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     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (September 21) that the department will extend opening hours and make special arrangements at some of its venues for the public to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

     However, in the wake of the adverse impact brought about by Tropical Cyclone Mangkhut, which has led to various levels of damage to facilities and trees at many LCSD venues, the department has made an assessment and anticipated that the clearance work at these venues would not be completed before the Mid-Autumn Festival. They include all gazetted public beaches (including ancillary barbecue facilities) and a number of land-based venues in various districts, which are not suitable for activities relating to the Mid-Autumn Festival (September 23 to 25). The list of such venues can be found in the Annex.

     As the LCSD is making great efforts to conduct clearance and repair work at the venues affected under its management, the department urges the public not to go near or enter the cordoned-off areas in these venues for the sake of safety.

     Details of extended opening hours and special arrangements for selected venues during the Mid-Autumn Festival period are as follows:

September 23 and 24 (the day before Mid-Autumn Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival)
————————————————————————————————

Hong Kong Velodrome Park (Sai Kung District)
– Artificial Lake
6.30am to 1am (extended by two hours)

September 23, 24 and 25 (the day before Mid-Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and the day following Mid-Autumn Festival)
————————————————————————————————————-

Jordan Valley Park (Kwun Tong District)
September 23: 5am to midnight
                      (extended by one hour)
September 24: 5am to 1am
                      (extended by two hours)
September 25: 5am to 11.30pm
                      (extended by half an hour)

September 24 (Mid-Autumn Festival)
—————————————–

Hong Kong Park (Central and Western District)
– Outdoor facilities
6am to midnight (extended by one hour)

Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens (Central and Western District)
– Fountain Terrace Garden
5am to midnight (extended by two hours)

Aldrich Bay Park (Eastern District)
– Water Feature and Fisherman Hut Pavilion
6.30am to 11.30pm (extended by one hour)

Ngau Chi Wan Park (Wong Tai Sin District)
6.30am to midnight (extended by one hour)

Tsing Yi Park (Kwai Tsing District)
5.30am to midnight (extended by half an hour)

Tsing Yi Northeast Park (Kwai Tsing District)
5.30am to midnight (extended by half an hour)

North District Park (North District)
6am to midnight (extended by one hour)

September 25 (the day following Mid-Autumn Festival)
————————————————————-

Central Lawn of Victoria Park (Wan Chai District)
Temporarily closed from 2am to 5am for cleaning operations

     The LCSD appeals to the public to keep places clean and tidy, take away their belongings while leaving the venues and put trash into litter box, and not to burn wax or fly sky lanterns when celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival.

     “To provide a better environment for members of the public to enjoy the festive occasion, we appeal to them not to burn or melt wax. They should not sprinkle or pour liquids onto hot wax. Metal cans or non-flammable containers should be used to collect melted wax for easy disposal into litter bins after the containers cool down,” a spokesman for the LCSD said.

     “Moreover, members of the public should not throw glow sticks or other objects onto trees, as doing so may cause damage to the trees and affect the cleanliness of venues. Furthermore, they should not fly sky lanterns as it might cause injuries or damage to property.”

     Noting that a new set of television and radio Announcements in the Public Interest has been launched to make similar public appeals, the spokesman said patrols will also be stepped up at the department’s venues on September 23 and 24. About 1 000 staff will be deployed to take enforcement action against littering, wax burning, throwing objects onto trees and flying sky lanterns on these two nights. Littering offenders will be issued with a fixed penalty notice with a fine of $1,500, while those who burn wax, throw objects onto trees or fly sky lanterns might be prosecuted.

     According to the Pleasure Grounds Regulation, no person shall, in any pleasure ground, melt or burn any wax; sprinkle or pour any liquid onto any hot wax; damage any part of any tree, shrub or plant; or fly kites, model aircraft, balloons, sky lanterns or other devices. According to the Bathing Beaches Regulation, no person shall, on any bathing beach, do any act which is likely to endanger or obstruct any other person using the beach, or damage, deface or pollute the beach or anything situated thereon. Any person who is convicted is liable to a maximum fine of $2,000 and 14 days’ imprisonment.

     Members of the public may call the LCSD’s hotline on 2414 5555 to report any wax burning or flying sky lantern cases, or other irregularities found at LCSD venues. read more

     The Transport Department (TD) reminded the public today (September 21) that special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented during the period from September 23 to 25 on Hong Kong Island and in the New Territories to facilitate the holding of Mid-Autumn Festival activities and the Fire Dragon Dance in Tai Hang.

     To facilitate the holding of the Fire Dragon Dance in Tai Hang on Hong Kong Island, there will be road closures and traffic diversions in Tai Hang from 6pm to 11.59 pm daily from September 23 to 25. Parking spaces in the area will be suspended.

