The auction for Hong Kong Flower Show (HKFS) 2023 commercial stalls will be held on December 15 (Thursday) at Cheung Sha Wan Sports Centre at the junction of Cheung Sha Wan Road and Hing Wah Street, Kowloon.
 
     Bidders must be 18 years old or above, and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong under section 2 of the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115). Any company incorporated in Hong Kong can also take part in the auction. Each bidder can bid for one or more stalls.
 
     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the 10-day flower show will be held from March 10 to 19, 2023, at Victoria Park.
 
     There will be 42 commercial stalls in the showground. In view of the anti-epidemic measures against COVID-19, there will be no food and drink-related stalls in the flower show this year. The stall types and numbers of types of stalls are as follows:
 
(1) Flower and gardening stall (5 metres x 5m): 38
(2) Handicraft stall (5m x 5m): 2
(3) Book stall (5m x 10m): 1
(4) Photographic equipment stall (5m x 5m): 1

     In light of the economic downturn, upset prices of HKFS 2023 commercial stalls have been maintained at half of the upset prices for HKFS 2019, with the aim of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. Details of the auction are as follows:
 
Auction time: 12.30pm to 6pm
The upset prices for each stall type are as follows:

(1) Flower and gardening stall: $11,370
(2) Handicraft stall: $11,370
(3) Book stall: $7,750
(4) Photographic equipment stall: $11,370
 
     The licensee is required to pay a deposit ($4,413 for each stall) as security for the due and proper performance of the licensee in compliance with the agreement. The security deposit will be refunded to the licensee after the show, provided all stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement have been complied with.
 
     Location and layout plans showing the commercial stalls to be auctioned are on display at the following venues:

(1) All District Leisure Services Offices of the LCSD;
(2) The Lift Lobby at 11/F, Leisure and Cultural Services Headquarters, 1-3 Pai Tau Street, Sha Tin; and
(3) All Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department.

     The LCSD reminds licensees that the stalls are solely for the purpose of selling and promoting the sale of the permitted commodities, and no other activities are allowed in the licensed area. If the LCSD considers that any activity conducted by the licensee to publicise, promote, display, show or sell any permitted commodities in the venue is unlawful, immoral or incompatible with the object of the HKFS, the LCSD is entitled to direct the licensee to stop conducting such an activity and the licensee must immediately comply with such direction.
 
     Successful bidders must comply with all the stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement. Otherwise, the department is entitled to prohibit the licensee from future bidding, issue a default notice to deduct the security deposit and terminate the agreement, and the licensee shall immediately vacate the stall.
 
     The LCSD will implement a series of infection prevention and control measures at the HKFS as detailed in the attachment. Amongst other measures, a licensee and his/her staff deployed to work at the stall must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must have undergone a rapid antigen test (RAT) for COVID-19 at their own cost within 24 hours before the commencement of the show. They must undergo a COVID-19 RAT at their own cost once before entering the showground every three days and keep the RAT result for three days. A licensee and his/her staff must keep the vaccination records or recovery record QR codes and photos of the RAT kit showing negative test results as proof, and make such records available for LCSD staff checking before and throughout the show.
 
     "Depending on the development of the epidemic situation of COVID-19, the anti-epidemic measures at the HKFS may be subject to change. The LCSD may also adjust the scale and opening hours of the show, tighten the admission requirements for members of the public or even cancel the event. Interested parties should fully consider all these factors before participating in the auction," a spokesman for the LCSD said.
 
     On the auction day, all persons entering the auction venue must fulfil the requirement of the Vaccine Pass. Those under the category of Red Code and Amber Code are not allowed to enter the venue. They are also required to comply with the measures for the prevention of COVID-19 to be implemented at the venue, which include body temperature screening to be conducted before entering the venue and masks to be worn at all times while inside the venue. Except for exempted persons, all persons are required to scan the "LeaveHomeSafe" venue QR code using the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application on their phones before entering the auction venue. Exempted persons are required to complete a record form to register their personal particulars and the date and time of their visits. They are also required to present relevant identification documents for verification by the on-site staff.
 
     For enquiries, please call 2601 8260 or visit www.hkflowershow.hk/en/hkfs/2023/commercial.html.

     Police located a man who went missing in Kwun Tong.

     Shum Chun-keung, aged 69, went missing after he was last seen on Hip Wo Street on March 6 morning. His family made a report to Police on April 17.

     The man was located on Horse Shoe Lane this morning (December 1) morning. He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

     The Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) today (December 1) held the Award Presentation Ceremony for the Sea Cargo Pre-shipment Declaration Scheme 2022 at the Customs Headquarters Building, and presented award certificates to 44 sea cargo carriers in recognition of their active participation in the scheme and efforts to work with the C&ED to provide efficient and seamless cargo clearance services for the industry.
 
