The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson of Kwai Chung Hospital made the following announcement today (January 23):

     Four patients (aged from 26 to 63) and one staff member of a male psychiatric ward had presented with respiratory symptoms since January 15. Appropriate viral tests had been arranged and the test results of three patients and one staff member were positive to Influenza A. The patients concerned are being treated under isolation with stable condition. The staff member has recovered and resumed duty.

     Admission to the ward and visiting have been suspended. Infection control measures have already been stepped up according to established guidelines. All other patients in the ward are under close surveillance.

     The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow up.

     â€‹The Private Columbaria Affairs Office (PCAO) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) cracked down on a private columbarium suspected of operating without a licence in Yau Ma Tei this afternoon (January 23).

     The operator in this case was suspected of operating a private columbarium, including renting out niches, without a licence under the Private Columbaria Ordinance (the Ordinance).

     The Court has issued a search warrant to PCAO officers to authorise them to search the captioned premises. During the operation, PCAO officers seized a number of exhibits and arrested a 64 years-old man. Meanwhile, investigation is still ongoing.

     Under the Ordinance, any person who operates, keeps, manages or in any other way has control of a columbarium otherwise than under a licence commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for three years; or on conviction on indictment to a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said, "This department will continue to take stringent enforcement actions against illegally operated private columbaria. Members of the public should not buy or rent niches from any unlicensed private columbaria.

     "If members of the public detect any activities of illegally operating a private columbarium, they should immediately report to the FEHD by calling hotline 2868 0000."

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 23) 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 fever or lower respiratory 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 latest test results of the opening-up investigation in the second stage of the holistic assessment strategy for the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project (as at January 23) are now available at the Highways Department's website for the SCL project (www.hyd.gov.hk/en/road_and_railway/railway_projects/scl/index.html) for reference by the public.

     Gammon Construction Limited and Freyssinet Hong Kong Limited were fined $135,000 and $115,000 respectively at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (January 23) for violation of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Safety Management) Regulation. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
      
     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on April 23, 2016 at a construction site of the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link-Southern Connection Viaduct Section. While a worker was working near the edge of a sea viaduct under construction with his safety harness attached to a temporary metal fencing erected over the edge, the metal fencing suddenly detached and fell into the sea. The worker was thus dragged into the sea by the falling metal fencing and he drowned.