Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (January 16) that Tsing Yi Southwest Swimming Pool in Kwai Tsing District has been temporarily closed for cleaning and superchlorination following the discovery of a small amount of vomit in the pool.

     It will be reopened at 6.30am tomorrow.

     The department appeals to swimmers to be considerate and to keep the swimming pools clean. They are advised not to swim after a full meal and should use the toilet facilities if necessary before swimming.

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
 
     The following is a statement by the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Geoffrey Ma Tao-li, today (January 16):

     "It is with great sadness that I have been informed of the passing of Mr Patrick Yu last Saturday.  On behalf of the Hong Kong Judiciary, I would like to express our deepest and sincere condolences to his family.

     Mr Yu was for many lawyers in Hong Kong, including judges, barristers and solicitors, an inspiration and represented the ultimate aspiration as to the qualities required in the law.  He was an eloquent and thoroughly persuasive advocate, the best of his generation.  More than that he was unshakeable in the pursuit of the ideals of the law and of the rule of law itself.  He was encouraging to every lawyer who had the good fortune of knowing him and his wisdom influenced many who are in the Judiciary today.  Patrick will be much missed but his generosity of spirit and his ideals will live on."

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, at a media session at the Legislative Council today (January 16):

Reporter: Secretary, would you make a comment that the DoJ should resort to outside legal advice to avoid the perception of bias to make sure that DoJ preserves the integrity?

Secretary for Justice: Thank you very much for that question. The independence of the Department of Justice in controlling and handling prosecution matters are actually guaranteed under Article 63 of the Basic Law. And we are not to be subject to any interference. That principle is also enshrined in the Prosecution Code where the role and duty of the prosecutorial officer is very well set out. Under there, it is very clearly stated that the person who is making the prosecutorial decision is not to be affected by what the position of the particular suspect, the circumstances that might arise as a result of the prosecutorial decisions, whether it be political or whether it be a matter of the media viewing the circumstances, or the general public. This is a very important principle to bear in mind because if that principle is not upheld and safeguarded, then we will be swaying one way or another by the influence of the general public or the media. And that we will not be able to follow the rule that is set out in the laws and how we are going to assess the evidence. And hence it is very important that we must comply with the legal principles on how we assess a particular case based on evidence to see whether or not the evidence are sufficient to form a reasonable prospect of conviction. May I add a little bit about this particular standard of test. It is not merely just on balance there is a reason to prosecute, because "on balance" is not good enough. It is not in the public interest to prosecute a person simply because on balance the evidence suggested that he may be liable. It has to be a test – again, this is well settled in case law and of course in the Prosecution Code – it has to be a reasonable prospect of conviction before we make that decision.

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

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (January 16) investigating two cases of severe paediatric influenza A infection, four influenza A outbreaks at kindergartens in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon Tong, Hung Hom and Wan Chai respectively, as well as an influenza-like illness outbreak at a kindergarten in Tsing Yi.

     The first case of severe paediatric influenza A infection involves a 11-month-old girl with underlying illness. She has presented with fever, cough and shortness of breath since January 14 and was admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) on the same day. She was transferred to PWH's paediatric intensive care unit for further management yesterday (January 15). She is now in a critical condition. Her nasopharyngeal aspirate tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was influenza A infection complicated with severe pneumonia.
 
     Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had not received seasonal influenza vaccination for the current season and had no travel history during the incubation period. Her elder brother with recent upper respiratory symptoms earlier sought medical attention without admission and has been in a stable condition. Her other home contacts have remained asymptomatic so far. 
 
     The second case involves a 11-month-old boy with good past health, who has presented with fever, cough, runny nose and malaise since January 9. He developed head and limbs twitching on January 10 and was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) on the same day. He is now in a stable condition. His nasopharyngeal swab tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was influenza A infection complicated with encephalopathy.

     Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had not received seasonal influenza vaccination for the current season and had no travel history during the incubation period. His father with recent upper respiratory symptoms earlier sought medical attention. His grandmother was admitted to QMH for influenza A and had already discharged after management, while his grandfather was admitted to the same hospital for other medical condition. All three are in a stable condition. Other home contact has remained asymptomatic so far.

