The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) today (February 9) announced that a patient confirmed with COVID-19 passed away last evening.
 
     An 82-year-old female with an underlying disease (case number: 6887) tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to PWH for isolation treatment on December 5, 2020. After treatment, the patient tested positive for an antibody and was released from isolation on order by the Department of Health on January 12. She was transferred to Shatin Hospital for treatment on January 13. The patient was transferred back to PWH due to deterioration of her underlying disease on January 31. Her condition continued to deteriorate and she eventually succumbed at 6.05pm yesterday.
 
     The hospital is saddened about the passing away of the patient and would offer necessary assistance to her family members.
 
     Including the above patient, 181 COVID-19 patients have passed away in public hospitals so far.

     The Lands Department announced today (February 9) that the tender for a site, Rural Building Lot No. 1222 at Nos. 9 and 11 Mansfield Road, the Peak, Hong Kong, has been awarded to the highest tenderer, Active Pursuit Limited (parent companies: Wharf Development Limited, Boswell Holdings Ltd, Cheung Chung Kiu, Chan Hoi Wan and Lau Luen Hung, Thomas), on a 50-year land grant at a premium of $7,250,000,000.

     The tenderers, other than the successful tenderer, in alphabetical order, with the name of the parent company where provided by the tenderer in brackets, were:

(1) Great Rainbow Investments Limited (CK Asset Holdings Limited);
(2) Honest Profit Development Limited (Henderson Land Development Company Limited);
(3) Pacific Great International Limited (Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited); and
(4) Strong Associate Limited (K. Wah International Holdings Limited).

     Rural Building Lot No. 1222 has a site area of about 5,067 square metres and is designated for private residential purposes. The minimum gross floor area and the maximum gross floor area are 8,081 sq m and 13,468 sq m respectively. The maximum gross floor area is subject to Special Condition No. (9)(b)(ii)(II) in the Conditions of Sale.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 9am today (February 9), 58 COVID-19 confirmed patients were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 9 976 patients with confirmed or probable infection have been discharged.
 
     At present, there are 674 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1 233 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 474 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in 24 public hospitals and a community treatment facility, among which 24 patients are in critical condition, 23 are in serious condition and the remaining 427 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:
 

     Co-organised by the Art Promotion Office and the Hong Kong Designers Association, the second exhibition "Things That We Overlook in Everyday Life" of the "Art><Creativity" exhibition series in the Greater Bay Area opens from February 6 to 10 and from February 15 to 28 at Nantou City of Shenzhen.
 
     Hong Kong artist Angel Hui and designer Michael Leung, inspired by the pre-Qin classic text Shan Hai Jing (The Classic of Mountains and Seas) as well as local culture and life, reinterpret ordinary everyday objects. They aim to attract visitors' attention to the minutiae around them and imbue everyday objects with new meanings by adopting unique concepts, artistic practices and design.
 
     Blending traditional and contemporary elements, Hong Kong up-and-coming artist Hui transforms tissue paper into ceramic works with painting of mythical demons and rare animals from Shan Hai Jing. She also embroiders lively goldfish images on transparent plastic bags with inspiration by the local urban landscape of Hong Kong's Goldfish Market. Hong Kong promising young designer Leung is interested in the extensive reinterpretations of Shan Hai Jing. He transforms disposable wooden boxes into incense burners, from which the smoke depicts the passage of time, and the measurable weight of accumulated ashes signifies intangible time. Moreover, the duo reinterpret ordinary everyday objects by using facial masks, disinfectants and patterns on plastic shopping bags to create two groups of neon light installations, which reflect the new normal under the pandemic and reveal pleasant little surprises that the audience often overlook in everyday life.
 
     The "Art><Creativity" exhibition series in the Greater Bay Area is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, co-organised by the Art Promotion Office and the Hong Kong Designers Association, with Shenzhen Fringe Art Centre being the project partner. The series runs in four cities in the Greater Bay Area, namely Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Foshan, and Dongguan, features six exhibitions showcasing the works of 12 Hong Kong artists and designers, as well as a Shenzhen media artist.
 
     For details of the exhibition series, please visit the website of the Art Promotion Office www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/APO/en_US/web/apo/art_creativity_exhibition_series_in_the_greater_bay_area.html and the Facebook page of "arTHere" www.facebook.com/apo.arTHere, or call 2512 3000.

            

     Six existing digital TV programme channels will use new transmitting frequencies from 0.00am on December 1 this year. In this connection, the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) appeals to the public to make preparations for the continued reception of these TV programme channels, having regard to their antenna reception systems in use (common antenna broadcast distribution (CABD) systems or self-provided TV antennae), paying attention to notices and arrangements promulgated by their buildings and contractors, and performing rescanning where necessary.

     The six digital TV programme channels involved are Jade 81 of Television Broadcasts Limited, ViuTVsix 96 and ViuTV 99 of HK Television Entertainment Company Limited, and RTHK TV 31, RTHK TV 32 and RTHK TV 33 of Radio Television Hong Kong.

     The above digital TV programme channels are currently using transmission frequencies in the 600/700 MHz bands. After the switching off of analogue television services on November 30, 2020, transmissions on these frequencies will cease and be migrated to the 500 MHz band so as to vacate spectrum for high value-added mobile telecommunications services including 5G, enhancing network capacity and coverage, and relieving the currently congested indoor mobile telecommunications hotspots (such as MTR stations). The Government plans to assign the relevant spectrum by the end of this year to support Hong Kong's overall telecommunications services and smart city development.

     In general, public housing estates, private residential buildings/estates and multi-storey buildings use CABD systems or in-building coaxial cable distribution systems (IBCCDS) to distribute television signals. To allow sufficient time for owners or property managers to arrange for the necessary system reconfiguration, the above six digital TV programme channels will be broadcast on both the existing and new transmitting frequencies (digital simulcast) from April 1 to November 30 this year. When the digital simulcast ends on December 1, the six digital TV programme channels will be broadcast on the new transmitting frequencies only. The channel numbers of these TV programmes channels (i.e. 31, 32, 33, 81, 96 and 99) will remain unchanged.

     "In light of the channel migration, owners of CABD systems/IBCCDS should get prepared for engaging contractors to reconfigure the systems during the digital simulcast period so as to ensure that the households of their buildings can continue to receive the TV programme channels concerned. Depending on the design of the individual CABD systems/IBCCDS, property managers may need to inform their residents or users to rescan the TV programme channels on their digital terrestrial television receivers upon completion of the reconfiguration work," a spokesman for OFCA said.

     "For households using self-provided antennae, including residents of village houses, bungalows and old tenement buildings, they generally do not need to upgrade their receiving antennae. If they are not able to receive any of the TV programme channels affected by the channel migration after 0.00am on December 1 this year, they can rescan the programme channels on their digital TV equipment for continued reception of the TV programme channels concerned," the spokesman continued.

     To raise the public's understanding of the channel migration and the preparatory work required, OFCA will launch a series of publicity programmes. The publicity programmes cover issuing letters to building management offices, incorporated owners of buildings and other parties maintaining/operating CABD systems/IBCCDS; putting up posters and distributing flyers at public housing estates and private residential buildings/estates; and launching TV and radio Announcements in the Public Interest. OFCA will also provide further information and assistance to households using self-provided antennae in the second half of this year.

     Details of the channel migration can be found on the thematic webpage on OFCA's website (www.ofca.gov.hk/en/consumer_focus/tv_broadcasting/migration_of_dtt_programme_channels/index.html). For enquiries, please call OFCA's hotline at 2961 6333.