The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (February 11) that the official foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong amounted to US$432.0 billion as at the end of January 2019 (end-December 2018: US$424.7 billion) (Annex).
 
     Including unsettled foreign exchange contracts, the foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong at the end of January 2019 amounted to US$424.9 billion (end-December 2018: US$417.5 billion).
 
     The total foreign currency reserve assets of US$432.0 billion represent about seven times the currency in circulation or 47 per cent of Hong Kong dollar M3.
 
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     At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of February 2019, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
 

      Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, after attending a public function today (February 11):

Reporter: Could you tell us about the control of influenza, as primary schools are now coming back from the holiday?

Secretary for Food and Health: All the children, at least most of them, are now back to school. While the influenza situation continues to be at a high level, the trend is actually going down in terms of the number of samples tested positive. Therefore, we will continue to monitor the situation to see whether there are any outbreaks and the overall situation. I also appeal to especially the high-risk groups, such as the elderly population as well as the young kids, to be vigilant about their hygiene. If they still haven't got their vaccination, please go ahead to have flu vaccines. 

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     Tens of thousands of people visited the two-day Sydney Lunar Festival Dragon Boat Races in Darling Harbour of Sydney in Australia on February 9 and 10 (Sydney time), with many of them learning more about Hong Kong's strengths in a marquee set up by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney (HKETO).

      With fabrics printed with images of the magnificent Hong Kong skyline and colourful photos of various large-scale sports events held in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Marathon, the Hong Kong Sevens, the FIA Formula E Championship, an equestrian competition and the Hong Kong leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, the marquee set up by the HKETO showcased Hong Kong's strengths as a sports hub.

     Also available at the marquee were various pamphlets about the latest developments of Hong Kong such as those on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, talent admission schemes and the Basic Law. Souvenirs promoting Hong Kong's green living and Hong Kong branding were also very well received.

     The Sydney Lunar Festival is Sydney's largest Lunar New Year event organised by the City of Sydney, and is the largest celebration of the Lunar New Year outside Asia. During the festival held from February 1 to 10 (Sydney time), various events including a lunar lanterns display, dragon boat races and cultural performances were held.

     The Dragon Boat Races at Cockle Bay in Sydney's Darling Harbour were a highlight of the festival. The two-day regatta, with over 3 000 paddlers competing and more than 100 000 spectators every year, is the biggest dragon boat event in the southern hemisphere. The Hong Kong Team organised by the HKETO competed in the Social Category of the races on February 10 (Sydney time). It was the focus of much cheering and excitement among spectators. Meanwhile, three races were named the Hong Kong Connect Cup, the Hong Kong Excel Cup and the Hong Kong Super Cup with trophies presented by the Director of the HKETO, Mr Raymond Fan.

     "This festive event brought a lot of joy and excitement to the Sydney community and we are delighted to be part of it once again," a spokesman for the HKETO said today (February 11, Sydney time).

     "To share the joy of the Lunar New Year with members of the public in Sydney, the HKETO also displayed Hong Kong-themed banners with Lunar New Year greeting messages in some key city locations of Sydney during the Lunar New Year period," the spokesman added.

              

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (February 11) that due to a suspected red tide sighting, the red flag has been hoisted at Silverstrand Beach in Sai Kung District. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach until further notice. The red flag was also hoisted at the beach earlier due to big waves.

     The Government announced today (February 11) that the Chief Executive in Council has approved to proceed with switching off analogue television services (ASO) on November 30, 2020 (11.59pm). Hong Kong will enter an era of full digital TV broadcasting on December 1, 2020 (00.00 hours).

     "It is a worldwide trend to switch off analogue TV broadcasting. Not only does digital terrestrial television (DTT) outperform analogue TV in terms of picture quality, but most critically the spectrum currently being used for analogue TV broadcasting should be vacated to meet the increasing demand for high value-added mobile telecommunications services," the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, said.

     "Taking into account factors such as the current DTT penetration rate, the coverage of the DTT network and the supply of relevant products in the market, we confirm that implementing the ASO in late-2020 is the right time," he said.

     Mr Yau said the Government planned to make available a total of 160 MHz spectrum in the 600/700MHz bands to enhance indoor hotspots and the network capacity of indoor mobile telecommunications services after the ASO, which would help relieve congested traffic indoor mobile hotspots, such as MTR stations.

     "This is conducive to support overall telecommunications services as well as Hong Kong's telecommunications and smart city development," he added.

     According to the result of a study conducted in 2017, nearly 90 per cent (more than 2.2 million) of households in Hong Kong had already switched to DTT as of late-2017, representing a very high level of DTT penetration, while about 180 000 households were still receiving analogue TV broadcasting.

     "For most Hong Kong residents, their access to free TV services would not be disrupted after the ASO. For the remaining analogue TV users, we encourage them to get prepared in the coming 21 months or so. To access to DTT services, they can switch to a digital TV set, or add a set-top box if their old TV set is still functioning well," Mr Yau said.

      "We also care about those needy and elderly families that are still using analogue TVs. They may need subsidies to buy digital TV sets. We plan to seek funding from the Community Care Fund in the middle of this year to launch a DTT Assistance Scheme to subsidise eligible households to purchase a set-top box or a basic model digital TV set," Mr Yau added.

     Mr Yau said that the Government's initial thinking is to tie the eligibility of the Scheme to some of the existing Government assistance programmes. In order to streamline procedures, households that are currently receiving such Government assistance will not be required to go through additional means testing. Low-income families not receiving any Government assistance may also apply for the Scheme. Details of the Scheme will be announced later this year when funding from the Community Care Fund is approved.

     "We plan to launch the Scheme by end of this year or early next year. About 160 000 low-income families, of which 25 per cent are estimated to be elderly households, will stand to benefit. We will keep the procedures as simple as possible to facilitate applications," he said.

     In the next 21 months or so, the Government will launch a series of promotions in phases to remind analogue TV users to allow sufficient time to switch to a digital TV set or add a set-top box. For details about full digital TV broadcasting, please visit the dedicated digital TV website (digitaltv.gov.hk), or call the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau at 3655 5618 for enquiries.