Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations: Yellow fire danger warning The fire danger situation today (February 5) is yellow and the risk of fire is high. People are urged to prevent fires breaking out and hik… read more
​The Government has 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 nine 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 with unknown sources 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.
Furthermore, the Government has delineated earlier four specified areas, namely the “Jordan specified area” bounded by Nathan Road to its east, Austin Road to its south, Ferry Street, Man Cheong Street, Man Wui Street and Canton Road to its west, and Kansu Street to its north, the “Yau Ma Tei/Mong Kok specified area” bounded by Nathan Road to its east, Public Square Street to its south, Ferry Street to its west and Dundas Street to its north, the “Hung Hom specified area” bounded by Station Lane to its northeast, Dock Street and Po Loi Street to its southeast, Winslow Street and Hung Hom South Road to its southwest, and Chatham Road North to its northwest and the “Sham Shui Po specified area” bounded by Yen Chow Street to its northwest, Tai Po Road to its northeast, Maple Street to its southeast and Lai Chi Kok Road to its southwest. If there is one or more new confirmed cases found in the residential buildings (including buildings for both commercial and residential uses) in the areas, 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 two or more confirmed cases are found in a workplace, it will be included in the compulsory testing notice.
Nine buildings fulfilling the above criteria were included in the compulsory testing notice on February 4.
Details of the compulsory testing notice are as follows:
1. Any person who had been present at any specified premises listed in Parts A, B of Annex 1 for more than two hours at any time during the period from January 22 to February 4, 2021 (including but not limited to visitors, residents and workers), have to undergo testing by February 6, 2021. If persons subject to compulsory testing have previously undergone testing between February 2 and February 4, 2021, they would be taken to have complied with the requirements set out in the compulsory testing notice.
2. Any person who had been engaged to work or had been on duty at specified premises listed in Part C of Annex 1 at any time during the period from January 22 to February 4, 2021 (including full-time, part-time and relief staff), have to undergo testing by February 6, 2021. If persons subject to compulsory testing have previously undergone testing between February 2 and February 4, 2021, they would be taken to have complied with the requirements set out in the compulsory testing notice.
The Government will set up mobile specimen collection stations at Heng On Estate in Ma On Shan and Wo Ming Court in Tseung Kwan O today (February 5). The service periods of the mobile specimen collection stations at MacPherson Playground in Mong Kok, Man Wui Street (near Ferry Street), Ferry Point in Jordan and Hung Hom Municipal Services Building Sports Centre will be extended to February 5, February 6 (Saturday) and February 7, 2021 (Sunday) respectively. 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 Centre for Health Protection (if applicable), and return the specimen bottle with the sample collected as per relevant guidelines.
A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau 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.” read more
​The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) today (February 4) announced that samples taken from a local pig farm had tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF) virus.
An AFCD spokesman said, “The concerned samples were taken from a licensed pig farm at Wong Nai Tun, Yuen Long. According to the contingency plan on ASF, the AFCD has immediately suspended any pigs to be transported from the farm concerned until further notice. The AFCD also inspected the concerned pig farm and took samples from pigs in different sheds for testing. The six pigs that were tested positive were all in the same shed. There were about 240 pigs in this shed and they will all be culled.
“The test results of pigs in other sheds on the farm were all negative. AFCD staff did not find any abnormalities in health condition of the pigs during inspection. Given the fact that there is stringent bio-security measures implemented on the farm to minimise the risk of infection, and that all sheds are separated structures without any linkage in between, further observation and testing are considered appropriate without the necessity of culling any pigs in other sheds at this stage after consulting international experts in the area. Thorough cleansing and disinfection is being conducted on the farm. The AFCD will continue to investigate and trace the source of the virus as well as notifying the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE) and arranging for the samples to be sent to an OIE reference laboratory for further testing.”
The spokesman stressed that ASF is not a zoonotic disease and will not infect humans, hence does not cause any food safety risk. Pork cooked thoroughly is safe for consumption. Members of the public do not need to be concerned.
He further said, “AFCD staff immediately inspected the three pig farms within three kilometres of the index farm. No abnormalities were found in the health of those pigs. For the sake of prudence, the AFCD has also temporarily suspended movements of pigs on these farms and will take samples from pigs for testing to ensure no infection on the farms. No reports of abnormalities from pig farms outside the three kilometre zone have been received. AFCD staff will step up inspection of all local pig farms; make sure bio-security measures have been properly implemented; and continue close surveillance to detect pigs with abnormalities and if a farm is infected as early as possible.”
