A sick 79-year-old male person in custody at Tai Lam Correctional Institution died in a public hospital today (September 20).

     The person in custody suffered from heart disease and hypertension. He required continuous medical care and follow-up at the institution hospital. On September 8, the person in custody was sent to a public hospital for treatment due to physical discomfort. Since then, he had been receiving in-patient treatment in the hospital with the diagnosis of metastatic cancer. During hospitalisation, his condition deteriorated and he was certified dead at 3.33am today.

     The case has been reported to the Police. A death inquest will be held by the Coroner's Court.

     The person in custody was sentenced to imprisonment for the offence of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence in May 2021.

     Police will implement special traffic arrangements in various districts to facilitate the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Causeway Bay
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     Hing Fat Street Public Car Park, except for disabled parking spaces, will be suspended from 3pm on September 21 to 2am the following day.

Beach areas
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A. Repulse Bay

I. Road closure and traffic diversions

     Depending on crowd and traffic conditions, the following traffic arrangements may be implemented from September 21 to 22:

– Public light buses cannot enter Beach Road from Repulse Bay Road;
– South Bay Road south of South Bay Paths will be closed if the car parks are full, except for residents’ vehicles and public transports;
– Traffic along eastbound Repulse Bay Road cannot make a U-turn at its junction with South Bay Road;
– Vehicles will be banned from waiting along Repulse Bay Road outside the car park if it is full; and
– When the car parks on South Bay Road are full, traffic on Beach Road will be diverted to northbound South Bay Road to leave the area, except for residents’ vehicles.

II. Suspension of parking spaces

     The following parking spaces will be suspended from 4pm on September 21 to 6am the following day:

– All metered and motorcycle parking spaces on Island Road, except disabled parking spaces; and
– All metered and motorcycle parking spaces on Beach Road.

B. Shek O

     Fifteen parking spaces in Shek O Beach Public Car Park will be suspended from 2pm on September 21 to 3am on September 23.

     Depending on crowd and traffic conditions, the following road closure may be implemented from September 21 to 22:
     
– Shek O Headland Road will be closed, except for public services and residents’ vehicles;
– Vehicles will be banned from waiting outside the car parks at Big Wave Bay and Shek O once they are full; and
– Big Wave Bay Road will be closed, except for vehicles with Closed Road Permit.

C. Stanley

     Depending on crowd and traffic conditions, the following road closure may be implemented from September 21 to 22:

– Stanley Beach Road will be closed if the car parks are full, except for residents’ vehicles and public transports; and
– Wong Ma Kok Path will be closed if the public parking spaces are full, except for residents’ vehicles.

Tsuen Wan
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     Tai Mo Shan Road east of its junction with Route Twisk will be closed from 5pm to 3am the following day daily from September 21 to 22, except for residents’ vehicles.

     The car park of Tai Mo Shan Country Park will be suspended from 5pm to 3am the following day daily from September 21 to 22.

Ma On Shan
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     Depending on crowd and traffic conditions, the following roads may be closed from 4.30pm to 3am the following day daily from September 20 to 22:

– Ma On Shan Tsuen Road south of its turnaround, except for residents’ vehicles;
– Yiu Sha Road north of its junction with Wu Kai Sha Road roundabout, except for residents’ vehicles; and
– Yiu Sha Road junction with the unnamed road towards To Tau Wan Village direction, except for residents’ vehicles.

     Actual implementation of the traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the areas. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

     The Government announced today (September 20) that it has concluded discussions with the Government of Iran to accept vaccination records issued by Iran as recognised vaccination records for Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A specified places under the mechanism. The Government will also accept the vaccination records issued by non-Group A specified places including Chile and New Zealand for boarding flights for Hong Kong by Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A specified places. The relevant arrangements will take effect at 0.00am on September 22 (Wednesday).

     From 0.00am on September 22, Hong Kong residents who hold vaccination records issued by the relevant authorities of Iran in the prescribed formats can board a flight for Hong Kong from Group A specified places. The vaccines administered for the relevant travellers have to be vaccines listed on the Government's List of COVID-19 Vaccines Recognised for Specified Purposes.
      
     The Government has also concluded discussions with the Governments of Chile and New Zealand on the arrangements regarding the recognition of vaccination records, which will also take effect at 0.00am on September 22. Although Chile and New Zealand are currently not Group A specified places, the relevant arrangements will enable Hong Kong residents who hold vaccination records issued by the relevant authorities of the two countries in the prescribed format to board a flight for Hong Kong from Group A specified places.
 
     Meanwhile, the Government announced earlier that it accepts vaccination records recognised under the EU Digital COVID Certificate mechanism as recognised vaccination records required for the purpose of boarding flights for Hong Kong from high-risk Group A specified places. As the EU has recently announced the recognition of the vaccination records issued by Albania, Andorra, Faroe Islands, Israel, Monaco, Morocco and Panama as being equivalent to vaccination records issued by EU member states under the mechanism, the Government will therefore also accept the vaccination records issued by the aforementioned places as recognised vaccination records from 0.00am on September 22.

