Tag Archives: China

     In light of the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 4) commenced a stepped-up year-end clean-up campaign six weeks before the Lunar New Year, aiming to arouse public awareness of maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness in the community as well as consolidate the efforts of keeping Hong Kong clean and containing the pandemic.
      
     An FEHD spokesman said, “The FEHD has launched this two-week stepped-up campaign prior to the territory wide annual year-end clean-up campaign in light of the ongoing pandemic. During these two weeks, street cleaning operations at complaint hotspots will be enhanced in all districts. The territory-wide year-end clean-up campaign will commence on January 18, following the stepped-up campaign.”
      
     He added, “During the stepped-up campaign, the FEHD will remind residents, shop owners and operators of food premises to pay attention to hygiene conditions in public areas through distributing pamphlets, giving advice and issuing warnings. Stringent enforcement actions will also be taken against offenders.”
      
     In collaboration with other government departments, the FEHD is rolling out the territory-wide anti-rodent campaign in two phases this year. The first phase was launched today and will run until March 12. The FEHD will continue to adopt multi-pronged strategies, including improving environmental hygiene and stepping up rodent disinfestation and enforcement actions, for carrying out rodent prevention and control work.
                    
     To tie in with the commencement of the stepped-up campaign, a dedicated thematic website on the year-end clean-up campaign was launched today to consolidate the efforts and work of the FEHD’s clean-up campaign. Regular updates of the work on anti-pandemic, rodent prevention and control, and handling of shop front extension problem will be reported. Meanwhile, the website will also provide useful information and advices on environmental hygiene for gaining public collaboration and understanding. For more information, please visit the FEHD website: www.fehd.gov.hk.
      
     The spokesman stressed that maintaining a clean and hygienic community hinges on the co-operation and active participation of everyone. He called for the concerted efforts of every member of the public to maintain environmental hygiene and fight the virus together.

  

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest figures on retail sales today (January 4). ​     The value of total retail sales in November 2020, provisionally estimated at $28.7 billion, dec… read more

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Monday, January 4, 2021 is 100.2 (down 0.6 against last Saturday’s index).

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Saturday, January 2, 2021 was 100.8 (same as last Thursday’s index). read more

     The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) Task Force announced today (January 4) the appointment of a collaborative coalition of 10 organisations led by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service as an intermediary to design, develop and operate an inclusive one-stop Gerontechnology Platform to promote the development of the gerontechnology ecosystem in Hong Kong. The other nine organisations are Global Centre for Modern Ageing Limited; Haven of Hope Christian Service; Hong Kong Productivity Council; Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation; Jockey Club Rehabilitation Engineering Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre Limited; Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited; Our Hong Kong Foundation Limited; and School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong. The three-year project has commenced on January 1, 2021.

     The Chief Executive announced in the 2020 Policy Address Supplement to “Design, develop and operate an inclusive ‘Gerontechnology Platform’ under the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund to link up different stakeholders on the supply and demand sides and enhance synergy by way of engagement, cross-sector partnership and collaboration.” The Gerontechnology Platform will comprise four basic functionalities, namely (1) a knowledge hub; (2) network and capacity building; (3) consultancy, localisation and testing support; and (4) impact assessment, with a view to enhancing the quality of life, independence and self-reliance of the elderly as well as providing support to their families, caregivers, healthcare staff and institutions. 

     The SIE Fund had funded in 2017 the first landscape study on gerontechnology in Hong Kong. The study report summarised major difficulties faced by the gerontechnology sector including insufficient collaboration among stakeholders, difficulty in localising overseas successful products, lack of a testing ground for product development, etc. Stakeholders from different sectors were of the view that the Fund should consider establishing a gerontechnology platform that would link up different stakeholders to foster the development of the gerontechnology ecosystem in Hong Kong.

     Upon further consultation with stakeholders, the SIE Fund decided to engage an intermediary to design, develop and operate an inclusive Gerontechnology Platform. In 2019, the Fund initiated an open invitation exercise to invite interested parties to submit proposals to act as the intermediary. Assessments of the proposals received had been completed and based on the assessment result, the Fund appointed the aforementioned intermediary.

     The SIE Fund looks forward to working closely with the intermediary on the Gerontechnology Platform with the aim of connecting and gathering the efforts of stakeholders from different sectors to build a vigorous gerontechnology ecosystem in Hong Kong that will help address the problem of an ageing population in a more holistic manner. The Fund will oversee and support the intermediary to implement the project. The Fund will also closely monitor the project’s progress, ensuring that the four basic functionalities will be rolled out on schedule during the three-year funding period to benefit stakeholders of different sectors and people from all walks of life, particularly to enhance the well-being of the elderly under the “new normal”.  

     The SIE Fund was inaugurated in 2013 as a catalyst for social innovation in Hong Kong. The Fund collaborates with different sectors including businesses, non-governmental organisations, academics and philanthropies, etc, to create social impacts through innovative solutions that address poverty and social exclusion, while seeking to foster the well-being and cohesion of society. In addition to nurturing social ventures through intermediaries’ programmes, the Fund actively identifies service gaps across the whole of Hong Kong where there is a need for greater co-ordination and collaboration to achieve a bigger impact, and funds infrastructure or institutions to help plug these gaps. The establishment of the Gerontechnology Platform is the second flagship project commissioned by the Fund, riding on the success of the first project launched in 2016 to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall food support service in Hong Kong. read more

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) said today (January 4) that the Scheme on Relief Grants for Interest Class Instructors Hired by Organisations Subvented by the Social Welfare Department (Phase 3) (Scheme III) is open for application from today, with March 31 as the closing date. Application details have been uploaded to the SWD website. Successful applicants of Phase 1 (Scheme I) and/or Phase 2 (Scheme II) will be notified of Scheme III through short message service. Eligible applicants may apply for Scheme III through completing and mailing the application forms to the SWD direct for processing. For new applicants, completed application forms are to be submitted to the SWD through the subvented welfare service units concerned.
      
     As one of the measures under the Anti-epidemic Fund approved in December 2020, Scheme III aims at providing a one-off relief grant of $7,500 for each of the eligible successful applicants of Scheme I and/or Scheme II, and interest class instructors engaged/planned to be engaged by subvented welfare service units of the SWD-subvented organisations for providing training in arts, dancing, handicraft work and sports, etc, for service users during the period from January to April 2021, where the units’ services have been suspended and the instructors’ income affected owing to the prevailing epidemic situation, so as to provide further support and help lessen the impact of COVID-19 on them. For those instructors who have submitted applications to the Education Bureau for relief grants for school instructors of learning/interest classes or to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department for relief grants for registered sports coaches, further submission to the SWD is not required. read more