The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) said today (July 31) that the three-year transitional period for the Property Management Services Ordinance (Cap. 626) (PMSO) will end today. Starting from August 1, 2023, all companies providing properties subject to deeds of mutual covenant with more than one category of prescribed property management (PM) services, as well as PM practitioners (PMPs) serving a managerial or supervisory role in such PM companies (PMCs), must hold a valid licence in accordance with the PMSO.
 
　　The Property Management Services Authority (PMSA) is responsible for the implementation of the licensing regime under the PMSO. The PMSO provides for a single-tier licensing regime of PMCs, which are business entities that carry on the business of providing PM services. The PMSO also provides for a two-tier licensing regime of PMPs (i.e. PMP (Tier 1) licence and PMP (Tier 2) licence). Only those PMPs who assume a managerial or supervisory role in a PMC in relation to PM services provided by the PMC will be subject to licensing. Frontline staff will not be required to obtain PMP licences. 
 
　　As of yesterday (July 30), the PMSA has issued formal licences to 747 PMCs and nearly 12 000 PMPs.
 
　　"The PMSA has been actively taking forward the full implementation of the licensing regime. The PMSA has issued licences to PMCs that are required to be licensed under the PMSO. The PM industry should be able to smoothly transfer to the new regulatory regime," a spokesman for the HYAB said.
 
　　The spokesman said, "Following the full implementation of the PMSO, the new regulatory regime for the PM industry will take full effect. The new regulatory regime should regulate and control the provision of PM services; promote the integrity, competence and professionalism of the profession of PM services; and maintain and enhance the status of the profession of PM services."
 
　　For any enquiries about details of the licensing regime, please visit the website of the PMSA (www.pmsa.org.hk/en/), or contact the PMSA at 3696 1111.

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 30) seized about 2 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $2.2 million at Hong Kong International Airport.
           
     A 55-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Guadeloupe via Paris, France, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected cocaine concealed inside the interlinings of two book covers and a false compartment of a rucksack in his checked-in suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     Following the increasing number of visitors to Hong Kong, Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).

  

     To enhance the awareness of food safety and hygiene of licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes and to prepare for the new school year, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) and the Environmental Hygiene Branch of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) have launched a series of operations to inspect licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes in various districts of Hong Kong with a view to ensuring food safety.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said today (July 31), "Starting from July 27 to end of August, the FEHD will inspect food factories supplying school lunch boxes to ensure that the licensing conditions in respect of food handling and processing are observed by the operators, and that hygienic standards stipulated in the laws are met. Food samples will be collected for testing. Meanwhile, health advice will also be given, and food safety pamphlets will be distributed to operators and staff of food factories to remind them of the proper way of handling school lunch boxes."

     The CFS will host an online trade meeting in early August to remind lunch box suppliers to adhere to good hygiene practices when preparing food and establish a food safety plan based on the "Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points" (HACCP) system to lower the risks of food contamination. Lunch box caterers can make use of the guideline "Developing a School Food Safety Plan Based on HACCP system (for School Lunch Box Caterers)" to learn more about how to enhance the safety of lunch box production.

     Furthermore, in order to ensure food safety on campus, the CFS arranged an online talk for primary schools on July 28, highlighting food safety hazards such as choking and food allergies that teaching staff and food handlers in schools should pay attention to. At the same time, schools are also reminded to order lunch boxes from suppliers with a valid Food Factory Licence issued by the FEHD, and that suppliers are endorsed to provide lunch boxes. Before signing contracts with suppliers, schools should visit the premises to ensure that food handlers observe food safety and hygiene practices.

    

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited relating to phishing emails, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.

     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks' websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the emails concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (July 31) announced that the monthly gravidtrap index for Aedes albopictus in June was 16.4 per cent. The index remained at Level 2 in June, indicating that the distribution of Aedes albopictus in the areas surveyed was fairly extensive. After stepped-up mosquito prevention and control by relevant government departments, the area gravidtrap indices in some survey areas concerned recorded a decrease in the monitoring in early July.

