Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (September 21) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Stanley Main Beach, Shek O Beach and Big Wave Bay Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island; Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach in Islands District; and Hap Mun Bay Beach, Silverstrand Beach, Clear Water Bay First Beach and Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.

     To promote the health benefits of walking, the Department of Health (DH) will co-organise with the Occupational Safety and Health Council a Walking Challenge under the "10 000 Steps a Day" Campaign, with the aim of encouraging members of the public to increase their physical activities to combat non-communicable diseases (NCD).

      With the slogan of "10 000 Steps for Health", the DH said today (September 21) that the Walking Challenge aims to promote walking through workplace organisations targeting adults. Enrolment will start on October 5 for the challenge period in November. The public can join the challenge as workplace organisations (including self-employed persons) or individuals.

      Amid the COVID-19 epidemic, the DH is committed to combating NCD through, among others, reducing the prevalence of insufficient physical activities in the local population, which is one of the nine local targets to be achieved by 2025 as set out in the Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong launched by the Government in 2018.

      A spokesman for the DH said, "Walking is a simple form of physical activity that most of us are doing every day, and it brings us plenty of health benefits such as improving cardiopulmonary function, strengthening muscles and bones as well as reducing anxiety, depression and the risk of chronic diseases.

      "Adults are recommended to gradually increase their daily step goal to 10 000 based on an individual's own physical conditions, abilities, pace and circumstances. Any amount of walking is better than none, even if the goal cannot be reached yet," the spokesman added.

      Details of the Walking Challenge are as follows:
 

• Target participants: adults aged 18 or above
• Enrolment period: October 5 to 31
• Challenge period: step counts from November 1 to 30

      Interested workplace organisations and individuals can enrol through the event's official website commencing on October 5. To take part in the event, participants should use a mobile application to record their steps accumulated during the challenge period and synchronise the step count data with the designated online platform of the event. Top performing organisations and individuals who achieve an average of 8 000 steps per day (i.e. 80 per cent of the daily step goal of 10 000) will be awarded. Enrolment quota is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

      The event's official website will be announced in due course on the Change for Health website of the DH (www.change4health.gov.hk/en). Let's walk 10 000 Steps for Health!

     The Government announced today (September 20) the gazettal of the extension of existing social distancing measures in accordance with the public health emergency regulations under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance. The measures will be effective from September 22 to October 5.
 
     The number of daily new cases in Hong Kong has started to show signs of decline, slightly relieving the pressure on the public healthcare system managed by the Hospital Authority (HA). It is now a critical time to further stabilise the epidemic situation. To have a clear observation of the epidemic trend, the Government decided to maintain the existing social distancing measures in the next 14-day cycle.
 
     Relevant measures include allowing all catering premises and scheduled premises to continue to operate subject to strict compliance with requirements including those concerning Vaccine Pass, Red Code and Amber Code as well as testing. Other requirements, such as mask-wearing for citizens on transport carriers and in specified public places, as well as prohibition of group gatherings in public places, also remain in force.
  
     Specific measures (see details of the restrictions under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) in Annex 1) to be in force during the period from September 22 to October 5 include:
 
(I) Catering business
 
(1) From 0.00am to 4.59am every day, save for specific premises (see Annex 2), a person responsible for carrying on a catering business must continue to cease selling or supplying food or drink for consumption on the premises of the business, and close any premises or part of the premises (whichever is applicable) on which food or drink is sold or supplied by the business for consumption on the premises. The premises concerned may still sell or supply food and/or drink for takeaway services and deliveries. A person responsible for carrying on a catering business is also required to put up a notice at the entrance to the catering premises to remind patrons that food or drink should not be consumed in areas adjacent to the catering premises. All patrons who enter the catering premises for attending banquets or enter the bar/pub zone therein must present proof of a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) result obtained within 24 hours or a negative PCR test result obtained within 48 hours. Otherwise, they should be denied entry. The maximum number of persons per table for catering premises will be eight, and banquets with no more than 120 persons will be allowed. Live performance and dancing activity will remain prohibited therein.
 
(2) Bars/pubs may open every day from 5am to 1.59am of the subsequent day with a maximum number of four persons per table and the total number of patrons capped at 75 per cent of their capacity. Live performance and dancing activity will remain prohibited therein. All patrons of bars/pubs must continue to present proof of a negative RAT result obtained within 24 hours or a negative PCR test result obtained within 48 hours before entering the relevant premises. Otherwise, they should be denied entry.
 