     Speaking at the ceremony, the Acting Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Excise (Control and Enforcement), Ms Ida Ng, said that Hong Kong is one of the most important hub ports in the world. The C&ED will continue to implement various trade facilitation measures, including the "Trade Single Window", "Single E-Lock Scheme", "Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator Programme" and "Free Trade Agreement Transhipment Facilitation Scheme", etc to provide the industry with value-added services, such as simplified clearances, reduced inspections, prioritised checking and tariff reductions. These measures will help the industry to explore more business opportunities under the country's development strategies such as the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Belt and Road Initiative.
 
     Ms Ng also quoted the speech by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that the Central Government fully supports Hong Kong to take forward the development of the GBA, reinforcing and enhancing Hong Kong's status in the fields of international finance, trading, maritime and aviation, innovation and technology as well as culture and tourism.
 
     Since 2009, Customs has been rolling out sea cargo information submission schemes, including the EMAN Statement 1 Submission Scheme and the Advance Cargo Information – River Trade Vessel Scheme. These schemes allow carriers and cargo agents to submit advance cargo information to the department prior to vessels' arrival, enabling the department to conduct risk assessment more effectively and provide efficient and smooth cargo clearance services to the industry.

  

     The Government exercises the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) and publishes in the Gazette a compulsory testing notice, which requires any person who had been present at 45 specified places during the specified period (persons subject to compulsory testing) to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test.

     In view of a number of cases testing positive, 40 specified places are included in the compulsory testing notice. Furthermore, since some sewage samples collected in Aberdeen, Tseung Kwan O and Tin Shui Wai have tested positive, five specified places are included in the compulsory testing notice. The Government strongly reminds members of the public to strictly follow the compulsory testing requirements and undergo testing on time as required. Community testing centres (CTCs)/community testing stations (CTSs)/ad-hoc mobile specimen collection stations have been set up by the Government in different districts to facilitate testing to be conducted in compliance with the compulsory testing notice. The above compulsory testing requirement applies to those who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course as well.

     Persons who have tested positive in the past three months (including positive cases tested either by nucleic acid tests recorded by the Department of Health (DH) or by rapid antigen tests (RATs) that have been self-declared to the DH) do not need to undergo compulsory testing. For those who need to undergo compulsory testing, they must undergo nucleic acid tests in accordance with relevant compulsory testing notices and cannot use RATs to fulfil the requirement of such notices. In other words, a negative RAT result cannot be deemed as fulfilling the compulsory testing requirement. Furthermore, unless a person subject to compulsory testing has obtained a medical certificate proving that he or she is unfit to undergo testing using a sample taken through a "throat swab" because of health reasons, the person cannot provide a deep throat saliva sample to fulfil the compulsory testing requirement.

     Details of the compulsory testing notice are available on the Centre for Health Protection (CHP)'s website via the following link: www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/ctn_20221201.pdf.

     If any persons test positive under compulsory testing, such positive cases will be handled in the same manner as in those identified through other nucleic acid tests or self-declared through RATs. Their isolation arrangements (as well as the quarantine arrangements of their household members) are no different from other positive cases.

     Persons subject to compulsory testing in accordance with a compulsory testing notice must undergo professional swab sampling at any of the ad-hoc mobile specimen collection stations, CTCs/CTSs or recognised local medical testing institutions in order to fulfil the requirements for compulsory testing. Young children may continue to undergo the test using a stool specimen. For details on obtaining stool specimen bottles, please refer to the COVID-19 thematic website: www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/Stool_bottle_collection_points.pdf.

     If the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 or above, the Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or the post-super typhoon "extreme conditions" announcement by the Government is in force at any time during the period for undergoing the compulsory testing, the period for undergoing the compulsory testing will be extended for one day. 

     Vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe cases and deaths from COVID-19. They can provide protection to those vaccinated to prevent serious complications and even death after infection. The Government appeals to persons who are not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated without delay. In view of the arrival of the Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5 bivalent vaccine in Hong Kong, eligible persons aged 12 or above may, following the current vaccination schedule, choose to receive the BioNTech bivalent vaccine as an alternative to the fourth dose (or the third dose for recovered persons) from now on, while the Sinovac or the BioNTech ancestral strain vaccines can still be used. Online reservations are now open. Eligible persons aged 60 or above with same-day tickets may choose the type of vaccine to be administered on site.
     
     CTCs/CTSs across the city provide free nucleic acid testing services for the public, including eligible persons of targeted groups, visitors to public hospitals and residential care homes and all elderly people aged 60 or above. Relevant persons who wish to undergo a free test just need to make an online booking or use the Testing Registration QR code in the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application for registration.　

     Booking services are available for all 85 CTC/CTSs. Members of the public can make bookings through the online booking system (booking.communitytest.gov.hk/form/index.jsp). Members of the public can also fill in their personal information in advance to obtain the Testing Registration Code QR code through the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application. They can present that QR code for scanning before testing at a service point thereafter, thus saving their time spent on registration and queueing.

