Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) said today (August 21) that it is rendering full assistance to the SAHK to temporarily relocate service users of the LOHAS Garden to the Helping Hand Cheung Muk Tau Holiday Centre for the Elderly (Holiday Centre) in Sai Kung.

     The SAHK’s LOHAS Garden, located at the building on 51 Sheung Shing Street, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, provides residential care and day training services for persons with disabilities (PWDs). According to the monitoring data of the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD), the foundation of the southwestern corner of the building had shown signs of differential settlement. The ArchSD has conducted initial grouting works on the foundation of the building, which has effectively relieved the settlement condition. Upon assessments, the ArchSD confirmed that the building is structurally safe at present. Continuous monitoring and assessments as well as further investigation will be conducted by the ArchSD in the building in order to find out the cause of the differential settlement. The ArchSD will formulate concrete maintenance plans in accordance with the findings.

     Upon the ArchSD’s advice, the SWD and the SAHK, after deliberation and finalisation of relevant details, plan to temporarily relocate the residents of the LOHAS Garden in phases from August 29 to the Holiday Centre, so as to avoid the noise and dust nuisance caused by the works from disturbing the residents, staff members and visitors. The relocation will also vacate the building for detailed investigation and follow-up works.

     The SAHK currently provides both residential care and day training services for 182 PWDs in the LOHAS Garden, while another 40 PWDs are receiving only day training services. As the temporary relocation arrangement is expected to last for some time, the SAHK has conducted briefings for the families concerned today on the detailed arrangements.

     The SWD is rendering full assistance to the temporary relocation arrangement, including provision of extra resources to relevant organisations. While the Holiday Centre has already been equipped with barrier-free facilities, the environment of the venue will be further enhanced to better serve the needs of the PWDs of different service units of the LOHAS Garden. Upon the SWD and the SAHK’s liaison with the Holiday Centre, refinements to the site’s facilities and procurement of appropriate equipment are under way to ensure that service users can continue to receive residential care and day training services in a safe environment. Meanwhile, to assist service users who receive only day training services and families visiting the Holiday Centre, the SWD will provide extra resources to the SAHK so that designated transportation travelling to and from the Holiday Centre can be arranged.

     The SWD and the ArchSD will maintain close contact with the SAHK on the development and corresponding arrangements, and apprise the families of the latest information in a timely manner. read more

     â€‹The Housing Bureau (HB) will launch the “Trial Scheme on Special Allowance for Households of Transitional Housing” (“Trial Scheme”) tomorrow (August 22) to provide assistance to the new households of transitional housing for removal and adaptation to the new community.
      
     The “Trial Scheme” provides a one-off special allowance for new households of transitional housing projects under the “Funding Scheme to Support Transitional Housing Projects by Non-government Organisations” to alleviate their pressure arising from expenditures during removal and adaptation to the new living environment (such as children’s school transfer, moving/purchasing furniture and electrical appliances, re-establishing community networks, etc.). There is no restriction on the use of the subsidy so as to allow households to meet their own needs in a more flexible manner. The scheme is targeted at households who have moved into transitional housing units on or after June 16, 2023. The households receiving the allowance will have to stay in the unit for at least one year, and will not be granted the allowance for a second time thereafter.
      
     The spokesperson of the HB said, “The HB noticed that many of the households moving into transitional housing are low-income grassroots people who may not be able to afford the relocation expenses. Therefore, the HB successfully applied to the Commission on Poverty on June 16 this year for a funding of $85.2 million from the Community Care Fund to support the two-year “Trial Scheme”, with a view to providing the households with timely support and encouragement. It is estimated to benefit as many as 35 000 people.”
      
     The amount of disbursement depends on the number of family members living together in the household and the region of ​​the project they are moving into.  The amount of disbursable allowances is listed in the table below:
 

	Region of the Transitional Housing Project
	Urban and Extended Urban	New Territories and Islands
Household Size	Special Allowance Amount ($)
1-person	1,800	3,650
2-person	2,700	5,450
3-person	3,550	7,100
4-person	4,200	8,450
5-person	4,850	9,700
6-person or above	5,750	11,550

     The households can submit an application for the allowance to the operating organisations when completing the procedures in taking up the allocated transitional housing unit. The operating organisations will disburse the allowance within 20 working days after receiving the application. If the applicant approved for the allowance has not yet moved into the project at that time, it will be disbursed within 10 working days after formally moving in.
      
     Application forms and details will be available from the operating organisations of transitional housing projects or can be downloaded from the website of the HB (www.hb.gov.hk/eng/policy/housing/policy/transitional/index.html) starting from tomorrow. For enquiries, please call the Task Force on Transitional Housing under HB at 3579 5549. read more

     Hong Kong, China (HKC) deposited today (August 21, Geneva time) with the World Trade Organization (WTO) its Instrument of Acceptance for the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (the Agreement), which is the WTO’s second multilateral trade agreement concluded since its establishment, and its first one with environmental sustainability as the core objective.
 
     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, said, “The Agreement is an important outcome of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference. As a staunch supporter of the multilateral trading system, we are pleased to deposit our Instrument of Acceptance and join the global efforts to operationalise the Agreement, so that it can deliver benefits for trade, development and the environment.”
 