     The list of places that are accepted for issuing recognised vaccination records for Hong Kong residents who have stayed in Group A specified places is set out in the Annex and will be uploaded to the Government's COVID-19 thematic website.
      
     The Government will continue to discuss with other places on the arrangements for the recognition of vaccination records, and will update the list as recognition arrangements are agreed with these places.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (September 20) reported the latest number of cases of Legionnaires' disease (LD), and stressed the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, adding that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.

     From September 12 to 18, one community-acquired LD case was reported. The case involves a male patient aged 66 with underlying illnesses who lives in Luk Chuen House, Lek Yuen Estate, Sha Tin.
 
     "Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     As of September 18, 46 LD cases had been reported this year. In 2020 and 2019, there were 104 and 105 cases respectively.

     "Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection including poor maintenance of water systems leading to stagnant water; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpools and spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or vessels," the spokesman said.

     Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpools and spas, water fountains and home apparatus which support breathing. People may become infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.

     Immunocompromised persons should:
 

• Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
• Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices. A shower may also generate small aerosols; and
• If using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not water directly from the tap. Also, clean and maintain humidifiers/devices regularly according to manufacturers' instructions. Never leave stagnant water in a humidifier/device. Empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and change the water daily.

     
     The public should observe the health advice below: 
 

• Observe personal hygiene;
• Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption;
• Strainers in water taps and shower heads should be inspected, cleaned, descaled and disinfected regularly or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer;
• If a fresh-water plumbing system is properly maintained, it is not necessary to install domestic water filters. Use of water filters is not encouraged as clogging occurs easily, which can promote growth of micro-organisms. In case water filters are used, the pore size should be 0.2 micrometres (µm) and the filter needs to be changed periodically according to the manufacturer's recommendations;
• Drain and clean water tanks of buildings at least quarterly;
• Drain or purge for at least one minute infrequently used water outlets (e.g. water taps, shower heads and hot water outlets) and stagnant points of the pipework weekly or before use;
• Seek and follow doctors' professional advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile water (not distilled or tap water) to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain the device regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. After cleaning/disinfection, rinse the device with sterile water, cooled freshly boiled water or water filtered with 0.2 µm filters. Never leave stagnant water in the device. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
• When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes:

1. Wear gloves and a face mask;
2. Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
3. Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
4. Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
5. Avoid working in poorly ventilated places such as enclosed greenhouses.

     â€‹â€‹The public may visit the CHP's LD page, the Code of Practice for Prevention of LD and the Housekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Management of the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP's risk-based strategy for prevention and control of LD.

     The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam jointly held a webinar titled "Revival under the 'New Normalcy': Hong Kong – Viet Nam Partnership" today (September 20) to explore collaboration opportunities in such fields as trade, investment, professional services as well as innovation and technology (I&T), and enhance people-to-people bonds. The webinar attracted some 500 sign-ups.
 
      The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, addressed the audience at the opening session, followed by responding remarks by the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr Tran Quoc Khanh.
 
     Mr Yau underlined the close trade, economic and cultural relations between Hong Kong and Vietnam. He said that conducting business and trade between the two places had become even easier and more mutually beneficial after the Free Trade Agreement and Investment Agreement between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) came fully into force in February 2021. Looking forward, Mr Yau said that Hong Kong would seek to foster closer partnership and collaboration with Vietnam.
 
     Mr Yau suggested that there was room for even closer business collaboration between Hong Kong and Vietnam in areas such as biotech, medical tech and information and communication technologies when the two places were facing the pandemic. He introduced the I&T Experience Sharing and Business Promotion Platform, covering inventions that were being successfully used in Hong Kong, and indicated that Hong Kong stood ready to share its experience with Vietnam.
 
     Noting that Vietnam has embarked on a number of infrastructure and investment projects, Mr Yau highlighted the useful roles of Hong Kong's professional and financial services in those projects. He appealed to Vietnamese enterprises to leverage  Hong Kong's unique advantages to capitalise on the new and exciting opportunities offered by China, including the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Hong Kong is the natural gateway linking the Mainland of China, Asia and the world. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has recently launched the GoGBA one-stop service platform to help enterprises make the most out of the GBA's development. Enterprises may also make use of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement to access the vast and growing market in the Mainland.
 
     The webinar also included a panel discussion session moderated by the Commissioner for Belt and Road, Dr Denis Yip. Under the theme "Joining Hands for Economic Recovery", panellists from Hong Kong and Vietnam shared their insights on opportunities in trade, investment and I&T; as well as how the two places can deepen their partnership and seek out collaboration in the region. The Hong Kong panellists were the Executive Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Mr Anthony Lam; Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC Dr Patrick Lau; the President of Smart City Consortium, Mr Gary Yeung; and the Executive Director and Vice President of Sunwah Group, Mr Johnson Choi. From Vietnam, the panellists were the Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, Ms Bui Thi Thanh An; the Deputy Director General of the Industry Agency, Mr Ngo Khai Hoan; and the Managing Director of Hanoi Trade JS Corporation HAPRO, Ms Nguyen Thi Thu Hien.
      
     The webinar today is the fifth government-to-government webinar that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has organised jointly with its ASEAN partners since 2020. Four similar webinars were held with Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines during the period.