The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Kowloon West Cluster made the following announcement today (June 29) concerning a false alarm of the negative pressure system in the isolation ward of the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre (HKICC):
 
     At 7.35am today, the alarm for the negative pressure system of an isolation ward on the ground floor of Block E of the HKICC was activated, indicating the malfunctioning of the negative pressure system in one of the cubicles. No staff member was working in that cubicle at the time. According to the prevailing guideline, all staff members in the ward put on N95 respirators immediately and transferred the patient residing in the affected cubicle to another cubicle. Thorough disinfection has been carried out in the affected cubicle. An inspection by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department staff later confirmed that it was a false alarm incident and the service contractor has been requested to follow up on the incident. The negative pressure system had been functioning normally all along. There was no risk of infection arising from this incident.
 
     The HKICC has reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 29) announced that a sample of rice with chicken was found to contain an excessive amount of coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms. The CFS is following up on the case.

     A CFS spokesman said, "Following up on a food complaint, the CFS took the above-mentioned sample from a restaurant in Sha Tin for testing. The result showed that the food sample contained coagulase-positive staphylococci at a level of 21 000 organisms per gram. Under the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, ready-to-eat food that contains coagulase-positive staphylococci at a level of more than 10 000 organisms per gram is considered unsatisfactory."

     The CFS has informed the restaurant concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to suspend the sale of the food concerned. The CFS has also provided health education on food safety and hygiene to the person-in-charge and staff of the restaurant, and requested it to review and improve the food production process and carry out a thorough cleaning and disinfection. Prosecution will be instituted should there be sufficient evidence.

     According to Section 54 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), all food for sale in Hong Kong, locally produced or imported, should be fit for human consumption. An offender is subject to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction.

     "Coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms can produce enterotoxins that cause food poisoning. Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, often accompanied by diarrhoea," the spokesman added.

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health.

     Following is the speech by the Acting Financial Secretary, Mr Christopher Hui, at grand opening ceremony of FamilyOfficeHK today (June 29):

Stephen (the Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, Mr Stephen Phillips), ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon and welcome to the grand opening ceremony of the FamilyOfficeHK.
 
     I'm a fan of the word "grand". But for me, it speaks not of today's ceremony, which is eminently practical, as it should be. Rather, the word neatly captures the far-reaching promise of the family-office business for Hong Kong as highlighted by Stephen just now.
 
     Our ambitions are indeed, in a word, "grand".
 
     After all, the family-office business is flourishing. It has become an important growth segment in our asset- and wealth-management industry. 
 
     Asia's ultra-high-net-worth investor population expanded by 12 per cent last year, according to Knight Frank's 2021 "Wealth Report". That's five times more than the global average (2.4 per cent), I'm delighted to say, that is grand too. 
 
     And Hong Kong is the natural home for Asia's family-office business. We are the only city in the world that offers a secure, dynamic environment for business and unrivalled access to the Chinese economy.
 
     A leading international financial centre, Hong Kong is blessed with professional services prowess. We have what it takes to serve the wide-ranging financial and investment needs of family offices. And our continuing development of green and alternative investments is proving attractive to family offices and their diverse interests.
 
     Our deepening economic integration with the Mainland offers much for family offices. We are, after all, the world's largest offshore Renminbi business hub. We are also the largest source of overseas direct investment in the Mainland and, no less important, the leading destination for China's FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) outflow.
 
     When it comes to IPOs (initial public offerings), Hong Kong has topped the world for seven of the past 12 years. Our premier listing is a viable exit option for family offices with private equity investments.
 
     And now, thanks to InvestHK, we have FamilyOfficeHK. More than a new brand and a logo, we have a dedicated and experienced team centred right here. FamilyOfficeHK, with professionals in Beijing, Guangzhou and Brussels, will extend its reach, and its offerings, internationally.
 
     Together, they will prove indispensable to family offices – in their planning, management and expansion, as in their communications with regulators, government departments, relevant professional associations and other critical stakeholders. They will, in short, champion Hong Kong as Asia's family-office hub.
 
     This Government is committed to that grand goal. Last August, we launched the Limited Partnership Fund regime, boosting Hong Kong's status as an international asset- and fund-management centre. Indeed, more than 200 funds registered in the first eight months.
 
     In April this year, we passed legislation offering tax concessions for carried interest of private equity and venture capital funds, and we are also looking at creating a mechanism to help foreign funds re-domicile here in Hong Kong.
 
     And, as mentioned in this year's Budget, we're considering tax incentives as well. Indeed, a task force is now reviewing relevant tax arrangements. We're determined to boost Hong Kong's attractiveness as a family-office hub.
 
     I'm also pleased to note that our country's 14th Five-Year Plan underlines Hong Kong's status as an international financial capital, global offshore Renminbi business hub, and international asset-management and risk-management centre. 
 
