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     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) in partnership with The Guimet – National Museum of Asian Arts in France, the Museum Summit 2025, an international mega event in the museum sector, successfully concluded today (March 29). The Summit was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for two consecutive days, receiving a record-high total registration of over 7 000. One-third of them were non-Hong Kong registrants, from 39 countries.
      
     The registrants of the Summit were from a wide range of sectors. Apart from local, the Mainland and overseas museum counterparts, representatives from cultural and art institutions and galleries, there were also practitioners from various industries including museum-related service or product suppliers, educational institutions, production houses, public institutions, as well as finance, technology, tourism, cultural communication, vocational training, etc. The Summit proved to be an expanding platform for dialogues, networking and business opportunities.
      
     With the theme of “Going Beyond”, this year’s Summit brought together over 30 cultural leaders and professionals from renowned museums and institutions across 17 countries to exchange and share their professional experiences, research findings and innovative concepts, as well as delegations comprising over 40 museum practitioners from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Museum Alliance and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
      
     Addressing the closing ceremony, the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Manda Chan said, Hong Kong has been achieving progressive developments. For museums, there are M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District. The LCSD manages 15 museums and two art spaces, with the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Science Museum and Hong Kong Heritage Museum as our flagships. There are also many interesting private museums like our partners this year, the Tsz Shan Monastery Buddhist Art Museum, the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, amongst others. They are all telling the Hong Kong stories with a multiplying breadth and depth.
      
     Ms Chan said, like museums, and the society at large, the Museum Summit endeavoured to reinvent itself and go beyond usual parameters in its fourth edition. This Summit included topics like cultural tourism and social wellness in our dialogues, alongside the need to leverage technological advancements and achieve sustainability as its themes. These expanded roles were reflecting the transformative power of museums to connect people with heritage. She said, museum was no longer something about the past; rather it had become an integral element of the city’s cultural life. It was also an indispensable part of the city’s pride of its people and warm welcome to guests from across the globe.
      
     Other than the discussion sessions, this year’s Summit also arranged various extended programmes for speakers, moderators, delegation and attendees, which received an attendance of around 1 000. Highlights included local cultural visits, such as visiting Tai Fu Tai Mansion in San Tin, Yuen Long, and experiencing and intangible cultural heritage items including Cantonese Opera and Nanyin performances. They also visited local museums, and participated in Museum Night at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, enjoyed live music performances and guided tours of the galleries. They will travel to Shenzhen to visit the Shenzhen Museum, the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning, the Shenzhen Art Museum (New Venue), and the Sea World Culture and Arts Center.

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Attention Duty Announcers, Radio and TV Stations:      Please broadcast the following special announcement immediately, and repeat it at frequent intervals:      With the approach of cold weather,… read more

    The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (March 29) reminded the public, particularly the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, to adopt appropriate measures to protect their health in view of the cold weather.

    Cold weather can easily trigger or exacerbate diseases, especially among the elderly and persons suffering from heart disease, respiratory illnesses or other chronic illnesses.

     Elderly people have less insulating fat beneath their skin to keep them warm, and their body temperature control mechanisms may be weaker. Their bodies may not be able to respond appropriately to cold weather.

     Some senior persons may have decreased mobility, which can impair their ability to generate and conserve body heat. Chronic illnesses, such as hypertension, diabetes and endocrine disorders, may undermine the health of elderly people and lower their metabolic rate, subsequently causing their bodies to generate less heat. Persons with chronic illnesses, such as chronic respiratory illnesses or heart disease, are vulnerable to disease aggravation due to cold weather.

     The CHP reminded the public, in particular the elderly and persons with chronic illnesses, to adopt the following preventive measures:
 

• Take note of the weather forecast. Wear warm clothing, including hats, scarves, gloves and socks, accordingly;
• Consume sufficient food to ensure adequate calorie intake;
• Perform regular exercise to facilitate blood circulation and heat production;
• Stay in a warm environment and avoid prolonged outdoor exposure;
• Use heaters with care and maintain adequate indoor ventilation; and
• Seek medical advice if feeling unwell.

     
     â€‹In addition, the public should avoid alcoholic beverages.
     
     Drinking alcohol does not keep you warm. Alcohol accelerates the loss of body heat through dilated blood vessels, resulting in chilling instead.

     Parents should ensure that babies are sufficiently warm, but it is also important to keep babies relatively lightly clothed to avoid overheating.

     Parents should observe the following safety measures when putting their children to bed:  

• Keep the room well ventilated and at a comfortable temperature;
• Always place babies on their backs to sleep. Leave their heads, faces and arms uncovered during sleep;
• Babies do not need pillows. Place babies on a firm and well-fitted mattress to sleep. Avoid soft objects, pillows and loose bedding;
• Let babies sleep in a cot placed near their parents’ bed; and
• Maintain a smoke-free environment.

 
     In addition, many respiratory pathogens, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2, may have increasing activity and community transmission during winter. Seasonal influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged 6 months or above, except those with known contraindications. Persons at higher risk of influenza and its complications, including the elderly and children, should receive seasonal influenza vaccinations early. Please see details of the vaccination schemes on the CHP’s website.
      
     A person infected with influenza and COVID-19 at the same time may be more seriously ill and have a higher risk of death. It is important for elderly persons, especially those residing in residential care homes, to receive both seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations. They should also receive an additional booster against COVID-19 according to recommendations as soon as possible. The public should also maintain good personal and environmental hygiene against respiratory illnesses and note the following:
 

• Surgical masks can prevent the transmission of respiratory viruses from ill persons. It is essential for persons who are symptomatic (even if having mild symptoms) to wear a surgical mask;
• Wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Avoid touching one’s eyes, mouth and nose;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water properly whenever possibly contaminated;
• When hands are not visibly soiled, clean them with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub;
• Cover the mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly into a lidded rubbish bin and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending classes at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly; and
• Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.

    
     Food-borne diseases, particularly those linked to hotpot cuisine, are also common in cold weather. The following preventive measures should be taken:
 

• Wash hands before handling and consuming food;
• Do not patronise unlicensed vendors or those with poor hygienic standards while selecting food;
• Wash and cook all food thoroughly;
• Vegetables should be washed thoroughly in clean running water before cooking and consumption. When appropriate, scrub hard-surfaced vegetables with a clean brush to remove dirt and substances, including pesticide residues and contaminants, from surfaces and crevices;
• Shrimps should be fully cooked until the shells turn red and the flesh turns white and opaque;
• For shellfish such as scallops and geoduck, scrub the shells thoroughly and remove the internal organs;
• Do not eat any undercooked freshwater aquatic products. To ensure that the food is thoroughly cooked, the centre of the food should reach a temperature of at least 75 degrees Celsius to destroy pathogen;
• Most hotpot ingredients should be stored in a refrigerator at 4 degrees C or below, while frozen food should be stored in a freezer at -18 degrees C or below;
• Never use raw eggs as a dipping sauce for hotpot; and
• Use different sets of chopsticks to handle raw and cooked food to avoid cross-contamination.

    
     â€‹In addition, when using fuel-burning appliances, especially in indoor areas, the public should ensure adequate ventilation to avoid harmful exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) and prevent CO poisoning.
     
     For more health information, the public may call the DH’s Health Education Infoline (2833 0111) or visit the CHP’s website and Facebook Fanpage.

     The public may also call Dial-a-Weather (1878 200) or visit the website of the Hong Kong Observatory for the latest weather information and forecasts, or its page on Weather Information for Senior Citizens. read more

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:      Please broadcast the following special announcement immediately, and repeat it at frequent intervals when the Cold Weather Warning is in force:    &nbs… read more