The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (October 12) that a sample of rice with grilled pork neck was found to contain a pathogen, Salmonella. The CFS is following up on the case.

     "Following up on a food complaint, the CFS collected the above-mentioned sample from a restaurant in Tsuen Wan for testing. The test result showed the presence of Salmonella in 25 grams of the sample, exceeding the criterion of the Microbiological Guidelines for Food which states that Salmonella should not be detected in 25 grams of food sample," a CFS spokesman said.

     The spokesman said that the CFS had notified the restaurant concerned of the unsatisfactory test result and instructed it to stop selling the concerned food item immediately. The CFS has also provided health education on food safety and hygiene to the person-in-charge and staff of the restaurant, and requested it to review and improve the food production process and carry out thorough cleaning and disinfection.

     "Salmonella infection may cause fever and gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. The effects on infants, young children, the elderly and patients with a weak immune system could be more severe and may even lead to death," the spokesman said.

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health.

     Hong Kong Customs mounted a territory-wide anti-illicit cigarette operation codenamed "Net" from October 2 to October 10 and seized about 770 000 suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $2.1 million and a duty potential of about $1.5 million in total.

     During the operation, Customs detected a total of 50 illicit cigarettes cases and arrested 45 men and seven women, aged between 21 and 82.

     The cases have been duly followed up.

     Also, Customs officers today (October 12) intercepted a 51-year-old man in Chai Wan and found about 8 000 suspected illicit cigarettes in his possession. Later, Customs officers further seized about 53 000 suspected illicit cigarettes at a factory unit in the district. The estimated market value of the suspected illicit cigarettes seized is about $160,000 with a duty potential of about $120,000.

     The 51-year-old man was arrested. Investigation is ongoing.

     Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182, or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

    

     The "Sparkle! Show Art's Hand: An Investigation on Art Labour" exhibition organised by Oi! was unveiled today (October 12) at Oi! in North Point. In an attempt to reconcile the dichotomies between practice and theory, the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect on the meaning of artistic labour.
 
     Is art a labour of love or a game of chance? The exhibition opens the debate with an illustration by Justin Wong, Wilson Shieh’s "2014 Calendar" and Jaye Rhee's video creation "The Perfect Moment". During the first phase of the exhibition, four new fine art graduates, namely Lawrence Cheng, Joanne Law, Livy Leung and Chivas Leung, are invited to present proposals for their solo exhibitions under the guidance of independent curators Ying Kwok and Suzanna Chung. They will then play mahjong to determine who will get to execute his/her exhibition proposal in the second phase of the exhibition. The project curator, Anthony Leung, sees this exhibition as both action-research and an experiment with resource distribution, reflecting the overall process of artistic labour.
 
     To coincide with the exhibition, Oi!, in partnership with orleanlaiproject, invited Vee Leong and four performers to present their durational work "On A New Day", which explores the contemporary notion of fatigue in relation to labour.
 
     "Show Art's Hand: An Investigation on Art Labour" is the final exhibition of the "Sparkle!" series. The first phase of the exhibition runs until October 28, while the second phase will run from November 3 to January 6. The special programme “Mahjong for Art” will be held on October 27 (Saturday) from 3pm to 5pm. For details of the exhibition, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/APO/en_US/web/apo/sparkle_show_arts_hand.html or call 2512 3000.
 
     For the "Sparkle!" exhibition series, eight local artists, namely Movana Chen, Enoch Cheng, Tang Siu-wa, Jeff Leung, Solomon Yu, Yentl Tong, Sara Wong and Anthony Leung, were invited to use Oi! as a platform to plan and stage exhibitions and other events that showcase the artistic qualities of the younger generation. Focusing on the relationship between art and contemporary living, the artists reflect on pressing issues in life and society using various means of artistic expression.
 
     Oi! is located at 12 Oil Street, North Point.

     Police will implement special traffic arrangements this Sunday (October 14) to facilitate a public procession to be held on Hong Kong Island.

A. Road closure

     If necessary, the following roads will be closed from about 2.45pm, until the crowd has dispersed and traffic resumes normal:

1. The leftmost lane of westbound Yee Wo Street;
2. The leftmost lane of westbound Hennessy Road;
3. Jardine’s Bazaar;
4. Tang Lung Street;
5. Canal Road East between Russell Street and Hennessy Road;
6. Lee Garden Road between Kai Chiu Road and Hennessy Road;
7. Kai Chiu Road;
8. Pak Sha Road;
9. Yun Ping Road between Lan Fong Road and Kai Chiu Road;
10. Canal Road West between Sharp Street West and Hennessy Road;
11. Wan Chai Road between Canal Road West and Morrison Hill Road; and
12. Bowrington Road between Sharp Street West and Hennessy Road.

     The following roads will be intermittently closed from 3.15pm, until the crowd has dispersed and traffic resumes normal:

1. Westbound Yee Wo Street;
2. Westbound Jardine’s Bazaar;
3. Westbound Hennessy Road;
4. Queensway;
5. Rodney Street;
6. Harcourt Road; and
7. Northbound Tim Mei Avenue.