     The Plan recognises, too, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development. Measures to enhance connectivity among the Area's 11 cities will give Hong Kong a clear advantage in expanding our private wealth-management and family-office sector.
 
     To that, let me add that our regulatory regime is recognised, and respected, internationally. And that can only inspire trust among family offices looking to Asia, Hong Kong in particular, for a place to call home.
 
     My thanks to our regulators and industry leaders and players for creating an enabling environment for family offices in Hong Kong. And my gratitude goes out to InvestHK for bringing FamilyOfficeHK to promising life and taking on its management responsibilities, with ambitious KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) as highlighted by Stephen. Working together, we will make it a grand success, of that I am confident. 
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you, and your family, the best of health and business in 2021. And among other things, do get vaccinated.
 
     Thank you.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (June 29) that a sample of common oriental clam was detected with a veterinary drug, chloramphenicol. The CFS is following up on the case.
 
     A CFS spokesman said, "The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample from a fresh provision shop in Sha Tin for testing under its Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained chloramphenicol at a level of 1,400 micrograms per kilogram."

     The spokesman said that the CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and instructed the vendor to stop sale of the affected product. The CFS is also tracing the source and distribution of the product concerned.
 
     According to the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations (Cap. 132AF), no fish (including shellfish) sold in Hong Kong for human consumption is allowed to contain chloramphenicol. Offenders will be prosecuted and will be liable to a fine of $50,000 and to imprisonment for six months upon conviction.
   
     The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.

     The Hong Kong Space Museum's Space Theatre will reopen on July 1 (Thursday) after a large-scale renovation. The new sky show "Worlds Beyond Earth", the Omnimax show "Ancient Caves" and the 3D dome show "Secrets of the Universe 3D" will also have their first screenings on the same day.
 
     The Space Theatre has been thrilling audiences since its inception at the Hong Kong Space Museum in 1980. The renovation this time is of the largest scale ever. The major part of the project was the replacement of the 23-metre-diameter dome screen. Utilising the latest NanoSeam technology, the new screen offers a seamless viewing experience, enabling sharper and more colourful images for different shows. Other facilities of the Space Theatre, including the digital sky projection system, audio equipment, the control studio and the production studio have been upgraded with cutting-edge technologies to provide audiences with exhilarating audiovisual experiences.
 
     The Space Museum has selected three new shows to be screened in the refurbished Space Theatre. The sky show "Worlds Beyond Earth" simulates a realistic and breathtaking solar system based on authentic data collected from space missions. Audiences will first visit the moon by following the lunar module "Falcon" of the Apollo mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. Other space probes will bring viewers on a dramatic flight through the swirling rings of Saturn, and provide soaring encounters with distant worlds of active volcanoes and buried oceans. The 25-minute show will remain until December 31. Screening times are 5pm on weekdays; 11am, 3.30pm and 8pm on weekends and public holidays.
 
     In the Omnimax show "Ancient Caves", audiences will join a treacherous expedition led by paleoclimatologist Dr Gina Moseley with her team of experienced cave explorers to search for ancient caves, both above and below water, in France, Iceland, the Bahamas, the US and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The journey will help unlock the secrets of the Earth's climate change through collecting thousands of years-old stalagmite samples. The 40-minute show will remain until March 31 next year. Screening times are 3.30pm and 8pm on weekdays; 2pm and 6.30pm on weekends and public holidays.
 
     The 3D dome show "Secrets of the Universe 3D" will immerse audiences in a scientific journey guided by world-renowned scientists. The visit to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and the Large Hadron Collider, the biggest machine ever built in human history, will help audiences learn more about how scientists make use of powerful scientific instruments in their attempts to unlock the secrets of the universe. The 42-minute show will remain until March 31 next year. Screening times are 2pm and 6.30pm on weekdays; 12.30pm and 5pm on weekends and public holidays.
 
     Tickets priced at $24 (front stalls) and $32 (stalls) will be available at the Hong Kong Space Museum Box Office and URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk) from tomorrow (June 30). The Museum, located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays).
 
     According to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F), visitors are required to scan the "LeaveHomeSafe" QR code or register their name, contact number and date and time of entry before being allowed to enter museums for necessary contact tracing if a confirmed case is found. Appeals are made to visitors to download the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app in advance and scan the QR code with the app before entering. Visitors who opt for registering their personal information at the scene are reminded to arrive earlier to avoid delaying their visits, as a longer time is required for such registration.
 
     In view of the latest situation of COVID-19, visitors to the Museum will need to use hand sanitiser and will be subject to temperature checks before admission. They also need to wear their own masks. Children under 3 years old will not be admitted to the Space Theatre. Children under 12 will only be allowed to enter the Museum and exhibition facilities when accompanied by an adult. For details of the shows and admission arrangements, please visit hk.space.museum/en_US/web/spm/spacetheatre.html, or call 2721 0226 for enquiries.