â€‹The Highways Department (HyD) announced today (May 7) that in response to requests from interested tenderers, the tender period for the contract for Provision of Universal Accessibility Facilities at Footbridges, Elevated Walkways and Subways – Package 4 Contract 2 (Contract No. HY/2020/09) has been extended to noon on June 18.
      
     The HyD invited tenders for the contract on February 26. The tender period was originally scheduled to expire at noon on May 21.
      
     The extension of the tender period was gazetted today.
      
     The HyD has appointed WSP (Asia) Limited as the consultant to supervise the construction works. For enquiries, please call WSP (Asia) Limited at 2579 8509.

     The Government declared by notices in the Gazette today (May 7) the existence of three vacant elected seats in the Kowloon City District Council To Kwa Wan South Constituency, the Tsuen Wan District Council Ma Wan Constituency and the Sai Kung District Council Kwan Po Constituency.     

     The Court of First Instance of the High Court ruled on March 25, 2021, that Mr Lee Hin Long, an elected member of the Kowloon City District Council, was not duly elected. In accordance with section 26(d) of the District Councils Ordinance (Cap. 547), his office has become vacant since March 25, 2021.
          
     Moreover, following the resignation of elected members Mr Tam Hoi Pong of the Tsuen Wan District Council and Mr Lai Ming Chak of the Sai Kung District Council, their offices have become vacant since April 20, 2021, and May 1, 2021, respectively, pursuant to section 26(b) of the District Councils Ordinance (Cap. 547).

     The Government will exercise the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) and publish in the Gazette a compulsory testing notice, which requires any person who had been present at 17 specified premises during the specified period (persons subject to compulsory testing) to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test.
      
     A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau reminded the public that persons who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course would be taken to have complied with the requirements set out in the compulsory testing notices and hence are not required to undergo compulsory testing. Completion of the vaccination course in general means having received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine 14 days ago.
      
     In view of a preliminary positive case recorded today (May 6), one specified premises is included in the compulsory testing notice. In addition, upon further investigation by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), the close contacts of an earlier confirmed case (Case 11672) involving N501Y mutant strain attended gatherings with friends at Deep Water Bay Beach. Persons who had been present at Deep Water Bay Beach at specified periods are required to undergo compulsory testing.
      
     Furthermore, in view of an earlier local confirmed case involving N501Y mutant strain (Case 11773), persons who had been present at the relevant specified premises during the specified period have to undergo a second test.
      
     In addition, since there were outbreaks of upper respiratory tract infection and/or influenza-like illness in 10 schools, and the symptoms of the concerned diseases are similar to those of COVID-19, for prudence's sake, the 10 schools are also covered in the compulsory testing notice.

     Details of the compulsory testing notice are at Annex 1.
      
     In accordance with the compulsory testing notice issued earlier, all household members of close contacts are required to undergo compulsory testing. Any person who had lived with a person placed under quarantine pursuant to section 22 of the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A) (person under quarantine) in the same residential unit on the date of commencement of quarantine or during the 14 days before that day, and who becomes aware of the quarantine of the person under quarantine when the relevant quarantine has not yet been completed, has to undergo testing within two days of him or her becoming aware that the person under quarantine has been placed under quarantine and report to the Government the result of the test by phone (at 6275 6901), fax (at 2530 5872) or email (ct@csb.gov.hk) within three days of undergoing the test.
          
     The spokesman thanked the general public for their co-operation in undergoing compulsory testing for fighting the virus together.
      
     Specimens were collected for over 95 000 persons (including more than 32 000 foreign domestic helpers (FDHs)) yesterday (May 5) at community testing centres (CTCs) and mobile specimen collection stations. The spokesman said that compared with last weekend, usage was lower at CTCs and mobile specimen collection stations in the past few days, and waiting time was much shorter. FDHs who have yet to receive testing are appealed to receive testing soonest possible without waiting until the weekend.
      
     For FDHs who have yet to receive testing, they can still make use of the service provided at CTCs and mobile specimen collection stations in the coming few days. Currently, there are a total of 21 CTCs providing testing service for the public, including free service for persons subject to compulsory testing. The number of tests available for appointments at CTCs has been increased to over 49 000 per day, and additional manpower has been deployed to serve the public. As of 6pm today (May 6), there are around 20 000 booking places available for the coming three days (May 7 to 9) at the 21 CTCs. Booking and walk-in services are available. Members of the public only need to provide simple personal information on the 24-hour booking system (www.communitytest.gov.hk/en). Booking status of centres for the coming week will be shown for public's selection of suitable testing centre and time slot for testing. The testing centres will accord priority to serve individuals with advance bookings. Members of the public may call the testing centres for enquiries on the availability of bookings or walk-in quotas before visiting the centres. The Government reminds FDHs who have made bookings to visit their selected centre at the booked time slot for testing, and employers may assist those who have yet to receive testing to book online book to utilise the remaining quotas.
      