     If necessary, the following roads will be closed from about 3.45pm, until the crowd has dispersed and traffic resumes normal:

Wan Chai
——–

1. Luard Road between Johnston Road and Hennessy Road;
2. Westbound Johnston Road between Ship Street and Landale Street;
3. Eastbound Johnston Road between Fenwick Street and Hennessy Road, except for franchised buses and green minibuses (GMBs); and
4. Fenwick Street between Hennessy Road and Johnston Road, except for franchised buses and GMBs.

Central
——-

1. Westbound Harcourt Road service road between Rodney Street and Cotton Tree Drive;
2. Southbound Tim Wa Avenue between Lung Wo Road and Harcourt Road;
3. All lay-bys along Tim Mei Avenue and Lung Wui Road; and
4. The unnamed road outside ex-Hong Kong Red Cross Headquarters.

B. Traffic diversions

     If necessary, the following traffic diversions will be implemented from 3.45pm, until the crowd has dispersed and traffic resumes normal:

Wan Chai
——–

1. Traffic along westbound Irving Street cannot enter Jardine’s Bazaar;
2. Traffic along northbound Pennington Street cannot turn left to Jardine’s Bazaar;
3. Traffic along northbound Pennington Street cannot turn left to Yee Wo Street;
4. Traffic along northbound Yun Ping Road must turn left to Lan Fong Road;
5. Traffic along westbound Hennessy Road cannot turn left to Canal Road East;
6. Traffic along westbound Russell Street cannot turn right to Canal Road East;
7. Traffic along Tai Wong Street East cannot enter Luard Road;
8. Traffic along eastbound Johnston Road cannot turn left to northbound Luard Road;
9. Traffic along westbound Johnston Road cannot turn right to northbound Luard Road;
10. Traffic along westbound Johnston Road must turn left to Ship Street; and
11. Traffic along westbound Johnston Road from Landale Street must turn left to Anton Street.

Central
——-

1. Traffic along eastbound Queensway cannot turn left to northbound Rodney Street;
2. Traffic from United Centre Bus Terminus must turn left to westbound Drake Street;
3. Traffic along westbound Harcourt Road near the exit of Harcourt Garden car park will be diverted to westbound Harcourt Road flyover;
4. Traffic along Lung Wo Road cannot enter Tim Wa Avenue, except for vehicles accessing Chief Executive’s Office and Central Government Complex car park;
5. Traffic along Lung Wo Road cannot turn to southbound Edinburgh Place; and
4. If necessary, traffic along eastbound Harcourt Road near City Hall will be diverted to eastbound Harcourt Road flyover, except for franchised buses and GMBs.

C. Suspension of parking spaces

     All on-street parking spaces and disabled parking spaces on Lung Wui Road will be suspended from 2pm to 10pm.

     Vehicles may not be permitted to access or leave the car parks along the route during the road closure period.

     Actual implementation of the traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the areas. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (October 12) reported the latest number of cases of dengue fever (DF), and again urged the public to maintain strict environmental hygiene, mosquito control and personal protective measures both locally and during travel.
 
     From October 5 to 11, the CHP recorded 10 imported DF cases. The patients had been to Mainland China (nine) and the Philippines (one) during the incubation period. 

     As of yesterday (October 11), 120 cases had been confirmed this year, of which 29 were local cases and 91 were imported cases. The imported cases were mainly imported from Thailand (30), the Philippines (16) and Mainland China (14). 

     DF remains endemic in some areas in Asia and beyond. The latest figures for 2018 revealed that 64 649 cases had been recorded in Thailand, 2 184 in Singapore (since December 31, 2017) and 139 in Japan. In Taiwan, 147 local cases have been recorded to date in 2018.
 
     The public should take heed of the following advice on mosquito control:
 

• Thoroughly check all gully traps, roof gutters, surface channels and drains to prevent blockage;
• Scrub and clean drains and surface channels with an alkaline detergent compound at least once a week to remove any deposited mosquito eggs;
• Properly dispose of refuse, such as soft drink cans, empty bottles and boxes, in covered litter containers;
• Completely change the water of flowers and plants at least once a week. The use of saucers should be avoided if possible;
• Level irregular ground surfaces before the rainy season;
• Avoid staying in shrubby areas; and
• Take personal protective measures such as wearing light-coloured long-sleeved clothes and trousers and apply insect repellent containing DEET to clothing or uncovered areas of the body when doing outdoor activities.

     To reduce the risk of infections spread by mosquitoes, apart from general measures, travellers returning from affected areas should apply insect repellent for 14 days (DF) or at least 21 days (Zika virus infection) upon arrival in Hong Kong. If feeling unwell, seek medical advice promptly and provide travel details to the doctor. DEET-containing insect repellents are effective and the public should take heed of the tips below: 
 

• Read the label instructions carefully first;
• Apply right before entering an area with risk of mosquito bites;
• Apply on exposed skin and clothing;
• Use DEET of up to 30 per cent for pregnant women and up to 10 per cent for children*;
• Apply sunscreen first, then insect repellent; and
• Re-apply only when needed and follow the instructions.

 
* For children who travel to countries or areas where mosquito-borne diseases are endemic or epidemic and where exposure is likely, those aged 2 months or above can use DEET-containing insect repellents with a DEET concentration of up to 30 per cent.

     The public may refer to the CHP's tips for using insect repellents for details.