The present case does not affect the operation of local slaughterhouses nor the overall supply of live pigs. Since June 2019, a daily clearance arrangement whereby live pigs will be slaughtered within 24 hours upon admittance has been imposed in Sheung Shui and Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouses. Under the arrangement, lairages in different areas of the slaughterhouses will be cleared out and undergo thorough cleansing and disinfection every day to further enhance the bio-security of, and minimise the risk of infection among pigs in the slaughterhouses.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and AFCD will continue to stringently conduct cleansing and disinfection of Mainland live pig transportation vehicles and their counterparts for local pigs at slaughterhouses to minimise the risk of cross infection of ASF. The Mainland live pig vehicles and local ones should be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected every time they leave the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse (SSSH). And the respective designated positions for their cleansing and disinfection are separated. Manpower and equipment of the SSSH have been strengthened immediately for cleansing and disinfection of the vehicles. In light of these stepped up measures, the slaughterhouses need not be closed and other pigs need not be culled.
The AFCD produced a lot of promotional items disseminating information on ASF in the past 2 years including posters, and guidelines on cleansing and disinfection procedures of live pig transport vehicles, etc. to provide local pig farmers with information on ASF, its infection and control measures pig farms should heed. The AFCD will continue to raise local pig farmers’ knowledge of preventing ASF through various channels, including organising meetings and seminars with the trade. read more
A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (February 4) that the points of sale (POS) of New Year flowers, set up at the 15 sites originally designated for the Lunar New Year fairs, will be opened from February 6 to February 11. To make anti-epidemic efforts effective, apart from strictly enforcing various anti-epidemic measures, the admission to and exit from POS will be monitored and the footfall at POS controlled with the use of technology, with a view to avoiding the risk of mass gathering and facilitating the public to enter POS in an orderly manner.
Under the premise of upholding the anti-epidemic principles, the Government has to keep the risk of the sale event of New Year flowers under control. The FEHD spokesman said that the daily operation hours of POS will generally be from 9am to midnight, with the actual opening time depending on factors such as the epidemic situation and the circumstances of individual venues. Footfall at POS will be monitored and managed with the aid of technology, including the use of Infrared Sensing devices for footfall count and when necessary, the activation of a ticketing system requiring the public to take turn to enter the venue with a ticket.
The spokesman said, “The footfall and the waiting status of the 15 POS will be displayed in a ‘Green, Amber and Red Lights’ format on site, on FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/events/lnyf2021/selling_point.html) and on the Transport Department’s HKeMobility app. Green light means few people inside the POS and that ticketing is not required, amber light indicates an increase in footfall and that waiting is required, while red light represents a large number of people awaiting admission and that a longer waiting time would be needed.”
“When the footfall at individual POS increases (in amber or red light), only members of public with a ticket will be admitted to POS. The FEHD will activate the ticketing system which the public may get a ticket on site or obtain an e-ticket through the mobile app which can be downloaded for free. The ticket will be valid only for the day of issue. One may enter POS with the ticket, within 60 minutes after the ticket number is called. Each ticket will cover no more than two persons. Under normal circumstances, ticketing services will cease 45 minutes prior to the closure of POS. The FEHD may also suspend the ticketing services, if the ground situation requires. If the number of tickets issued exceeds the capacity of POS on that day, the tickets that have yet been exercised will be invalidated,” he added.
To minimise the risk of the sale event of New Year flowers, various anti-epidemic measures will be strictly enforced at all POS. Stall operators and their staff must undergo COVID-19 virus testing within 48 hours before the opening of the points of sale, and must present or submit a negative test result when entering POS prior to the commencement of operation. The FEHD will provide one-off free testing services for stall operators and their staff, and has arranged the testing agency to deliver specimen bottles to them for collecting deep throat saliva samples.
In addition, stall operators are required by the FEHD to provide a list of staff and their contact information for tracing of confirmed cases and their contacts when necessary. Stall operators are also required to provide sufficient hand sanitisers at their stalls during operation hours. Cleansing sessions will be arranged in the afternoon and evening every day at all POS and each session is estimated to last around an hour, during which the FEHD will conduct cleansing and disinfection at public areas. Stall owners will be responsible for carrying out such work at their own stalls.
The spokesman said all persons entering POS must observe the ground rules including conducting body temperature screening before entering POS and persons with symptoms will be refused entry. A mask must be worn when entering and within POS, and eating, drinking or smoking are not allowed at POS. The “LeaveHomeSafe” venue QR code will be displayed at the entrance of and inside all POS for members of the public to scan and record their visits. The spokesman also reminded the public to complete their transactions expeditiously and leave the POS after buying New Year flowers to minimise the gathering of people.
For information on the opening time of individual POS, the ticketing workflow and frequently asked questions, etc., please visit the FEHD website or call the FEHD hotline at 2868 0000. read more
The Education Bureau (EDB) issued circulars to schools in Hong Kong today (February 4) to provide guidelines on school administration and education in relation to safeguarding national security, as well as details about the mode of implementation and learning and teaching resources for national security education in the school curriculum, with a view to facilitating schools to put in place measures to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment in schools and promote national security education.