     The Government will set up mobile specimen collection stations at the following locations tomorrow (May 7) for persons subject to compulsory testing for free:
 
•  Open Space outside Ying Yat House and Luk Yat House, Yat Tung Estate, Tung Chung (May 7 to 9)
•  Public Open Space of Tung Chung Crescent and Town Square at Citygate, Tung Chung (May 7 to 9)

     The Government will also set up mobile specimen collection stations at the following locations to facilitate free testing by FDHs:
 
•  Chater Garden, Central (near Exit J2 of MTR Central Station) (May 8 to 9)
•  Soccer Pitch No. 6, Victoria Park, Causeway Bay (near Exit A2 of MTR Tin Hau Station) (May 8 to 9)
•  Lai Chi Kok Park entrance (near Exit D of MTR Mei Foo Station) (May 8 to 9)
•  Tsuen Wan Park (Tai Ho Road entrance, near Exit D of MTR Tsuen Wan West Station) (May 8 to 9)
 
     Coupled with the 21 CTCs, there will be a total of 57 CTCs/mobile specimen collection stations in various districts tomorrow to provide free service for persons subject to compulsory testing (including FDHs), the testing capacity should be sufficient to meet the demand. The opening dates and operating hours of the mobile specimen collection stations in various districts providing free COVID-19 nucleic acid testing services for the general public are stated in Annex 2. Persons with "LeaveHomeSafe" COVID-19 exposure notification or SMS notification from the Centre for Health Protection reminding them to undergo testing as soon as possible may receive free testing at community testing centres or mobile specimen collection stations (if the service scope is applicable).

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

1. To visit any of the 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 community testing centres (see the list at www.communitytest.gov.hk/en);
3. To obtain a deep throat saliva specimen collection pack from any of the 121 post offices, vending machines set up at 20 MTR stations or 47 designated general outpatient 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);
4. To undergo testing at any of the GOPCs of the Hospital Authority as instructed by a medical professional of the Hospital Authority;
5. To self-arrange testing provided by private laboratories which are recognised by the Department of Health (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); or
6.To use a specimen bottle distributed to the relevant specified premises by the CHP (if applicable), and return the specimen bottle with the sample collected as per relevant guidelines.

     The spokesman cautioned that testing received at Accident and Emergency Departments of the Hospital Authority or during hospital stays, 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 mobile specimen collection stations or the community testing centres."

     Persons subject to compulsory testing must keep the SMS notification containing the result of the test for checking by a law enforcement officer when the officer requires the persons to provide information about their undergoing the specified test.

     Furthermore, persons subject to testing under the compulsory testing notices should, as far as reasonably practicable, take appropriate personal disease prevention measures including wearing a mask and maintaining hand hygiene, and, unless for the purpose of undergoing the specified test, stay at their place of residence and avoid going out until the test result is ascertained as far as possible.

     Any enquiries on compulsory testing arrangements may be addressed to the hotline at 6275 6901, which operates daily from 9am to 6pm. If persons subject to compulsory testing plan to conduct testing at any of the community testing centres, they can check the centre's appointment status in advance. The hotlines of the community testing centres are available at www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/info.

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

     Relevant officers of different government departments are empowered to perform certain functions under the relevant Regulations under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599), including requesting individuals to provide information and assistance when necessary. Any person who fails to comply with the relevant request commits an offence and would be liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000). Collection and use of any personal data for conducting COVID-19 tests must meet the requirements under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486). Government departments or testing service providers which handle the relevant information may provide the data to the DH or other relevant departments for anti-epidemic purposes as necessary. The workflow does not involve the provision of any personal data to organisations or persons outside Hong Kong.

     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 contacted confirmed cases), to undergo testing promptly for early identification of infected persons."

     The COVID-19 Vaccination Programme has been implemented for the 70th day since February 26, 2021.

     So far, about 1 624 000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered for members of the public (please see Annex 1). Among them, about 1 021 200 persons have received their first dose, with about 462 900 persons receiving the Sinovac vaccine and about 558 400 persons receiving the BioNTech vaccine. About 602 800 persons have received their second dose, with about 330 700 persons receiving the Sinovac vaccine and about 272 100 persons receiving the BioNTech vaccine.

     In the last 24 hours ending at 8pm today (May 6), about 30 300 persons have received vaccination and about 17 600 new vaccination bookings have been made online, detailed as follows:

(i) About 5 100 persons received their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine, including about 2 100 persons vaccinated at Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) and about 3 000 persons at private doctors and clinics participating in the programme;

(ii) about 3 000 persons received their second dose of the Sinovac vaccine, including about 1 700 persons vaccinated at CVCs and about 1 300 persons at private doctors and clinics;

(iii) about 10 700 persons received their first dose of the BioNTech vaccine at CVCs, and about 11 600 persons received their second dose of the BioNTech vaccine;

(iv) the overall percentage of people who have received the Sinovac vaccine at CVCs is about 96 per cent; while the overall percentage of people who have received the BioNTech vaccine at CVCs is about 96 per cent; and

(v) about 4 100 persons have made online bookings for receiving their first and second doses of the Sinovac vaccine, while about 13 500 persons have made online bookings for receiving their first and second doses of the BioNTech vaccine.

