The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, together with the Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), Dr Lam Tai-fai, visited the HKSI today (April 8) to view the administering of a COVID-19 vaccine for athletes and coaches and to give encouragement to them.
 
     At the invitation of the HKSI, the Government has arranged Sinovac and BioNTech vaccinations for full-time athletes, coaches and relevant personnel of the HKSI since late March.
 
     "Athletes often need to participate in overseas training and competitions. However, the overseas situation of the COVID-19 outbreak has remained serious. Three local karatedo athletes were confirmed as being infected with the virus last year. Therefore, it is very important for athletes to get vaccinated. Having discussed with the HKSI Chairman, we made this special vaccination arrangement for athletes," Mr Nip said.
 
     "Getting vaccinated can protect the health of athletes, enabling them to concentrate on their training and competitions. I hope they will strive for good results for Hong Kong and for themselves in upcoming international competitions.
 
     "Many vaccine recipients today are elite athletes whose physical fitness and health conditions are better than those of ordinary people, and yet they fully understand the advantages of getting vaccinated. They show us that even young and healthy people should also get vaccinated against COVID-19. Members of the public should grasp the opportunity and act immediately to make appointments for vaccination."
 
     Mr Nip expressed his gratitude to the medical team of the Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) at the CUHK Medical Centre for administering the BioNTech vaccine for athletes today, as well as the medical team of the CVC at Yuen Wo Road Sports Centre for administering the Sinovac vaccine for athletes on March 25.
 
     At present, people aged 30 or above and people belonging to the priority groups can make reservations to get vaccinated. People belonging to the priority groups can make reservations through the online booking system on the designated website of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk) for receiving vaccines at the CVCs and the 18 general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority. They can also make appointments for vaccination with private doctors or clinics participating in the programme.
 
     Members of the public can search for information about all vaccination venues through the GeoInfo Map (www.map.gov.hk/gm/map/s/m/communityvaccinationservicesofcovid-19?lg=en) and the Interactive Map Dashboard of COVID-19 (chp-dashboard.geodata.gov.hk/covid-19/en.html) on the designated website.

      

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 9am today (April 8), 11 COVID-19 confirmed patients were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 11 174 patients with confirmed or probable infection have been discharged.
 
     At present, there are 645 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1 197 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 130 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in 20 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, among which eight patients are in critical condition, three are in serious condition and the remaining 119 patients are in stable condition.
 
     The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.
 
     Details of the above-mentioned patients are as follows:
 

     Hongkong Post announced today (April 8) that, as advised by the postal administration of Australia, mail delivery services to areas in New South Wales and Queensland that were previously affected by flooding have returned to normal. However, as local postal operations in Australia are still under the influence of the pandemic, delays in mail delivery (including Speedpost) are expected.

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
  
     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Bills Committee on Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2021 will hold a meeting tomorrow (April 9) at 4.30pm in Conference Room 3 of the LegCo Complex to meet with the Administration.

     A 31-year-old woman was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for four weeks by the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (April 8) for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) (the Regulation).

     The woman was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that she must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. Before the expiry of the quarantine order, she left the place of quarantine on September 22, 2020, without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer. She was charged with contravening sections 8(1) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today to immediate imprisonment for four weeks.  
      
     Pursuant to the Regulation, all persons who have stayed in the Mainland, Macao or Taiwan in the 14 days preceding arrival in Hong Kong, regardless of their nationality or travel documents, will be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Moreover, pursuant to the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E), starting from December 25, 2020, all persons arriving in Hong Kong (either via the airport or land boundary control points) who have stayed in places outside China on the day of arrival in Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day have to undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in designated quarantine hotels. Breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months.
      
     A spokesman for the Department of Health said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching a compulsory quarantine order is a criminal offence that the Government will not tolerate, and solemnly reminded the public to comply with the Regulation. As of today, a total of 120 persons have been convicted by the courts for breaching compulsory quarantine orders and have received sentences including immediate imprisonment for up to 14 weeks or a fine of up to $15,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached the relevant regulations.