The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (December 31) visited the Police Headquarters in Wan Chai to learn more about police logistics support services and the work of the Police Public Relations Branch (PPRB).
 
     Accompanied by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Tang Ping-keung, Mrs Lam was briefed on the catering arrangements for frontline officers on duty. She also encouraged them and thanked the officers for discharging their duties with professionalism to maintain law and order in Hong Kong under extremely severe conditions during the past year. In particular, she expressed her gratitude to the volunteers for their steady support for the force during the past months.
 
     Mrs Lam, accompanied by the acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (Management), Ms Edwina Lau, then received a briefing on physical and psychological health support services provided by the force to frontline officers. Frontline police officers have had to work long hours in recent months. Some have been injured on duty, while some officers’ family members have fallen victim to doxxing. Noting that Police Welfare Officers provide support to those officers to help in medical, emotional and parenting areas, Mrs Lam said relevant government departments will spare no effort to provide assistance. She added that the actions of Police Welfare Officers can help frontline officers relieve stress.
 
     Later, Mrs Lam visited the PPRB to learn more about the continual strengthening of its capability to disseminate information in recent months. This includes releasing messages more proactively and on more platforms, with a view to clarifying fake news and unfounded allegations against the Police more quickly and accurately. She also lauded the hard work of the officers who host press conferences regularly to update the public on the latest situation, and the effectiveness of their work.
 
     Mrs Lam said that Hong Kong has been experiencing an unprecedented difficult situation in which the extremely violent and vandalistic acts by a handful of rioters had increased the workload and pressure of police officers. This has occurred while a large volume of online fabricated, biased and slanderous remarks against the force has also increased tensions in the relationship between the Police and citizens. Nevertheless, she believed that police officers will continue to stand fast in their posts, enforce the laws without fear or favour and discharge their duties in the spirit of “Serving Hong Kong with honour, duty and loyalty” to protect its citizens. She stressed that the entire government team will continue to support the force to enable society to return to normal as soon as possible.
 

        

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:
 
Please broadcast the following message as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:
 
     At around 9pm today (December 31), masked rioters occupied roads and set barricades in the vicinity of Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road West, Mong Kok, causing serious disruption to traffic. Police warn rioters to stop all illegal acts. Police will embark on dispersal and arrest operations. Members of the public are advised to avoid travelling to the area concerned and stay tuned to the latest traffic arrangement.
      
     The report room services of Mong Kok Police Station are temporarily suspended. In case of emergency, please dial 999.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) welcomes staff members to express views on matters related to their work including professional development, working environment and staff welfare, etc. HA also respects staff's right to form union in accordance with prevailing relevant regulations. As a matter of fact, HA regularly communicates with various HA staff unions to discuss and address their concerns towards work-related issues.
 
     Recently, the HA received applications submitted by individual staff members, who are organising a staff union, requesting to set up promotion booths and distribute promotional leaflets at some public hospital premises within short notice.
 
     The hospitals concerned and HA liaised with the applicants seeking to understand the details of the promotion activity, including the objective of the union and the activity being promoted, so as to assess the impact to hospital operations and patient safety in considering the application.
 
     "The HA and public hospitals have established procedures in processing applications for organising activities within hospital premises. And approvals were granted to different staff unions and organisations in the past for gatherings and activities held to express views on work-related matters," the HA spokesperson said.
 
     "The HA is still awaiting the requested details from the organiser and will duly consider the applications upon receiving the required information and reply accordingly," added the spokesperson.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (December 31) reported a suspected case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places they visit. The case is detailed below:
 

     "Travellers to the Middle East should avoid going to farms, barns or markets with camels; avoid contact with sick persons and animals, especially camels, birds or poultry; and avoid unnecessary visits to healthcare facilities. We strongly advise travel agents organising tours to the Middle East to abstain from arranging camel rides and activities involving direct contact with camels, which are known risk factors for acquiring MERS Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     Locally, the CHP's surveillance with public and private hospitals, with practising doctors and at boundary control points is firmly in place. Inbound travellers and members of the public who recently visited the Middle East and developed relevant symptoms within 14 days will be classified as suspected MERS cases. They will be taken to public hospitals for isolation and management until their specimens test negative for MERS-CoV.

     Travellers to affected areas should maintain vigilance, adopt appropriate health precautions and take heed of personal, food and environmental hygiene. The public may visit the MERS pages of the CHP and its Travel Health Service, MERS statistics in affected areas, the CHP's Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and the World Health Organization's latest news for more information and health advice. Tour leaders and tour guides operating overseas tours are advised to refer to the CHP's health advice on MERS. 
 

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding the announcement of Department of Health (DH) today (December 31) on a cluster of suspected pneumonia cases in the Mainland, the Hospital Authority (HA) is very concerned about the cases and has alerted frontline healthcare staff to stay vigilant. 
 
     The HA spokesperson said that the causative pathogen of the suspected pneumonia cases was yet to be identified. As a precautionary measure, frontline healthcare staff of public hospitals have been reminded to pay special attention to clinical information, including the presentation of fever and acute respiratory illness, or pneumonia, and travel history to Wuhan within 14 days before onset of symptoms.    
 
     The spokesperson also stressed that upon identification of a suspected case, the patient will be isolated in airborne infection isolation room for treatment with urgent laboratory investigation.  The HA will keep close communication with the Centre of Health Protection of the DH to monitor the development of the situation.