(3) Other requirements and restrictions on catering premises and bars/pubs will continue to remain in force, including that all patrons, when they are away from the table, must not consume food or drink and must wear a mask, and they must scan the "LeaveHomeSafe" venue QR code using the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application on their mobile phones/other mobile devices before entering the premises (excluding persons who only order takeaway). Operators of catering premises and bars/pubs are required to use the latest "QR Code Verification Scanner" mobile application provided by the Government to scan the QR code of a patron's vaccination record, medical exemption certificate or recovery record.
 
(II) Scheduled premises
 
(4) For swimming pools, sports premises, fitness centres, beauty parlours and massage establishments, places of public entertainment, places of amusement, amusement game centres, event premises, religious premises, barber shops/hair salons, bathhouses, party rooms, clubs/nightclubs, karaoke establishments, mahjong-tin kau premises and cruise ships, managers must comply with the relevant restrictions under Cap. 599F. All staff members involved in the operation of scheduled premises must conduct a RAT once every three days before entering the premises. Live performance and dancing activity remain prohibited in clubs/nightclubs, and their patrons should continue to be denied entry unless they can present proof of a negative RAT result obtained within 24 hours or a negative PCR test result obtained within 48 hours before entering the relevant premises. Staff members and patrons alike must wear a mask at all times save for exempted circumstances. Citizens are allowed not to wear masks when they are exercising in sports premises as well as fitness centres which meet the requirement on air change.
 
(5) For club-houses and hotels or guesthouses, managers must continue to comply with the relevant restrictions under Cap. 599F, and the catering premises, bars/pubs and scheduled premises therein must comply with all applicable requirements.
 
(6) For shopping malls, department stores, supermarkets and markets, the manager/person-in-charge must continue to comply with the relevant restrictions under Cap. 599F, including fulfilling the relevant requirements on use of "LeaveHomeSafe" and the Vaccine Pass under "passive checking".
 
(7) The restriction on the number of persons allowed in premises such as cinemas, performance venues, museums, event premises and religious premises, etc, will remain at 85 per cent of their capacity. Patrons may eat and drink in cinema houses.
 
(III) Mask-wearing requirement
 
(8) The mandatory mask-wearing requirement under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation (Cap. 599I) will be extended. A person must wear a mask all the time when the person is boarding or on board a public transport carrier, is entering or present in an MTR paid area, or is entering or present in a specified public place. Citizens are allowed not to wear masks if they are present in outdoor public places in country parks and special areas as defined in section 2 of the Country Parks Ordinance (Cap. 208), or are conducting strenuous physical activity (e.g. exercising or jogging) in outdoor public places.
 
(9) Under Cap. 599I, if a person does not wear a mask in accordance with the requirement, an authorised person may deny that person from boarding a public transport carrier or entering the area concerned, as well as require that person to wear a mask and disembark from the carrier or leave the said area. A person in contravention of the relevant provision commits an offence and the maximum penalty is a fine at level 3 ($10,000). In addition, authorised public officers may issue penalty notices to persons who do not wear a mask in accordance with the requirement and such persons may discharge liability for the offence by paying a fixed penalty at $5,000.
 
(IV) Group gatherings
 
(10) Unless exempted, group gatherings of more than four persons in public places will remain prohibited. The requirement is also applicable to group gatherings in catering premises, bars/pubs and scheduled premises regulated under Cap. 599F in which the relevant requirements or restrictions are not complied with.
 
(11) Subject to relevant requirements, local group tours with no more than 30 persons may continue to be conducted. The relevant requirements include (i) relevant staff have received three doses of vaccine, and conducted an RAT on the same day before the commencement of local group tour activities, and (ii) all tour participants have fulfilled the prevailing Vaccine Pass requirements. If all tour participants have conducted an RAT on the same day of the tour before the commencement of local group tour activities, the relevant restriction on the number of participants will be relaxed to 100 persons.
 
(12) Any person who participates in a prohibited group gathering; organises a prohibited group gathering; owns, controls or operates the place of such a gathering; and knowingly allows the taking place of such a gathering commits an offence under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G). Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months. Persons who participate in a prohibited group gathering may discharge liability for the offence by paying a fixed penalty at $5,000.
 
