Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:
Yellow fire danger warning
The fire danger situation today (March 14) is yellow and the risk of fire is high. People are urged to prevent fires breaking out and hikers should also be vigilant.
The Government exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) and published in the Gazette a compulsory testing notice, which requires any person who had been present at 64 specified premises during the specified period (persons subject to compulsory testing) to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test.
Currently, in all districts in Hong Kong, if one or more new confirmed cases are found in the residential buildings (including buildings for both commercial and residential uses), or there are sewage samples tested positive which implied possible infection risks, the buildings will be included in the compulsory testing notice.
For testing targeting at workplaces, if one or more confirmed cases are found in a workplace, it will be included in the compulsory testing notice.
Fifty-six premises fulfilling the above criteria, one fitness centre and seven schools were included in the compulsory testing notice on March 13.
Details of the compulsory testing notice are as follows:
1. Any person who had been present at any specified premises listed in Part A of Annex 1 for more than two hours at any time during the period from February 28 to March 13, 2021 (including but not limited to visitors, residents and workers), have to undergo testing by March 16, 2021. If persons subject to compulsory testing have previously undergone testing between March 11 and March 13, 2021, they would be taken to have complied with the requirements set out in the compulsory testing notice.
2. Any person who had been present at any specified premises listed in Part B of Annex 1 for more than two hours at any time during the period from February 28 to March 13, 2021 (including but not limited to full-time, part-time and relief staff and visitors), have to undergo testing by March 16, 2021. If persons subject to compulsory testing have previously undergone testing between March 11 and March 13, 2021, they would be taken to have complied with the requirements set out in the compulsory testing notice.
3. Any person who had been present at any specified premises listed in Part C of Annex 1 at any time during the period from February 28 to March 13, 2021(except persons who had been engaged to work or had been on duty therein), have to undergo testing by March 16, 2021. If persons subject to compulsory testing have previously undergone testing between March 11 and March 13, 2021, they would be taken to have complied with the requirements set out in the compulsory testing notice. Persons who had been engaged to work or had been on duty in the specified premises listed in Part C of Annex 1 should undergo testing by March 14, 2021 in accordance with the compulsory notice issued on March 12, 2021.
4. Any person who had been present at any specified premises listed in Part D of Annex 1 for more than two hours at any time during the period from February 28 to March 13, 2021 (including but not limited to full-time, part-time and relief staff, students and visitors), have to undergo testing by March 16, 2021. If persons subject to compulsory testing who had been present at the seventh specified premises in Part D choose to undergo testing using the specimen bottles distributed by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), they have to return the specimen bottle with the sample by March 18, 2021. If persons subject to compulsory testing have previously undergone testing between March 11 and March 13, 2021, they would be taken to have complied with the requirements set out in the compulsory testing notice.
A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau reminds the public that 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 who is 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, have to undergo testing within two days of he/she becoming aware of 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 Government will set up mobile specimen collection stations at the following locations today (March 14). Please see Annex 2 for details of service scope:
The service period of the mobile specimen collection station at Carpark of Quarry Bay Community Hall will be extended to March 15 (Monday). The service period of the mobile specimen collection stations at Li Sing Street Playground, Kennedy Town Playground and Sai Ying Pun Community Complex will be extended to March 16 (Tuesday). The service period of the mobile specimen collection stations at Wong Chuk Hang Recreation Ground and Plaza of Sha Tin Town Hall will be extended to March 21 (Sunday).
Persons who had been engaged to work or had been on duty at any fitness centre can receive free testing at any mobile specimen collection stations which serve "local residents and workers subject to compulsory testing", "staff of catering premises and designated scheduled premises under Cap. 599F" or "general public".
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. Apart from mobile specimen collection stations, persons subject to compulsory testing can also choose to attend any of the community testing centres in all districts to receive testing free of charge.
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 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 DH or other relevant departments for anti-epidemic purpose 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 16 days since February 26.
In the past 24 hours ending at 8pm today (March 13), the following figures were recorded:
(i) About 8 500 persons received their first dose of Sinovac vaccine, including about 7 100 persons vaccinated at eight Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) and about 1 300 persons at private doctors and clinics participating in the programme; and
(ii) About 5 700 persons received their first dose of Comirnaty vaccine at seven CVCs.
(iii) A total of about 14 200 persons received their first dose of vaccine.
