In view of the latest pandemic situation, aided child care centre services and special child care centre services provided by non-governmental organisations will resume gradually, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said today (February 10). Details are as follows:

1. Aided child care centres providing day care services for children aged under 3 (including aided standalone child care centres and aided child care centres attached to kindergartens) will flexibly arrange for children to return to the centres after the Lunar New Year holidays having regard to their circumstances (e.g. individual centres' operational modes and individual parents' needs). Service users may contact the respective centres for details of the arrangements.

2. Special child care centres will gradually resume centre-based classroom training after the Lunar New Year holidays having regard to the centre's and service users' circumstances, as well as the parents' preferences. To minimise the risk of infection, classroom training will be conducted on a half-day basis. 

     All centres shall follow the guidelines issued by the Centre for Health Protection on infection control measures. To ensure that children are taken care of in a well-ventilated and safe environment, staff must wear masks, keep adequate social distancing, wash hands frequently, check body temperatures, etc, as appropriate. The SWD will continue to provide the centres with the latest guidelines on prevention of diseases.

     The SWD will keep in view the developments of the pandemic and make further public announcements if necessary.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) today (February 10) announced that in view of the COVID-19 epidemic and the winter service surge, the general out-patient clinic (GOPC) services will be enhanced during the Chinese New Year holiday. An addition of around 1 200 consultation quotas will be provided during the Chinese New Year holiday. Furthermore, four additional GOPCs will provide services during the long holiday, i.e. 17 clinics in total (see table below) will remain open to meet the service needs of the public.
 
     Given the unsteady COVID-19 epidemic situation locally, an HA spokesperson reminded the public to continue to stay vigilant during the festival. They should avoid participating in mass gatherings and minimise meal gatherings; maintain personal and environmental hygiene; comply with epidemic prevention measures such as wearing masks, practising hand hygiene frequently and maintaining social distance.
 
     The latest Accident and Emergency Department waiting time information is available on the HA website and in "HA Connect" on the "HA Go" mobile application. To find a suitable family doctor and related clinic service of one's choice, members of the public are welcome to browse the Primary Care Directory of the Food and Health Bureau at www.pcdirectory.gov.hk. In addition, members of the public can obtain specimen collection packs for COVID-19 tests during the holiday or submit specimens at 11 GOPCs (see the table below for details). The public can also obtain specimen collection packs at 20 MTR stations. For details, please visit the website: www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html.
 
     General out-patient clinic services during Chinese New Year holiday (February 12-15) is as follows:
 

# Will provide clinic services on February 14
* Will provide clinic services on February 15

Consultation Hours:
February 12 and 15: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm
February 13 and 14: 9am to 1pm
 
^ Will distribute specimen collection packs and collect specimens for COVID-19 tests during holidays
Specimen collection packs distribution time: 9am to 1pm
Specimen collection time: 9am to 11am

     The Eastern District Office together with the Office of the Licensing Authority of the Home Affairs Department (HAD), the Eastern Police District and the Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS), conducted an enforcement operation on the compulsory testing notice today (February 10) at a building in Quarry Bay, which was included in a compulsory testing notice earlier. The operation started at 6.45am and ended at around 9am.

     Starting from around 6.45am today, residents of Po Lee Building, 995 King's Road, Quarry Bay, were requested to provide an SMS notification received through mobile phone or related certification containing the results of COVID-19 tests, to show that they had taken such tests as required pursuant to the compulsory testing notice within the specified period issued by the Government earlier on. The Government arranged staff to verify the testing certifications of the residents at the entrance/exit of the building, and conducted random checks in the building to verify whether residents have undergone testing in compliance with the requirement. 

     During the operation, test records of over 110 residents were checked. Among them, 25 persons were found to have violated the compulsory testing notice. The Government has issued fixed penalties of $5,000 and/or compulsory testing orders to them, requiring them to undergo testing within a specified period. Non-compliance with a compulsory testing order is an offence liable to a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months.  

     The Government reiterates that the aim of issuing the compulsory testing notices is to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the community as soon as possible to protect the overall public health and safety. Persons subject to testing under a compulsory testing notice 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.

     The Government wishes to thank all residents who had complied with the compulsory testing notices for their co-operation to fight against the virus together. The Government will continue to enforce the law strictly. All persons subject to compulsory testing should comply with the compulsory testing notices. Any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notices may be liable to a fixed penalty of $5,000. The person will also be issued with a compulsory testing order, requiring him/her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Non-compliance with the order is an offence and the offender may be liable to a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months. 

     The Eastern District Office is grateful for the support and co-operation by the Office of the Licensing Authority of the HAD, the Police and the AMS to enable the enforcement action to be carried out smoothly. The Government is aware of the inconvenience caused to the residents, but hopes the residents can understand.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (February 10) that three more Inclusive Parks for Pets will be opened tomorrow (February 11) after consulting respective District Councils. This follows the announcement of 32 new Inclusive Parks for Pets last week.

     Members of the public can enjoy park facilities together with their pets in an inclusive environment. The newly added Inclusive Parks for Pets are located in Yau Tsim Mong District and Tuen Mun District. They are:

Yau Tsim Mong District
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Chui Yu Road Rest Garden
Waterloo Road/Ferry Street Sitting-out Area

Tuen Mun District
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Ki Lun Kong Public Park

     The LCSD will consider the views of the public on the new arrangements and open up more venues for pets in the future if a positive response is received.

     Park users should observe and follow the users' code for Inclusive Parks for Pets. Dog owners should keep their dogs on a leash. They should make sure pets are kept under proper control and are effectively restrained from causing a nuisance or danger to others, and owners should clean up any mess caused by their pets and keep the environment clean and hygienic.

     Please browse www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/facilities/otherinfo/petpark.html for the list of Inclusive Parks for Pets in various districts.

     To promote public awareness of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), thus enabling the preservation of these cultural gems, Hongkong Post has selected five local ICH items, namely the lion dance, pixiu dance, unicorn dance, dragon dance and Tai Hang fire dragon dance, for the launch of a special stamp issue and associated philatelic products with the theme "Intangible Cultural Heritage – Dragon and Lion Dance" on February 23 (Tuesday).
      
     The set of four stamps to be issued features the lion dance, pixiu dance, unicorn dance and dragon dance. With vivid and delicate brushstrokes, the meticulous details and lively postures of these characters are illustrated on the stamps. The bold appearance and agile movement of each character, set off with the festive background colours of gold or red commonly used for joyous occasions in Chinese culture, signify an auspiciousness that adds an extra note of festivity.
      
     The two stamp sheetlets present scenes of the Mid-Autumn Festival – the Tai Hang fire dragon dance, showcasing its extraordinary charm through different perspectives. The $10 stamp sheetlet portrays the grandiosity of the fire dragon parading through streets and alleys in the hands of performers, drawing a flock of bystanders that enjoy the hubbub of the festive event. The $20 stamp sheetlet depicts in detail the fire dragon and "dragon pearl" covered in incense sticks. Printed with a gold foil stamping effect, the $20 stamp sheetlet re-creates a setting of a blazing flame wreathed in curling smoke, as if enveloping viewers in the spectacular fire dragon dance.
      
     Starting from February 23, this set of special stamps and associated philatelic products, including a first day cover, mint stamps, stamp sheetlets, a mini-pane, a presentation pack and a serviced first day cover, will be placed on sale at post offices.
      
     Information about this special stamp issue and associated philatelic products are available on the Hongkong Post Stamps website (stamps.hongkongpost.hk) or the Hongkong Post mobile app.