     In June, among the 64 survey areas, the area gravidtrap index in 19 areas exceeded the alert level of 20 per cent. The gravidtraps were mostly found in the vicinity of public and private residential areas, schools, recreational and sports facilities and public places. The FEHD has collaborated with relevant government departments and taken immediate action to strengthen mosquito prevention and control work in the above-mentioned areas. The FEHD has also notified the bodies concerned under individual survey areas that had voluntarily subscribed to the gravidtrap Rapid Alert System to post specially designed alert notices in the common areas of their premises to remind occupants and staff to carry out anti-mosquito measures promptly.

     Moreover, the monthly density index for Aedes albopictus in June was 1.3, which represented that an average of 1.3 Aedes albopictus adults were found in the Aedes-positive gravidtraps, indicating that the number of adult Aedes albopictus was not abundant in the survey areas. The gravidtrap and density indices for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures are available on the department's website at www.fehd.gov.hk.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said, "There is a close relationship between local mosquito infestation and seasonal changes. According to previous data, the gravidtrap indices in various survey areas would be relatively higher during hot and rainy spring and summer months (i.e. from May to September). The FEHD reminds members of the public to further step up mosquito prevention and control work, and arrange early repair and maintenance of structures. Cracks and dents which may accumulate water and become potential breeding grounds should be filled and levelled so as to reduce the chance of mosquito breeding.

     "The Government is very concerned about the mosquito infestation in June. As summer approaches, the continuous hot and rainy weather is conducive to the fast breeding of mosquitoes, which might have caused the monthly gravidtrap index for Aedes albopictus to hover at a relatively higher level during the month. The FEHD has continued to intensify mosquito prevention and control work with relevant government departments in areas under their purview, and the FEHD has provided relevant government departments with advice and technical support to assist them in formulating and implementing effective anti-mosquito measures swiftly. At the same time, the FEHD, in collaboration with personnel from relevant government departments, conducted site inspections to eliminate potential mosquito breeding places, and strengthened publicity and education. Under the concerted efforts and collaboration of various parties, most of the survey areas having the area gravidtrap indices exceeding the alert level of 20 per cent in June have recorded a decrease in the indices in the first phase of monitoring in July. The FEHD will continue to monitor the mosquito infestation in all districts, and will conduct prompt and effective mosquito prevention and control work. The FEHD will also strengthen law enforcement. From January to June this year, the FEHD has eliminated over 28 034 mosquito breeding places and initiated 104 prosecutions for mosquito breeding found in relevant premises," the spokesman added.

     The FEHD will conduct a three-phase Anti-mosquito Campaign this year. The second phase of the territory-wide campaign, lasting nine weeks, was launched from April 17 to June 16. During the period, the district offices of the FEHD targeted areas that had drawn particular concern, such as public markets, cooked food centres and hawker bazaars, single-block buildings, streets and back lanes, common parts of buildings, village houses, construction sites, vacant sites and road works sites, to remove accumulated water and carry out mosquito prevention and control work. After the second phase of the campaign, the FEHD has conducted territory-wide thematic special operations on mosquito prevention and control, such as strengthening mosquito control at individual construction sites, for three weeks starting from June 26. To further enhance the effectiveness of mosquito control, the FEHD and relevant government departments have also carried out the second phase of the All-out Anti-mosquito Operations since April 24 to focus on eliminating potential mosquito breeding places, and called on property management offices to arrange necessary repairs to their premises so as to minimise mosquito breeding places. Furthermore, intense adult control has been conducted by means of regular ultra-low volume fogging operations after the onset of the rainy season.

     The FEHD appeals to members of the public to work together to carry out mosquito prevention and control measures early, including inspecting their homes and surroundings to remove potential breeding grounds, changing water in vases and scrubbing their inner surfaces, removing water in saucers under potted plants at least once a week, properly disposing of containers such as soft drink cans and lunch boxes, and drilling large holes in unused tyres. The FEHD also advises members of the public and estate management bodies to keep drains free of blockage and level all defective ground surfaces to prevent the accumulation of water. They should also scrub all drains and surface sewers with an alkaline detergent at least once a week to remove any mosquito eggs.

     Aedes albopictus is a kind of mosquito that can transmit dengue fever (DF) as well as Zika virus infection. DF is commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and has become endemic in many countries in Southeast Asia. The dengue activity in neighbouring areas has remained high and Hong Kong has recorded 20 imported DF cases so far this year. Members of the public should stay vigilant and continue to carry out effective mosquito prevention and control measures.