Hongkong Post announced today (February 5) that, as advised by the postal administration of France, due to a major strike in the locality, all mail delivery services (except Speedpost) to Martinique, French West Indies, are subject to delay.
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) made the following statement today (February 5) regarding doxxing and cyber-bullying against healthcare staff:
While thousands of staff members were absent from duty recently, the remaining healthcare staff members have stayed on duty to maintain emergency and essential patient services.
The HA strongly condemns the malicious behaviour of cyber-bullying that disclosed personal information of staff members staying on duty, and of private healthcare staff offering support to the HA.
The HA once again thanks all staff staying on duty for their dedication and commitment to safeguard the health of patients.
The HA urges members of the public to stop forwarding any kind of cyber-bullying messages, which will affect public hospital services and the morale of healthcare workers.
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
As at noon today (February 5), public hospitals had reported to the Department of Health (DH) the admission of 62 patients (23 male and 39 female, aged 6 months to 93) in the past 24 hours who met the reporting criteria of severe respiratory disease associated with a novel infectious agent. Specimens of the patients concerned have been sent for testing. There are still 84 patients under isolation.
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.
The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) appealed today (February 5) to registered electors who received inquiry letters issued by the Office to reply as soon as possible by the statutory deadline of May 2 this year via post, fax or email in accordance with the letter's instructions, so as to maintain their voter registration (VR) status and so that they can vote at the Legislative Council General Election (LCGE) to be held in the third quarter of this year and at subsequent public elections.
To enhance the accuracy and completeness of the information in the registers of electors, from today until April the REO will issue inquiry letters in accordance with the relevant electoral laws to about 90 000 electors asking them to confirm or update their registered addresses.
"A prominent message, 'Immediate action required. Your voting right is at stake', is printed on the envelopes of all inquiry letters to remind the electors that the letters are important and should be opened and replied to as soon as possible. Electors who received an inquiry letter should reply to the REO on or before May 2 to confirm or update their registered addresses," the spokesman for the REO said.
"If the REO does not receive a valid reply from an elector under inquiry, the name of the elector will be included in the omissions list to be published on or before June 1. Electors included in the omissions list have to reply to the reminding letter separately issued by the REO to the elector concerned or lodge a claim before the statutory deadline of June 25, 2020, as well as obtain the approval of the Revising Officer before they can maintain their VR status, be included in the final register of electors to be published in July 2020, and be able to vote at the LCGE to be held in the third quarter of this year.”
The aforesaid statutory inquiry procedure forms a critical part of the series of checking measures conducted by the REO in each VR cycle and aims to enhance the accuracy and completeness of the information on VR.
In addition, as part of the regular checking measures conducted in each VR cycle, the REO issued enquiry letters on December 13, 2019, to about 70 000 electors selected through random sampling, with the original deadline of reply as specified on the letter falling on January 31, 2020. In view of the temporary suspension of postal services of Hongkong Post from January 29 to February 2, 2020, due to the situation arising from the novel coronavirus, the REO has extended the reply deadline of the enquiry letters concerned to February 14, 2020. The REO advised that electors who received the enquiry letters may also submit their replies through email or fax apart from doing so by post.
Electors who have enquiries on the letters received from the REO may call the REO hotline at 2891 1001. Meanwhile, the frequently asked questions on checking measures of VR have also been uploaded to the homepage of the REO (www.reo.gov.hk).
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest provisional figures on restaurant receipts and purchases today (February 5).
The value of total receipts of the restaurants sector in the fourth quarter of 2019, provisionally estimated at $26.0 billion, decreased by 14.3% over a year earlier. Over the same period, the provisional estimate of the value of total purchases by restaurants decreased by 13.0% to $8.4 billion.
After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total restaurant receipts decreased by 16.0% in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared with a year earlier.
Analysed by type of restaurant and comparing the fourth quarter of 2019 with the fourth quarter of 2018, total receipts of Chinese restaurants decreased by 19.2% in value and 21.1% in volume. Total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants decreased by 15.1% in value and 16.6% in volume. Total receipts of fast food shops decreased by 3.7% in value and 4.9% in volume. Total receipts of bars decreased by 14.5% in value and 17.4% in volume. As for miscellaneous eating and drinking places, total receipts decreased by 8.2% in value and 10.6% in volume.
Based on the seasonally adjusted series, the provisional estimate of total restaurant receipts decreased by 3.1% in value and 3.4% in volume in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared with the preceding quarter.
For 2019 as a whole, the value of total receipts of the restaurants sector was provisionally estimated at $112.5 billion, decreased by 5.9% in value and 8.0% in volume compared with the whole year of 2018. Over the same period, the provisional estimate of the total purchases of restaurants decreased by 5.1% to $36.1 billion.
Analysed by type of restaurant and comparing the whole year of 2019 with the whole year of 2018, total receipts of Chinese restaurants decreased by 10.0% in value and 12.1% in volume. Total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants decreased by 6.4% in value and 8.3% in volume. Total receipts of fast food shops increased by 1.9% in value and 0.1% in volume. Total receipts of bars decreased by 9.0% in value and 10.7% in volume. As for miscellaneous eating and drinking places, total receipts increased by 1.6% in value, but decreased by 1.7% in volume.
To facilitate further understanding of the short-term business performance of the restaurants sector, statistics in respect of the restaurant receipts and purchases in individual months of the reference quarter are also compiled.
Analysed by month, it was provisionally estimated that the value of total receipts of the restaurants sector decreased by 14.2%, 14.9% and 14.0% respectively in October, November and December 2019, compared with the corresponding months a year earlier.
After discounting the effect of price changes, it was provisionally estimated that the volume of total restaurant receipts decreased by 15.9%, 16.7% and 15.6% respectively in October, November and December 2019, compared with the corresponding months a year earlier.
Commentary
A Government spokesman noted that the value of total restaurant receipts showed a steeper plunge of 14.3% in the fourth quarter of 2019 from a year earlier, marking the largest fall since the outbreak of SARS in the second quarter of 2003, as the local social incidents with intensified violence in the quarter caused severe disruptions to food and beverage businesses. For 2019 as a whole, total restaurant receipts declined by 5.9% in value terms, the first annual decline since 2003.
The spokesman further pointed out that the food and beverage sector has been facing an even more difficult business environment recently due to the threat of the novel coronavirus infection. The outlook down the road depends critically on how the situation of the novel coronavirus infection will evolve. The Government will continue to monitor the developments closely.
Further information
Table 1 presents the revised figures of restaurant receipts by type of restaurant and total purchases by the restaurants sector for the third quarter of 2019 as well as the provisional figures for the fourth quarter of 2019.
Table 2 and Table 3 present the revised value and volume indices respectively of restaurant receipts by type of restaurant for the third quarter of 2019 and the provisional indices for the fourth quarter of 2019.
Table 4 presents the year-on-year rate of change in total restaurant receipts in value and volume terms based on the original quarterly series, as well as the quarter-to-quarter rate of change based on the seasonally adjusted series.
The revised figures on restaurant receipts and purchases for the fourth quarter of 2019 (with breakdown by month) will be released through the website of C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/bbs.jsp) and relevant publications of the Department from March 20, 2020.
The classification of restaurants follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC) Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.
More detailed statistics are given in the "Report on Quarterly Survey of Restaurant Receipts and Purchases". Users can download this publication free of charge at the website of C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp320.jsp?productCode=B1080002).
Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Distribution Services Statistics Section of C&SD (Tel: 3903 7401; email: qsr@censtatd.gov.hk).