The National Security Law clearly stipulates that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) shall strengthen its work on safeguarding national security and prevention of terrorist activities. The Government of the HKSAR shall take necessary measures to strengthen public communication, guidance, supervision and regulation over matters concerning national security, including those relating to schools, universities and social organisations; and promote national security education in schools and universities and through social organisations, the media, the internet and other means to raise the awareness of Hong Kong residents of national security and of the obligation to abide by the law.
An EDB spokesman said, “Safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the constitutional duty of the HKSAR. This is also the common responsibility of all Hong Kong residents (including school staff and students). The National Security Law is enacted for the purpose of preventing, suppressing and imposing punishment for acts and activities that endanger national security. In particular, preventive efforts should be accorded priority in order to minimise the need for suppression and punishment. As far as prevention and education are concerned, schools have a significant role to play.”
“Schools should review as early as possible and devise appropriate measures in respect of planning and management, staff management, and other relevant areas to facilitate students’ effective learning. Among these measures, schools should ensure all school staff to uphold professional ethics, abide by the law and observe the code of conduct acceptable to the society; step up the prevention and suppression of teaching or other school activities that are in breach of laws, prevent and deal with political or other illegal activities from permeating schools; and help students gain a correct understanding of the National Security Law and the important concepts covered by national security, so as to facilitate students’ learning of the spirit of the rule of law, and enhance their national security and law-abiding awareness, thereby nurturing them to become good law-abiding citizens.”
The spokesman said that the bureau has, premised on the above fundamental principles, provided schools through the issuance of the circular with a set of guidelines in areas of school administration, staff management and training, learning and teaching, student guidance, discipline and support as well as home-school co-operation, etc. A number of specific measures, examples and templates are contained therein for schools’ reference and follow-up. The circular also sets out the respective functions of the school sponsoring body, school governance authority and staff of all levels in formulating and implementing related measures.
He said, “Schools should, in accordance with the requirements of the guidelines and their school-based needs, make necessary enrichment to the recommended measures or adopt other appropriate strategies in devising and implementing relevant plans and measures, arrange school management and administration work properly and promote collaboration among different stakeholders so as to create a peaceful and orderly school environment and atmosphere, deepen students’ understanding of the country’s development and national security, as well as enhance students’ sense of national identity.”
For national security education, the spokesman pointed out that national security education is a part of, and inseparable from, national education. The fundamentals of national security education are to develop in students a sense of belonging to the country, an affection for the Chinese people, a sense of national identity, as well as an awareness of and a sense of responsibility for safeguarding national security. Hence, national security education is not confined to learning the provisions of the National Security Law, but should cover its legislative background and rationale, and enable students to understand different aspects of national security, such as ecological security, economic security, cultural security and cybersecurity, all of which are integral to the national security framework.
The spokesman added that the EDB is updating curriculum documents/guidelines to help schools implement national security education at the primary and secondary levels. To facilitate the systematic and comprehensive planning and implementation of national security education in schools, the EDB, based on the implementation mode of Constitution and Basic Law education, has newly compiled the Curriculum Framework of National Security Education in Hong Kong to illustrate related topics, teaching foci and learning elements on national security in the existing primary and secondary school curricula. In order to elucidate to schools how the elements of national security education can be integrated organically in and connected naturally with the curriculum contents of various subject, the circular issued today has drawn examples from General Studies at the primary level as well as Geography and Biology at the secondary level to illustrate the learning and teaching foci of national security education in different subjects. The EDB will release successively the national security education curriculum frameworks for other subjects.
Besides, to support the smooth promotion of national security education in schools, the EDB continues to update/enrich relevant learning and teaching resources, including adding a three-hour “Supplement: National Security” on top of the existing 15-hour standalone module on “Constitution and the Basic Law” at the junior secondary level. For primary schools, a new audio picture book “Let’s Learn about National Security” has also been produced. The EDB will continue to release new learning and teaching resources to schools on an on-going basis.
The EDB will organise briefing sessions and professional development programmes for schools, and also keep close contact with the education sector and provide them with timely support regarding their implementation work concerned.
The guidelines on school administration and education for safeguarding national security and national security education can be referred to the circulars below:
EDB Circular No. 3/2021 National Security: Maintaining a Safe Learning Environment Nurturing Good Citizens
https://applications.edb.gov.hk/circular/upload/EDBC/EDBC21003E.pdf
EDB Circular No. 2/2021 National Security Education in School Curriculum – Implementation Mode and Learning and Teaching Resources
https://applications.edb.gov.hk/circular/upload/EDBC/EDBC21002E.pdf read more