As Severe Typhoon Mangkhut has caused varying degrees of impact on schools, some schools need time to clean up and repair their premises and facilities. In addition, public transport services have yet to be fully resumed. Consequently, to ensure the safety of students, the Education Bureau has announced the class suspension of all schools tomorrow (September 18). 

     Under safe conditions, schools should keep their premises open and implement school-based contingency plans. Arrangements should be made for staff members to take care of students who have a genuine need to return to school in a safe place within the school premises. Parents should consider factors such as their home situation, road conditions in the vicinity and the care that their children need when deciding whether to send them to school.

     The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health today (September 17) reported that the suspected case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) pending results yesterday (September 16), upon preliminary testing, tested negative for MERS Coronavirus.

     â€‹Three restaurants, Chrisly Inn located at Queen's Road West, St Barts located at High Street and Bistro Du Vin located at Davis Street, violated the requirements of the statutory notices issued by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) by failing to reduce excessive cooking fume emissions. The restaurants were convicted on September 3, September 10 and today (September 17) respectively by Eastern Magistrates' Courts and fined a total of $40,000 for contravening the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (APCO).
      
     EPD officers conducted investigations into the three restaurants from April to November last year and found that all restaurants concerned failed to install proper cooking fume control equipment. The EPD then issued statutory notices under the APCO requiring the restaurants to install proper equipment to reduce their emissions by the deadline. After the specified date, it was found that the three restaurants had failed to comply with this requirement and continued to emit visible cooking fumes, which violated the requirement of the statutory notice. The EPD subsequently prosecuted the restaurants and continued to follow up on the cases. The emission levels of the three restaurants concerned had been improved noticeably this month.
            
     According to the APCO, restaurant operators should adopt effective measures to reduce cooking fumes emission within a specified time limit upon receipt of a statutory notice. First-time offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000. A maximum fine of $200,000 and six months' imprisonment may be imposed on second or subsequent convictions.

     An EPD spokesman reminded members of the food business that the EPD would take enforcement actions against restaurants for cooking fume emissions according to the APCO. The responsible person of the restaurant should properly design and install appropriate and effective air pollution control equipment in the kitchens of food premises. They should also arrange for experienced technicians to clean, check and repair the equipment regularly to ensure no visible fumes or odours are emitted, so as to avoid causing air pollution and nuisance to the public.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (September 17) that Mui Wo Sports Centre and Peng Chau Sports Centre in Islands District have been reopened.

     The sports centres were temporarily closed earlier on for use as temporary shelters operated by a District Office of the Home Affairs Department.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

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

     The Marine Department has received notification from the Hong Kong Pilots Association Limited that the pilotage service will partially resume from 4.30pm today (Septmeber 17) and will fully resume when weather conditions improve. Shipowners, agents, masters and other port users are advised to pay attention.