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Author Archives: hksar gov

Booking for free use of leisure facilities on Sport For All Day 2023 to start on July 31

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will hold Sport For All Day 2023 on August 6 (Sunday). Members of the public can book leisure facilities for free, take part in free recreation and sports programmes at designated venues, and watch live webcasts of sports demonstrations at home to keep exercising in a fun way.
      
     Various leisure facilities will be open for free use by the public on Sport For All Day 2023. These include:
 

  • Indoor leisure facilities: badminton courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, netball courts, volleyball courts, squash courts, table tennis tables, American pool tables, billiard tables, sport climbing walls, bowling greens, golf facilities, fitness rooms, activity rooms, dance rooms and a cycling track;
  • Outdoor leisure facilities: tennis courts, tennis practice courts, bowling greens, batting cages, sport climbing walls, archery ranges and golf facilities (excluding camp facilities, sports grounds as well as artificial and natural turf pitches);
  • Public swimming pools (excluding Kowloon Tsai Swimming Pool which is temporarily closed for redevelopment, and Wan Chai Swimming Pool); and
  • Craft at water sports centres (recreational kayaks, pedal-driven boats, sampans and colour boats at Chong Hing Water Sports Centre are available for free use by campers only).
 
     Booking for the free use of facilities on August 6 can be made at Leisure Link booking counters in various districts (except self-service kiosks) and via Internet booking from 7am on July 31 (Monday) onwards, on a first-come, first-served basis (the Leisure Link booking counter services at Tuen Mun Recreation and Sports Centre will start from 7.45am and those at water sports centres, holiday camps and District Leisure Services Offices will start from 8.30am). Each person can only book one free session irrespective of the type of leisure facility. Due to the anticipated high use of online booking services by the public, it may take a longer time for users to log into the system for booking during peak hours in the morning.
      
     No prior booking is required for public swimming pool facilities. Members of the public may line up at the entrances of the swimming pools for free admission on a first-come, first-served basis.
      
     The LCSD appeals to hirers to arrive on time and make the best use of the booked facilities. According to the facility hiring arrangements, a hirer must cancel the booking at least a day before the date of use if he or she cannot take up a booked fee-charging leisure facility as scheduled.
      
     All users of the leisure facilities shall observe the Conditions of Use of LCSD Recreation and Sports Facilities (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/condition/index.html), including the no-show/not present during the use of the booked sessions (“not present”) penalty. A no-show/”not present” record will be filed on the hirer when he or she fails to take up a session as booked without on-time completion of the cancellation procedure, or is not present during the use of the booked sessions. Any two such records within 60 consecutive days will result in a suspension of booking rights for any of the LCSD’s fee-charging recreation and sports facilities for 90 days.
      
     In addition, a series of free recreation and sports programmes will be held from 2pm to 6pm on August 6 at designated sports centres in the 18 districts. Apart from various recreational activities, there will be health talks, sports demonstrations, fitness corners, sports activities for parents, children and adolescents, as well as fun games for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Activity coupons are now available at LCSD District Leisure Services Offices and designated venues in the 18 districts.
      
     Sports demonstrations will be featured in a live webcast via the event dedicated website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/sfad) and the “LCSD Plusss” Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LCSDPlusss) on the event day from 2pm. Members of the public can experience the vigour of sports demonstrations at home through online platforms.
      
     For details of Sport For All Day 2023, please visit the dedicated website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/sfad. read more

East Asia

DH reminds people at higher infection risk to get tested for hepatitis B

     To echo World Hepatitis Day 2023, the Department of Health (DH) has stepped up promotions with the theme “Test hepatitis B, save your life”, in order to raise public awareness of hepatitis B, and at the same time remind family members and sexual partners of people with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and people with a higher risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection of the importance of hepatitis B testing.
      
     The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated July 28 as World Hepatitis Day to raise awareness of viral hepatitis. To call on the public to get the life-saving test for hepatitis B, the DH has produced a new video, which has been uploaded to the YouTube channel of the Centre for Health Protection.
      
     According to the latest local epidemiological studies, about 6 per cent of Hong Kong’s population had been infected with HBV, amounting to about 400 000 people with hepatitis B. The routes of HBV transmission include transmission during delivery from infected mothers to their babies, contact with blood or body fluids of infected persons, and unprotected sexual contact with an infected person.
      
     A spokesman for the DH said, “The younger a person is when infected with HBV, the higher the risk of developing CHB. Up to 90 per cent of new-born babies infected with HBV will develop CHB.”
      
     “CHB is a lifelong infection that may remain asymptomatic for decades until severe liver damage develops. About 15 to 40 per cent of untreated people with CHB may progress to life-threatening advanced liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. In Hong Kong, liver cancer is the number three killer-cancer which claimed 1 447 lives in 2021. There are local studies showing that the majority of liver cancer cases were related to CHB,” the spokesman added.
      
     People at a higher risk of HBV infection, including family members (such as parents, siblings and offspring) and sexual partners of people with CHB, people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, sex workers, and people with HIV, should get tested to ascertain their hepatitis B status. A blood test is required to diagnose HBV infection.
      
     The DH has been enhancing risk-based viral hepatitis screenings at its relevant services for the above-mentioned at-risk populations. Members of the public may also consult their family doctors for hepatitis B blood testing and should take necessary measures to prevent HBV infection, including receiving hepatitis B vaccination as applicable.
      
     People with CHB should seek medical consultation on appropriate treatment plans, and have regular follow-ups and examinations for early detection and management of changes in their liver condition.
      
     Early identification and management of people with CHB is one of the focus areas in the Hong Kong Viral Hepatitis Action Plan 2020 – 2024, which was launched in October 2020. The Action Plan sets out a comprehensive strategy with specific actions by the DH, the Hospital Authority and other stakeholders to reduce transmission of viral hepatitis and related morbidity and mortality, driving the progress towards the WHO’s goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
      
     For information on World Hepatitis Day 2023, please visit the DH’s thematic page (www.hepatitis.gov.hk/english/news_activities/world_hepatitis_day_2023.html). More information about hepatitis B is also available on the DH’s website (www.hepatitis.gov.hk/english/index.html). read more

East Asia