     A Government spokesman said, "With the concerted effort of our society, the number of confirmed cases has eventually been brought down from the high level of over 11 000 cases per day in early September. The epidemic situation has reached a plateau and is developing a downward trend. We must seize the current opportunity and ride on the subsiding trend to further stabilise the epidemic situation. The Government calls on citizens to collaborate and keep on maintaining personal hygiene in order to jointly contain the risk of virus transmission.
 
     "Boosting vaccination rate is particularly essential for safeguarding public health, especially for the elderly and children. The Vaccine Pass arrangements will be applicable to children aged 5 to 11 starting from September 30. By that time, these children are required to have received at least one dose of vaccine for entering premises subject to the Vaccine Pass. We appeal to citizens for arranging COVID-19 vaccination for the elderly and children as soon as possible, such that they can secure early protection and the protective shield for Hong Kong can be fortified as a whole.
 
     "The Government will continue to uphold the principle of making targeted anti-epidemic efforts on a scientific basis in combating the epidemic. In the light of the ongoing epidemic development, the Government does not preclude adjustments to individual social distancing measures. The HA will also endeavour to minimise mobilisation of hospital beds in the public healthcare system and gradually resume its non-emergency services. The overall goal of the Government is to allow both the healthcare system and society to return to normalcy."

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (September 20) alerted members of the public to fraudulent calls and SMS messages purportedly made or issued by the department.

     The SWD has recently received enquiries from members of the public on voice calls in pre-recorded format claimed to be made by the SWD about an important notice on subsidy application documents.

     In addition, some members of the public had earlier informed the department that they had received SMS messages purportedly issued by the department about the collection of an anti-epidemic subsidy. The SMS messages provide weblinks directed to a fake SWD website which attempts to obtain public's personal information.

     The SWD clarified that it had neither made the voice calls nor issued the SMS messages in question. The cases have been referred to the Hong Kong Police Force for investigation. When receiving unidentified voice calls and messages, members of the public should stay alert. They should also refrain from disclosing any personal information and visiting any suspicious websites. Elderly people in the family should be reminded to stay alert against deception.

     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information during unidentified voice calls or to any suspicious websites should contact the Police. For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255.

     â€‹The Government exercises the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) and publishes in the Gazette a compulsory testing notice, which requires any person who had been present at 65 specified places during the specified period (persons subject to compulsory testing) to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test.
         
     In view of a number of cases testing positive, 52 specified places are included in the compulsory testing notice. Furthermore, since some sewage samples collected in Kwai Chung, Tseung Kwan O, Chai Wan, Tung Chung, Cheung Sha Wan, Tai Wai and Kowloon Bay have tested positive, 13 specified premises are included in the compulsory testing notice. The Government strongly reminds members of the public to strictly follow the compulsory testing requirements and undergo testing on time as required. Mobile specimen collection stations have been set up by the Government in different districts to facilitate testing to be conducted in compliance with the compulsory testing notice. The above compulsory testing requirement applies to those who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course as well.

     Persons who have tested positive in the past three months (including positive cases tested either by nucleic acid tests recorded by the Department of Health (DH) or by rapid antigen tests (RATs) that have been self-declared to the DH) do not need to undergo compulsory testing. For those who are subject to compulsory testing (save for those who have declared their positive RAT results as mentioned above), they must undergo nucleic acid tests in accordance with relevant compulsory testing notices and cannot use RATs to fulfil the requirement of such notices. In other words, a negative RAT result cannot be deemed as fulfilling the compulsory testing requirement. Furthermore, unless a person subject to compulsory testing has obtained a medical certificate proving that he or she is unfit to undergo testing using a sample taken through combined nasal and throat swabs because of health reasons, the person cannot provide a deep throat saliva sample to fulfil the compulsory testing requirement.

     Details of the compulsory testing notice are available on the Centre for Health Protection (CHP)'s website via the following link: www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/ctn_20220920.pdf.

     If any persons test positive under compulsory testing, such positive cases will be handled in the same manner as in those identified through other nucleic acid tests or self-declared through RATs. Their isolation arrangements (as well as the quarantine arrangements of their household members) are no different from other positive cases.