     The Agreement establishes binding and multilateral rules to prohibit certain subsidies with the most harmful effects on the sustainability of fisheries, namely, those contributing to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; those for fishing regarding overfished stocks; and those for fishing on the unregulated high seas. It would thereby enhance members’ fisheries management by, among others, incorporating sustainability assessments in the disciplines, creating robust transparency obligations and requiring co-operation among agencies.
 
     After over two decades of negotiations, the Agreement was adopted by WTO members at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference held in June 2022 and was subsequently open for acceptance.   
 
     Since June 2022, the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) have been preparing for the implementation of the Agreement in HKC. The AFCD has kept the trade informed of developments.  In order to bring HKC’s financial assistance policy on fisheries in line with the Agreement once it comes into force, the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation will make appropriate adjustments to relevant fisheries subsidies and support programmes to ensure that international obligations under the Agreement will be taken into consideration when giving support to/terminating a loan or grant application once the Agreement comes into force. HKC is therefore ready to accept the Protocol.
 
     The second round of negotiations on certain outstanding issues has continued, including the rules on subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing, with a view to making recommendations by the next WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled for February 2024 to further enhance the disciplines under the Agreement. HKC has been participating in the negotiations. The local fisheries trade has also been consulted to ensure that HKC’s views and interests are duly considered during the negotiations.
 
     “The successful conclusion of the Agreement is a milestone achievement as WTO members reinvigorated multilateralism and worked collaboratively to deliver on issues of global importance. Hong Kong, China is committed to working constructively with other WTO members to further strengthen the disciplines,” Mr Yau added.
 
     The Agreement will come into force upon acceptance by two thirds of the WTO members (i.e. 110 members out of a total of 164 members). As of August 21, 2023, 42 WTO members have accepted the Agreement.
 
     For more details about the AFCD’s fisheries subsidies and support programmes, please visit its website at: www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/fish_cap/fish_cap_techsup/fish_cap_techsup.html.

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     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) said today (August 21) that it is investigating a confirmed Mpox (also known as Monkeypox) case, and urged the public to heighten vigilance and avoid close physical contact with persons suspected of contracting Mpox. Meanwhile, high-risk target groups are advised to receive Mpox vaccination.

     The case involves a 25-year-old male patient with good past health. He had developed rash, fever and myalgia since August 12. He visited Tuen Mun Hospital on August 18 and was admitted for treatment the same day. He is in stable condition. 

     An initial investigation revealed that he had visited Guangzhou during the incubation period. According to the patient, he only had high-risk exposure in Hong Kong during the incubation period. No epidemiological linkages between this case and other confirmed cases recorded in Hong Kong earlier have been found so far. The CHP’s epidemiological investigations of the case are ongoing, including contact tracing and an infection source investigation. The CHP will report the case to the World Health Organization and the relevant authority of the Mainland.

     The CHP had earlier set up an Mpox telephone hotline (2125 2373). The hotline operates from Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) from 9am to 5pm, which enables those who suspect or are concerned they have had high-risk contact with confirmed patients, in particular men who have sex with men or those who have sexual practices with strangers, to make enquiries and receive relevant health advice. Meanwhile, the CHP reminds the public, especially those subject to high risks of exposure, to take precautions and avoid close physical contact with persons or animals suspected of infection. They should seek medical attention as soon as possible if they experience relevant symptoms, including rash, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle pain, and severe headaches.

     The CHP reminds members of the public that Mpox is not transmitted through respiratory droplets or aerosols in general, and transmission would not occur through social contact. Proper personal and hand hygiene can help prevent getting infected via contact.

     The Government has activated the Alert level of the preparedness and response plan for the disease in September last year and will continue to assess the risk in view of the latest scientific evidence and situation, and implement corresponding control measures.

     The Mpox vaccination programme for high-risk groups commenced on October 5 last year. Under the programme, the following high-risk target groups can receive Mpox vaccination on a voluntary basis:
 

1. Individuals with high-risk sexual practices, e.g. having multiple sexual partners, sex workers, or having a history of sexually transmitted infection within the past 12 months;
2. Healthcare workers responsible for caring of patients with confirmed Mpox;
3. Laboratory personnel working with zoonotic pox viruses; and
4. Animal care personnel with high risk of exposure in case of Mpox occurrence in animals in Hong Kong.

     High-risk target groups can receive Mpox vaccination at the designated Mpox vaccination centre (situated at 2/F, CHP building, 147C Argyle Street, Mong Kok) by appointment through email (mpv_booking@dh.gov.hk) or telephone booking line (2547 1900) during office hours. They can also receive Mpox walk-in vaccinations at all of the DH’s Social Hygiene Service Clinics (SocHS) (namely Chai Wan SocHS, Wan Chai Male SocHS, Wan Chai Female SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Male SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Female SocHS, Yung Fung Shee SocHS, Fanling SocHS and Tuen Mun SocHS). Further information of the clinics including their locations is available at www.dh.gov.hk/english/tele/tele_chc/tele_chc_shcf.html and www.dh.gov.hk/english/tele/tele_chc/tele_chc_shcm.html.

     Meanwhile, the DH’s Integrated Treatment Centre in Kowloon Bay, and the Hospital Authority’s Special Medical Clinics at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital will continue to provide Mpox vaccination services for their clients.

     â€‹For more details, please visit the CHP’s page on Mpox. read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (August 21) investigating a case of suspected neurotoxic shellfish poisoning affecting two patients.      The case inv… read more