Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Department of Health (DH) today (August 1) announced that a total of 41 persons were sentenced by the Magistrates’ Courts from July 1 to 31 for violating the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A).

     The 41 cases involved 22 men and 19 women aged between 24 and 69. The dates of violating the relevant regulation ranges from August 1 to December 26, 2022. They were sentenced to imprisonment for up to two months, suspended for 12 months, or a fine of up to $10,000 by the Magistrates’ Courts.

     The DH will continue its actions against those who have breached the relevant regulations earlier. read more

     The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, attended the kick-off ceremony of the construction works of the Hong Kong Association of Youth Development (HKAYD) youth hostel, My Home, today (August 1).

     My Home is located in Mong Kok. The 23-storey youth hostel will provide up to 90 hostel places upon completion, each equipped with basic amenities. The youth hostel will also provide communal facilities for the tenants. The HKAYD will make arrangements for youth tenants to participate in no less than 200 hours of social outreach or volunteer services each year, enabling young people to leverage their strengths to contribute to the community. The Legislative Council Finance Committee approved the funding for the project’s construction works in June 2023.
 
     Speaking at the ceremony, Miss Mak expressed her gratitude to the HKAYD for their support of the Youth Hostel Scheme and their efforts during the past few years in preparing for the construction of My Home and overcoming various technical challenges to commence the construction works of the youth hostel building. She looks forward to the early completion of the youth hostel building to allow more young people to have their own living space.
 
     Miss Mak added that the Youth Hostel Scheme has attained encouraging progress in recent years. In addition to My Home where the kick-off ceremony of the construction works was conducted today, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups’ youth hostel in Tai Po and the Po Leung Kuk’s youth hostel in Yuen Long have respectively commenced operation, providing approximately 1 800 hostel places in total. The Chief Executive announced in the 2022 Policy Address that the Government will expand the Youth Hostel Scheme to increase the supply of youth hostels, including subsidising non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to rent suitable hotels and guesthouses for use as youth hostels. Since the launch of the subsidy scheme in January 2023, three projects have been approved, offering approximately 480 hostel places.
 
     She said, “These reflect the support towards the Youth Hostel Scheme by different sectors of the community and their eagerness to join hands with the Government to address the housing needs of young people. We will continue to collaborate with NGOs and relevant stakeholders who share our vision to implement the Youth Hostel Scheme, with a view to inspiring our youths and brightening our future.”

     The Government implemented the Youth Hostel Scheme to unleash the development potential of the under-utilised sites of the NGOs so as to meet the aspirations of working youths for having their own living spaces. Participating NGOs of the scheme will be responsible for the construction of the youth hostel projects with the relevant capital costs being fully funded by the Government. Upon completion, the NGOs will operate the youth hostels on a self-financing basis. The NGOs managing the youth hostels will also provide youth tenants with various support and training activities so that they could achieve self-enrichment and widen their personal and social networks during their stay at the hostels with a view to embracing the challenges in their stages of life ahead.

  

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (August 1) following up on a cluster of Candida auris carrier cases involving a total of three residents from a residential care home for the elde… read more

     The Inland Revenue Department today (August 1) alerted members of the public to fraudulent emails purportedly issued by the department, which invite recipients to claim tax refunds. Each email provides a hyperlink to a website which seeks to obtain the recipient’s personal particulars and credit card information.

     The department has no connection with the fraudulent emails and has reported the case to the Police for further investigation. Members of the public are reminded not to open any suspicious emails. read more

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, continued his visit in Hangzhou. He met with the Director of the Hangzhou Sports Bureau, Mr Jin Chenglong, today (August 1) to exchange views on sports development on both sides and explore opportunities for co-operation. Mr Yeung also took the opportunity to visit the Hangzhou Chen Jinglun Sports School under the Bureau. Mr Yeung then met with the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Organising Committee in the afternoon for exchanges and visited the Hangzhou Asian Games Village to learn about the opportunities and challenges of hosting the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, and ways to promote sports for all through the Games.
 
     Mr Yeung said, “The 19th Asian Games is the third time our country is hosting this Asian mega sports event. Our visit and exchanges will help Hong Kong to co-host the 15th National Games in 2025, making good use of the Kai Tak Sports Park which will be completed soon to further promote sports development. The Hong Kong, China Delegation will send more than 680 athletes, the biggest scale ever, to compete in this Asian Games. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government gives full support to our athletes to strive for excellence and bring glory to our country and Hong Kong. In addition to the Hong Kong Sports Institute’s support to athletes competing in elite sports events, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau has also approved from the Arts and Sport Development Fund (Sports Portion) a grant of $74 million in preparation funding to support other athletes and their teams preparing for the Games. I wish the Asian Games and Asia Para Games in Hangzhou a great success.”
      
     Together with the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu, Mr Yeung also visited the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, which is the main venue of the Asian Games and one of the biggest sports centres in the country. Mr Yeung also visited the Huanglong Sports Centre to learn about its smart system in venue management and its operation.
      
     Members of the Legislative Council Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports also joined the meeting and visited the two venues. Mr Yeung shared with Panel members the progress of the preparation efforts of the Hong Kong, China Delegation and the HKSAR Government’s support for athletes who compete in the Asian Games.