The overall percentage of people who have received Sinovac vaccine at eight CVCs today is about 75 per cent, while the overall percentage of people who have received Comirnaty vaccine at seven CVCs today is about 91 per cent.
So far, a cumulative total of about 177 000 persons have received their first vaccination dose (Annex 1), with about 149 200 persons receiving Sinovac vaccine and about 27 800 persons receiving Comirnaty vaccine.
In the past 24 hours ending at 0000 hours today, there were four cases of ambulance transfer to hospital and all were discharged (Annex 2).
The Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 4 pm today (March 13), one report was received from the Hospital Authority (HA) in the past 24 hours regarding a case admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with suspected serious adverse event following COVID-19 vaccination.
According to the information provided by the HA, the case involved a 63-year-old man who has history of atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, polycythemia, and alcoholic fatty liver. He started to have generalised malaise on March 10. Today, his general condition decreased and he attended the Accident and Emergency Department of North District Hospital. He was subsequently transferred to the ICU for further treatment with provisional diagnosis of acute stroke. He is now in critical condition. According to information, he received a dose of CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccination at Yuen Wo Road Sports Centre Community Vaccination Centre in Sha Tin four days before admission (March 9) and there was no record that the man complained of feeling unwell during observation at the Vaccination Centre.
The DH has immediately contacted the HA upon the notification to obtain further information on the incident for conducting investigation and assessment. According to the established mechanism, the DH will provide the case to the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunisation for conducting causality assessment, and the assessment result will be released in a timely manner.
​According to the World Health Organization, Adverse Events Following Immunisation refers to any untoward medical occurrence which follows immunisation and which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the usage of the vaccine. As a whole population, people with acute medical conditions with various severity are admitted to the hospitals every day. With the commencement of the vaccination programme, among those patients with acute medical conditions, there will be those that have received vaccines and reports of such cases might increase with the increasing vaccination uptakes. It is important for the surveillance system in place to monitor these adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination and to conduct causality assessments based on scientific and objective approach to ensure that any untoward outcome would not go unnoticed.
According to the information of the HA, in 2020, the provisional number of hospital admission due to myocardial infarction and acute ischemic stroke was about 7 300 cases and 10 300 cases respectively. People with chronic illness should seek medical attention if they feel unwell. They should also adhere to their treatment as prescribed by their doctors.
Separately, the HA informed the DH today regarding a case announced on March 7 of a 80-year-old male, who received treatment in the ICU of the Caritas Medical Centre and subsequently transferred to the Princess Margaret Hospital for further treatment, had passed away this afternoon due to ischaemic bowel disease. In addition, a case announced on March 11 of a 67-year-old male who received treatment in the ICU of the Kwong Wah Hospital had passed away this afternoon.
The Government today (March 13) 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 8.30pm, under which people (hereafter referred to as "persons subject to compulsory testing") within the specified "restricted area" in Central and Western District (i.e. Tower 1 and Tower 2, Robinson Place, 70 Robinson Road, Central and Western District; and Blessings Garden Phase 1, 95 Robinson Road and Blessings Garden Phase 2, 56 Conduit Road, Central and Western District; 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 area have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. The Government aims at finishing this exercise at about 9am tomorrow (March 14), 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 there are confirmed cases recorded in Robinson Place and Blessings Garden recently, as assessed, the risk of infection in the relevant area may be higher, the Government decided to make a 'restriction-testing declaration' for the relevant area."
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 have returned home. 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 9am tomorrow with a view to allowing residents to leave their premises at around 9am. 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 March 10 to 13, 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 buildings for more than two hours from February 28 to March 13, 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 March 15.
The Government has prepared simple food and cleaning supplies for the residents restricted by the declaration. The Home Affairs Department has set up a hotline (Tel: 2835 1473) and a dedicated hotline (Tel: 3755 6816) for ethnic minorities. The hotline services started operation at 8.30pm today for residents restricted by the declaration to make enquiries and seek assistance. The Social Welfare Department will also provide assistance to the affected persons.
The Government understands the residents in the district are anxious because of the increase in confirmed cases recently and they are worried that the resurgence of pandemic will affect their health and livelihood. The Government hopes this temporary inconvenience will completely cut the local transmission chains and ease residents' worries and fear, so that they will regain confidence in resuming social and business activities in the area, and return to a normal life.
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.