     In the last 24 hours ending at 0.00am today, there were 13 cases of ambulance transfers to hospitals. Among them, nine persons were discharged, three persons were admitted for observation and one person was discharged against medical advice (please see Annex 2).

     As background information, in the last 24 hours ending at 0.00am today, there were 41 cases of stroke or myocardial infarction that required admission to the Intensive Care Unit, Acute Stroke Unit and Cardiac Care Unit of public hospitals. The state of new cases admitted to the wards concerned is provided as a cross reference to enhance fuller public understanding of cases of the kind recorded on vaccine recipients.

     The Government today (May 6) exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to make a "restriction-testing declaration" (declaration) effective from 9pm, under which people (hereafter referred to as "persons subject to compulsory testing") within the specified "restricted area" in Chai Wan (i.e. Fung Hing House, Hing Wah (II) Estate, 18 Wan Tsui Road, Chai Wan; see Annex) are required to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing. Persons subject to compulsory testing are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the "restricted area" have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. The Government aims at finishing this exercise at about 7am tomorrow (May 7), in order to achieve the goal of zero cases in the district with concerted efforts.

     A Government spokesman said, "Under Cap. 599J, the Government can, according to the needs of infection control, make a 'restriction-testing declaration'. As a preliminary positive case was detected in Fung Hing House, Hing Wah (II) Estate today and the preliminary test result involved a mutant strain, the risk of infection in the relevant area is assessed to be likely higher, the Government decided to make a 'restriction-testing declaration' for the relevant area after the test result was found positive."

     The Government will set up temporary specimen collection stations at the "restricted area" and request persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo testing before 2am tomorrow. Persons subject to compulsory testing will be arranged to undergo nucleic acid testing at specimen collection stations where dedicated staff will collect samples through combined nasal and throat swabs. Persons subject to compulsory testing must stay at their place of residence until all test results are ascertained to avoid cross-infection risk. The Government will arrange door-to-door specimen collection for people with impaired mobility and elderly persons.

     "We understand that this exercise will cause inconvenience to the public. The Government has made arrangements to carry out testing for all persons present in the 'restricted area' as soon as possible at night after most people are released from work. The aim is to strive to complete testing of all identified persons subject to compulsory testing and confirm the results, and finish the exercise at around 7am tomorrow with a view to allowing residents to start going to work at around 7am. The Government will make a public announcement when the declaration expires officially. In the cases in which employees are unable to go to work because of the declaration, the Government hopes their employers can exercise discretion and not deduct the salaries or benefits of the employees."

     If staying in the "restricted area" will cause unreasonable hardship to individuals who are not residents in the area when the declaration takes effect, government officers may exercise discretion and allow that person to leave the area after considering the individual circumstances. That person must have followed the instructions to undergo testing and leave his/her personal information for contact purposes.

     Persons in the "restricted area" who have undergone testing from May 4 to May 6, 2021, and are able to provide the SMS notification through a mobile phone or related certification containing the test results, are not required to take the test again. However, they are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the area have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. Also, according to the compulsory testing notice issued today, any person who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from April 23 to May 6, 2021, even if they were not present in the "restricted area" at the time when the declaration took effect, must undergo compulsory testing on or before May 8.
      
     If there are 2021 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) candidates in the "restricted area" who need to sit the HKDSE the following day but have not undergone testing from May 4 to May 6, 2021, and are not able to provide the SMS notification through a mobile phone or related certification containing the test results, the Government advises candidates to go to the temporary specimen collection stations at the "restricted area" as soon as possible and identify themselves as 2021 HKDSE candidates and submit relevant documents (including admission forms) for proof. The candidates will be given priority testing with a view to enabling them to obtain test results as early as possible.
      
     The candidates concerned should go to the temporary specimen collection stations in the 'restricted area' with their identity document and admission form as soon as possible for priority testing. It is the candidate's responsibility to follow the testing process and go to the temporary specimen collection stations as soon as possible for the test. Otherwise, the officers will not be able to prioritise the testing of samples collected late.
      
     If a candidate needs to leave the "restricted area" for the exam centre before the declaration is revoked, he/she can make a request to the prescribed officers in the "restricted area", regardless of whether the test result has been obtained or not. The prescribed officer may allow the candidate to leave the "restricted area" after verifying that the candidate has undergone testing as required and recording the relevant information of the candidate. Candidates who receive a negative test result on their way to the exam centres will be allowed to sit the exam as scheduled. For the safety of all candidates, only those candidates who have obtained negative results in the nucleic acid test will be allowed to enter the examination hall. For details, please read the relevant press release issued by the Education Bureau earlier: www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/01/P2021040100808.htm

     The Housing Department has set up a hotline (Tel: 2557 0115) which started operation at 9pm today for residents restricted by the declaration to make enquiries and seek assistance.

     The Government appeals to persons subject to compulsory testing for their full co-operation by registering and undergoing testing, and waiting for the results patiently at home. The Government will strictly follow up on whether the persons concerned have complied with the compulsory testing notices and "restriction-testing declaration". Any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notices commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $5,000. The person would also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the compulsory testing order or the "restriction-testing declaration" is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months.