     Regarding outbreaks at kindergartens, the outbreak at the kindergarten in Sham Shui Po affected eight boys and 12 girls, aged 3 to 5, who have developed fever, cough, sore throat and runny nose since January 4. All of them sought medical attention. Among them, three students required hospitalisation and two were discharged following treatment. All patients have been in a stable condition. The respiratory specimens of three students tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing.

     For the outbreak at the kindergarten in Kowloon Tong, it involves 11 boys and 10 girls, aged 3 to 6, who have developed similar symptoms since January 8. All of them sought medical attention. One student required hospitalisation and was discharged following treatment. All patients are in a stable condition. The respiratory specimens of three affected students tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing.

     For the outbreak at the kindergarten in Hung Hom, it involves 11 boys and 12 girls, aged 2 to 3, who have developed similar symptoms since January 4. All of them sought medical attention. One student required hospitalisation and was discharged following treatment. All patients are in a stable condition. The respiratory specimens of two affected students tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing.

     For the outbreak at the kindergarten in Wan Chai, it involves 11 boys and 10 girls, aged 3 to 6, who have developed fever, cough and sore throat since January 4. Twenty of them sought medical attention. Among them, one student required hospitalisation and was discharged following treatment. All patients are in a stable condition. The respiratory specimens of five affected students tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing.

     For the outbreak of influenza-like illness at a kindergarten in Tsing Yi, it involves 24 students including 10 boys and 14 girls, all aged 4, as well as a female staff member. They have developed fever, cough and sore throat since January 14. Twenty-three of them sought medical attention. Two of the affected students required hospitalisation and one was discharged following treatment. All patients are in a stable condition.

     Officers of the CHP have conducted site visits to the five schools and advised the schools to adopt infection control measures against respiratory infections. The schools have been put under medical surveillance.

     A spokesman for the CHP said, "To prevent outbreaks of influenza and other respiratory infections, it is of prime importance that children with fever, regardless of the presence of respiratory symptoms, should not be allowed to attend school. They should seek medical advice and avoid school till 48 hours after the fever has subsided. Schools should also measure and record students' body temperature properly."

     Schools are reminded to follow the Guidelines on Prevention of Communicable Diseases on preventive and control measures as well as management of outbreaks, which should be reported to the CHP for prompt follow-up.

     "Particularly, children, people aged 50 to 64 years, the elderly and those with underlying illnesses who have not yet received influenza vaccination this season are urged to get vaccinated as early as possible to prevent seasonal influenza as it takes about two weeks for antibodies to develop in the body after vaccination. They should promptly seek medical advice if influenza-like symptoms develop so that appropriate treatment can be initiated as early as possible to prevent potential complications. Parents and carers are reminded to render assistance in prevention, care and control for vulnerable people," the spokesman added.

     Besides receiving seasonal influenza vaccination as early as possible for personal protection, the public should maintain good personal and environmental hygiene for protection against influenza and other respiratory illnesses. For more information, please visit the CHP's influenza page and weekly Flu Express. 

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and Paris EUROPLACE co-hosted the Hong Kong-Paris Financial Seminar in Hong Kong today (January 16).
      
     The Seminar provided a platform for financial market participants in Hong Kong and Paris to exchange views on the latest trends and developments and to explore further financial collaboration between the two financial centres.  It was opened by the Deputy Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue, and the First Deputy Governor, Banque de France, Mr Denis Beau, followed by two panel discussions comprising experts from the Hong Kong and French financial and fintech sectors. 
      
     The first panel, chaired by the Executive Director (External) of the HKMA, Mr Vincent Lee, discussed the role of Hong Kong as the gateway to China and opportunities, including those in RMB internationalisation, continued opening-up of China's financial and capital markets, as well as the Greater Bay Area.  Chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of Paris EUROPLACE, Mr Arnaud de Bresson, the second panel focused on the development of new finance, including green finance, fintech and digital finance, in both Hong Kong and Paris and collaboration opportunities in these areas. 
      
     Mr Yue said, "Today's seminar provides a useful platform for Hong Kong and French financial institutions to step up exchange and collaboration.  Hong Kong and Paris are two financial centres sharing many complementary strengths.  Amid growing opportunities from the opening-up of Mainland China and new finance, there is much room for market participants from these two places to share experiences and collaborate."
 
     Over 120 representatives from banks, asset management companies, corporates and other financial institutions, as well as fintech companies in both Hong Kong and France attended the Seminar.