The Government will continue to monitor the global and local situation of relevant communicable diseases to review and update the response level at suitable times based on latest developments and risk assessments.

     For more information, the public may visit the following pages:

* The Centre for Health Protection's Ebola Virus Disease page;
* The Centre for Health Protection's Zika Virus Infection page; and
* The DH's Travel Health Service.