     The Government will reopen the ad-hoc mobile specimen collection station at Shek Pai Wan Estate in Southern District tomorrow (December 2). The opening dates and service hours of the ad-hoc mobile specimen collection stations are stated in the Annex.

     Persons subject to compulsory testing may choose to undergo testing via the following routes:

(a) For tests which require using a sample taken through "combined nasal and throat swabs" or "throat swab"
1. To visit any of the ad-hoc mobile specimen collection stations (see the list and target groups (if applicable) at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html) for testing;
2. To attend any of the CTCs/CTSs (see the list at www.communitytest.gov.hk/en);
3. To self-arrange testing provided by private laboratories which are recognised by the DH and can issue SMS notifications in respect of test results (see the list at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_recognised_laboratories_RTPCR.pdf), and the relevant sample must be taken through "combined nasal and throat swabs" or "throat swab"; or
4. To use a specimen bottle distributed to the relevant specified premises by the CHP (if applicable), and return the specimen bottle with the stool sample collected per relevant guidelines.

(b) For persons holding a medical certificate issued by a registered medical practitioner proving that they are unfit to undergo testing using a sample taken through a "throat swab" because of health reasons
1. To obtain a deep throat saliva specimen collection pack from post offices, vending machines set up at MTR stations or designated general out-patient clinics (GOPCs) of the Hospital Authority and return the specimen to one of the designated specimen collection points (see the distribution points and times, and the specimen collection points and times, at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html);
2. To undergo testing at any of the GOPCs of the Hospital Authority as instructed by a medical professional of the Hospital Authority; or
3. To self-arrange testing provided by private laboratories which are recognised by the DH and can issue SMS notifications in respect of test results.

     A Government spokesman cautioned that testing received at the Accident and Emergency Departments of the Hospital Authority, or testing provided by private laboratories which cannot issue SMS notifications in respect of test results, does not comply with the requirements of the aforementioned compulsory testing notice.

     "If persons subject to compulsory testing have symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately and undergo testing as instructed by a medical professional. They should not attend the ad-hoc mobile specimen collection stations or the CTCs/CTSs."

     Persons subject to compulsory testing must keep the SMS notifications containing the result of the test and the relevant medical certificate (if applicable) for checking by a law enforcement officer when the officer requires the persons to provide information about their undergoing the specified test.

     Any enquiries on compulsory testing arrangements may be addressed to the hotline at 6275 6901, which operates daily from 9am to 6pm.

     The Government will continue to trace possibly infected persons who had been to relevant premises, and seriously verify whether they had complied with the compulsory testing notices. Any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notices commits an offence and the maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months. The fixed penalty for discharging the liability is $10,000. The person may also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Any person in breach of the compulsory testing order would be liable to a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     The spokesman said, "The Government urges all individuals who are in doubt about their own health conditions, or individuals with infection risks (such as individuals who visited places with epidemic outbreaks or had contact with cases tested positive), to undergo testing promptly for early identification of infected persons."

     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, today (December 1) visited the Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) and toured two enterprises there to keep abreast of the latest developments of the AMC, as well as a financial data centre nearby. Also joining the visit were the Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong, and the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ms Rebecca Pun.
      
     Accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), Mr Albert Wong, Professor Sun first received a briefing by the Head of Re-industralisation of the HKSTP, Dr Yiu Hing-leung, on the development of the three InnoParks located at Tai Po, Yuen Long and Tseung Kwan O. Completed in February this year, the AMC at the Tseung Kwan O InnoPark offers a high-specification and fully serviced production base with a dedicated logistics serviced manufacturing space for advanced manufacturing. A shared platform, the ProShop, is also available in the AMC for enterprises to carry out prototyping and low-volume assembly and production.
      
     Professor Sun said that the current-term Government is committed to assisting Hong Kong's manufacturing industry to make use of innovation and technology to achieve smart manufacturing and enhance productivity. The Government is also dedicated to supporting local enterprises to move towards high-value-added production and industry chains, thereby achieving re-industrialisation through upgrading and transformation. As the developments of various land sites and facilities for supporting advanced manufacturing are in the pipeline, the development of re-industrialisation will continue to gain traction.
      
     He then visited two enterprises in the AMC, with one engaging in commercial aerospace satellite design and manufacturing and the other focusing on smart logistics and supply chain management. He also visited a nearby financial data centre, which is designed with the highest Tier IV-ready redundancy infrastructure, to learn more about how the centre provides Internet and other networking services as well as managed and outsourcing services on data and system management for enterprises.
      
     Professor Sun said, "The response from the industry to the first AMC has been favourable. Many enterprises affirm the setting up of high-value-added and technology-intensive manufacturing processes and production lines in Hong Kong. As announced in the Policy Address this year, we will explore the construction of the second AMC at the Tai Po InnoPark. A technical feasibility study and an economic benefit analysis are being conducted by the HKSTP in order to provide space and facilities for specialised industries in setting up advanced manufacturing production lines."