     Road closure arrangements will also be implemented in various parts of Hong Kong Island (including the Peak, Repulse Bay, Shek O, Stanley, Pok Fu Lam and Aberdeen) and the New Territories. Part-time pedestrian schemes and learner driver prohibited zones will be set up. Car parks, parking spaces, taxi stands and public light bus stands will be suspended.  The Police may adjust the implementation of road closures and traffic diversions, subject to the prevailing traffic and crowd conditions in the areas.

     For public transport services, there will be an extension of operating hours, route diversions and strengthening of services. 

     Details are as follows:

– Except Disneyland Resort Line and East Rail Line between Sheung Shui and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau station, all MTR routes will operate overnight on September 24;

– Some Light Rail routes in the Yuen Long area, the Tuen Mun area and the Tin Shui Wai area will operate overnight on September 24;

– The tram service on September 24 will be extended to 3am on the following day. The service on September 23 and 25 will be strengthened subject to passenger demand;

– Extensions of operating hours, special services, route diversions and suspension/relocation of bus stops will be exercised by bus companies on some routes;

– Some green minibus services will be extended and some routes will be diverted; and

– Ferry services by New World First Ferry, and Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry will be enhanced subject to passenger demand.

     Members of the public are advised to make use of public transport services so as to avoid traffic congestion and unnecessary delays. Motorists should avoid driving to the affected areas. In case of traffic congestion, they should drive with patience and follow the instructions of the Police on-site.

     The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures as necessary. Members of the public are advised to pay attention to the latest traffic news on radio and television, or get the information through the TD’s mobile application “HKeMobility”.

     Details of the special traffic and transport arrangements are now available on the department’s website (www.td.gov.hk). read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) today (September 21) announced an incident of delayed follow-up of investigation report as follows:
 
     A 53-year-old male patient was injured and admitted to the orthopaedics and traumatology (O&T) ward of KWH for treatment on September 15, 2017. Chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) were arranged on the same day. The results showed that the patient had a left scapula fracture. The patient was treated and discharged on September 16, 2017. He was given a follow-up at the KWH O&T Specialist Out-patient clinic on October 3 and November 14 of the same year.
 
     On August 10, 2018, the patient was admitted to the Medicine and Geriatrics ward of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) for severe dizziness and dehydration. During his hospitalisation, joint consultation with oncologist and further examination were arranged for the patient. On September 7, the oncologist at the Specialist Outpatient Clinic (SOPC) reviewed all the medical reports of the patient, including the report of the CT examination performed in KWH in 2017. The oncologist noted that, in addition to the findings on the left scapula fracture, a right upper lobe nodule was also reported but no further investigation had been arranged. PMH conveyed the findings to the KWH O&T team immediately.
 
     KWH met the patient and his family to explain the incident. An apology was extended and necessary support will be rendered to the patient and his family. The patient is being followed-up by the PMH Oncology Department and has commenced targeted therapy.
 
     KWH has reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office (HAHO) via the Advance Incident Reporting System. An investigation panel will be formed and the report is to be submitted to HAHO in eight weeks. Subsequent to the incident, healthcare staff have been reminded to prudently review patients’ investigation results with clear documentation and timely follow-up arrangements as required. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Treasury Markets Summit 2018, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Treasury Markets Association (TMA), was held today (September 21) in Hong Kong. 

     In his keynote address to the Summit, the Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Norman Chan, shared his view that crypto-assets would unlikely become an alternative form of money in the future. He explained why such crypto-assets lack “moneyness” while presenting various challenges to supervisors, policy makers and law enforcement agents. Mr Chan said that industry practitioners, regulators and policy makers, while embracing new technology and innovation, must also guard against the risk of overlooking the nature of the financial transactions and the risks that are inherent in these transactions under the pretext of technological advancement. In his address, Mr Chan also pointed out that overseers of payment systems should take proactive steps to ensure that large value as well as small value retail payment systems, making use of commercial bank or central bank balances, are efficient, convenient and at low cost to the users. In this connection, he referred to the launch of the Faster Payment System which will provide instantaneous and free P2P payments, making use of either mobile phone number or email address.
 
     The Summit’s panels focused on three important topics, including global economic developments, financial market cooperation within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the potential impact of virtual banking and other fintech advancements on traditional treasury operations.
 
     Speakers of the panels included the Deputy Chief Executive of the HKMA and Chairman of TMA Executive Board, Mr Howard Lee; the General Manager, Head of Investment, Investment Management, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr Chordio Chan; and the Chief Executive Officer of TMA, Mr Jack Cheung. They were joined by other distinguished guest speakers from the financial industry.
 
     The Summit was attended by over 300 local and overseas participants, including representatives from regulatory authorities, Government officials, treasury market practitioners, asset managers as well as senior executives and professionals from banks, other financial institutions and corporates.

    

     The Police will implement special traffic arrangements in various districts to facilitate the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Tai Hang ————      The following special traffic… read more