Rene Caovilla, which makes Italian handcrafted shoes, opened a flagship store in Hong Kong today (November 14), giving the heritage brand a regional base from which to continue its global growth.
     
     The new store, located at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, showcases a range of women's jeweled shoes, handmade and shipped from Venice, Italy. Rene Caovilla is a family enterprise and is currently run by the third generation. With aspirations for an expanded global presence, the company identified Hong Kong as the ideal location for a flagship store because of its international status and fashion conscious consumers, said its Creative Director and CEO, Mr Edoardo Caovilla.
     
     He said, "Our retail strategy is to open stores in the main shopping malls around the world, and certainly Hong Kong is one of the locations on our map. The Hong Kong store is the first in Asia Pacific that is directly owned and managed by us. At the same time, we have received a lot of positive attention through working closely with local and regional key opinion leaders in fashion and lifestyle. We have started to engage with consumers through the many social media platforms and print media that we can access in Hong Kong.
     
     "Hong Kong is strategically located in the heart of Asia and the retail industry here is sophisticated with a good diversity of discerning clientele in terms of both locals and visitors from around the world. It is the gateway for our Asia distribution and retail development."
     
     Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion Dr Jimmy Chiang said, "Hong Kong has remained popular as a travel and retail destination for visitors from around the world. We also have strong IT infrastructure which supports marketing activities of the brands that set up in Hong Kong. The opening of Rene Caovilla's flagship store in Hong Kong is another vote of confidence in our retail sector."
     
About Rene Caovilla
     
     Founded in Venice in 1934, Rene Caovilla is regarded as having set the benchmark for excellence in the luxury footwear sector. The retail side of the business spans 15 boutiques in the world's leading cities with more than 80 points of sale worldwide. It also launched an official online boutique in January 2017. For more information, please visit www.renecaovilla.com.
     
About Invest Hong Kong
 
     Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and supporting overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services for overseas and Mainland companies enrolled as its clients. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.
      
     For event photos, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72157702026642271.

    

     â€‹The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, today (November 14) appointed or re-appointed the following persons as board members of the Hong Kong Dance Company Limited for two years, until the conclusion of the Company's Annual General Meeting in 2020.

Mr Sebastian Law Sai-hung (re-appointment)
Ms Lu Hai (new appointment)
Ms Helen Ng Han-bing (re-appointment)

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (November 14) investigating an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in a kindergarten-cum-child care centre in Central and Western District, and again urged the public, schools and institutions to maintain strict hand, personal and environmental hygiene.

     The outbreak affected eight boys and 12 girls, aged 2 to 5, who have developed fever, oral ulcers, rash and vesicles over hands or feet since October 6. All of them sought medical attention and one required hospitalisation but was discharged after treatment. All patients are in a stable condition.

     The stool specimen of an affected student tested positive for Coxsackievirus A6 upon laboratory testing.

     Officers of the CHP have conducted a site visit to the school and advised the management on necessary infection control and preventive measures. The school has been put under medical surveillance. Investigations are ongoing.

     "HFMD is common in children while adult cases may also appear. It is usually caused by enteroviruses (EVs) such as Coxsackie virus and EV71. It is clinically characterised by maculopapular rashes or vesicular lesions occurring on the palms, soles and other parts of the body such as the buttocks and thighs. Vesicular lesions and ulcers may also be found in the oral cavity. Sometimes patients present mainly with painful ulcers at the back of the mouth, namely herpangina, without rash on the hands or feet," a spokesman for the CHP said.
 
     "HFMD occurs throughout the year. While the disease activity is usually higher from May to July, a smaller peak may also occur from October to December. As young children are more susceptible, parents should stay alert to their health. Institutional outbreaks may occur where HFMD can easily spread among young children with close contact," the spokesman added.

     To prevent HFMD, members of the public, and especially the management of institutions, should take heed of the following preventive measures:
 

• Maintain good air circulation;
• Wash hands before meals and after going to the toilet or handling diapers or other stool-soiled materials;
• Keep hands clean and wash hands properly, especially when they are dirtied by respiratory secretions, such as after sneezing;
• Cover the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and oral discharges properly;
• Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as furniture, toys and commonly shared items with 1:99 diluted household bleach (mixing one part of bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite with 99 parts of water), leave for 15 to 30 minutes, and then rinse with water and keep dry. For metallic surfaces, disinfect with 70 per cent alcohol;
• Use absorbent disposable towels to wipe away obvious contaminants such as respiratory secretions, vomitus or excreta, and then disinfect the surface and neighbouring areas with 1:49 diluted household bleach (mixing one part of bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite with 49 parts of water), leave for 15 to 30 minutes and then rinse with water and keep dry. For metallic surfaces, disinfect with 70 per cent alcohol;
• Children who are ill should be kept out of school until their fever and rash have subsided and all the vesicles have dried and crusted;
• Avoid going to overcrowded places; and
• Parents should maintain close communication with schools to let them know the latest situation of the sick children.
   

     The public may visit the CHP's page on HFMD and EV71 infection and Public Health Advice for Play Facilities for more information.

     The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, welcomed the passage of the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 5) Bill 2018 by the Legislative Council today (November 14).

     The new Ordinance gives effect to three concessionary tax measures proposed in the 2018-19 Budget. These include, from the year of assessment 2018/19, allowing husband and wife the option of electing for personal assessment (PA) separately; allowing enterprises to claim tax deduction for capital expenditure incurred for procuring environmental protection installations in full in one year instead of over five years; and extending the scope of tax exemption for debt instruments under the Qualifying Debt Instrument (QDI) Scheme.

      Mr Lau said, "We believe that allowing husband and wife the option of electing for PA separately could provide taxpayers who are married with greater flexibility in tax assessment. The shortening of the deduction period for capital expenditure incurred for procuring environmental protection installations could encourage enterprises to procure and use such installations. Extending the scope of tax exemption for debt instruments under the QDI Scheme would further promote the development of the local bond market."
 
     The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) will update its website and Departmental Interpretation and Practice Notes to provide more information about tax assessment for married couples under PA. The relevant part of the tax return will also be updated to reflect the change. The IRD will also continue to publish the list of QDIs on its website for public inspection.

     A woman was fined $8,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (November 14) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in February last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Reclamation Street in Mong Kok. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.
      
     According to the OLA's record, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman responsible for managing the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
      
     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.
           
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".