The application period for the Catering Business (Social Distancing) Subsidy Scheme under the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund will end at 5pm on June 5 (Friday). Eligible food licence, liquor licence or karaoke establishment permit holders wishing to apply for the subsidy should submit their applications before the deadline.

     The Scheme opened for application on May 5. As of yesterday (May 28), over 7 100 applications had been received. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will process the applications as soon as possible so as to provide assistance to eligible licence holders promptly.

     The application form and guidelines can be downloaded from the website of the FEHD (www.fehd.gov.hk) or obtained from District Environmental Hygiene Offices of the department.

     For details of the Scheme, please visit the website of the FEHD.

     The Lands Department (LandsD) announced today (May 29) that a site, Sha Tin Town Lot No. 613 at the junction of Tsung Tau Ha Road and Kwei Tei Street, Sha Tin, New Territories, listed in the 2020-21 Land Sale Programme will be disposed of by public tender. The tender invitation for the lot will commence on June 5 and close on July 3.

     Sha Tin Town Lot No. 613 has a site area of about 9,178 square metres and the permissible uses are industrial; godown and ancillary office; office in direct support of an industrial operation; information technology and telecommunications industries; research, design and development centre; audio-visual recording studio; media design and media production; workshop for laundering, dry cleaning, tailoring or repair of goods; art studio; vehicle repair workshop, vehicle inspection centre or vehicle testing centre; cargo handling and forwarding facilities; showroom ancillary to factory; motor vehicle showroom on the ground floor; laboratory, inspection and testing centre; recyclable collection centre; the Public Vehicle Park; and a combination of any of the permissible uses. The minimum gross floor area and the maximum gross floor area are 52,315 sq m and 87,191 sq m respectively, both including the gross floor area of the Public Vehicle Park to be constructed by the purchaser under the Conditions of Sale.

     Land sale documents including the Form of Tender, the Tender Notice, the Conditions of Sale and the sale plan of the lot will be available for downloading from the LandsD website (www.landsd.gov.hk), and the sale plan will be available for distribution and inspection by the public from June 5, when the particulars of the tender will also be gazetted.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) today (May 29) published a biannual issue of Medication Safety Bulletin (MSB). This issue highlights the alerts issued by various overseas pharmaceutical regulatory bodies regarding the health risks of certain medications in the management of COVID-19 patients, and other drugs used by these patients.
 
     This issue also covers the experience of the New Territories East Cluster risk minimisation measures on Direct Oral Anticoagulants and the latest updates on two guidelines related to medication safety.
 
     The publication has already been posted on the web for sharing with healthcare professionals. Members of the public are also welcome to browse it at the following link: www.ha.org.hk/msb. MSB is published every six months, on the last Fridays of May and November. The next issue will be published on November 27.

     The Security Bureau today (May 29) held an inter-departmental table-top exercise at the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre in the Central Government Offices to test the Government's response capabilities for when Hong Kong is hit by a super typhoon.
 
     Earlier this year, the Hong Kong Observatory predicted that the typhoon season in 2020 may start in or after June in Hong Kong. The Government must heighten vigilance and be well prepared in order to cope with the potentially serious threats brought about by typhoons. Officers from more than 30 bureaux, departments and other external parties involved in the handling of natural disasters took part in the exercise. The exercise simulated a super typhoon scenario to test the preparedness, response and recovery capabilities as well as the decision-making process and interoperability of relevant government bureaux and departments, with a view to protecting citizens' lives and properties and helping them resume their daily lives promptly.
 
     The Government will assess the outcome of the exercise in order to enhance relevant bureaux and departments' general awareness and co-ordination in various aspects of contingency handling. The Government also urges citizens to take proper precautionary measures during the typhoon season, remain at safe places and pay close attention to the latest information released by the Government on typhoons.

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at noon today (May 29), no COVID-19 confirmed patient was discharged from hospital in the past 24 hours. So far, a total of 1 035 confirmed and suspected patients have been discharged.

     At present, there are 659 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1 219 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 28 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in seven hospitals, among which one patient is in critical condition (case number: 595), and the remaining 27 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.