     Persons subject to compulsory testing in accordance with a compulsory testing notice must undergo professional swab sampling at any of the mobile specimen collection stations, community testing centres (CTCs) or recognised local medical testing institutions in order to fulfil the requirements for compulsory testing. Young children may continue to undergo the test using a stool specimen. For details on obtaining stool specimen bottles, please refer to the COVID-19 thematic website: www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/Stool_bottle_collection_points.pdf.

     If Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 or above, the Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or the post-super typhoon "extreme conditions" announcement by the Government is in force at any time during the period for undergoing the compulsory testing, the period for undergoing the compulsory testing will be extended for one day.

     The Comirnaty and CoronaVac vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe cases and deaths from COVID-19. They can provide protection to those vaccinated to prevent serious complications and even death after infection. The Government appeals to persons who are not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated without delay. The Government is working towards the goal of boosting the vaccination rates of children, teenagers and the elderly so that they can be protected by the vaccines as early as possible. Furthermore, the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases under the CHP of the DH has earlier updated the consensus interim recommendations that a three-dose series of Comirnaty vaccine (each dose is one-tenth of that for an adult) may be administered to children aged 6 months to under 5 years; and a three-dose series of CoronaVac vaccine (each dose of the same dosage as that for an adult) for children aged 6 months to less than 3 years. Moreover, persons aged 50 and above may receive the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine after at least three months from the third dose. Members of the public who are eligible should get the fourth dose as early as possible for better protection.

     CTCs and mobile specimen collection stations (if the service scope is applicable) across the city provide free nucleic acid testing services for the public, including eligible persons of targeted groups, visitors to public hospitals and residential care homes and all elderly people aged 60 or above, as well as self-paid testing service for general community or private uses.
      
     Booking services are available for CTCs and some large-scale mobile specimen collection stations. Members of the public can make bookings for testing by selecting suitable testing centre and time slot on the booking system (booking.communitytest.gov.hk/form/index.jsp). The testing centres will accord priority to serve individuals with advance bookings. As of 6pm today (September 20), there was around 97 per cent availability for booking places for the coming two weeks.
 
     The Government will reopen the mobile specimen collection station at Lei Muk Shue Estate in Tsuen Wan tomorrow (September 21), and the service period of the mobile specimen collection stations at Wang Tau Hom Estate in Lok Fu and Cheung Wang Estate in Tsing Yi will be extended to September 22 (Thursday). The opening dates and operating hours of the mobile specimen collection stations are stated in the Annex.
 
     Ticketing machines have been installed at a number of service points for on-site ticket arrangement. Members of the public who have obtained a ticket can visit the CTC website (www.communitytest.gov.hk/en) to check the real-time queueing ticket status. Moreover, members of the public can now fill in their personal information in advance to obtain the Testing Registration Code QR code through the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application. They can present that QR code for scanning before testing at a service point thereafter, thus saving their time spent on registration and queueing.

     Persons subject to compulsory testing may choose to undergo testing via the following routes:

(a) For tests which require using a sample taken through combined nasal and throat swabs
1. To visit any of the mobile specimen collection stations (see the list and target groups (if applicable) at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html) for testing;
2. To attend any of the CTCs (see the list at www.communitytest.gov.hk/en);
3. To self-arrange testing provided by private laboratories which are recognised by the DH and can issue SMS notifications in respect of test results (see the list at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_recognised_laboratories_RTPCR.pdf), and the relevant sample must be taken through combined nasal and throat swabs; or
4. To use a specimen bottle distributed to the relevant specified premises by the CHP (if applicable), and return the specimen bottle with the stool sample collected as per relevant guidelines.

(b) For persons holding a medical certificate issued by a registered medical practitioner proving that they are unfit to undergo testing using a sample taken through combined nasal and throat swabs because of health reasons
1. To obtain a deep throat saliva specimen collection pack from post offices, vending machines set up at MTR stations or designated general out-patient clinics (GOPCs) of the Hospital Authority and return the specimen to one of the designated specimen collection points (see the distribution points and times, and the specimen collection points and times, at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html);
2. To undergo testing at any of the GOPCs of the Hospital Authority as instructed by a medical professional of the Hospital Authority; or
3. To self-arrange testing provided by private laboratories which are recognised by the DH and can issue SMS notifications in respect of test results.

     A Government spokesman cautioned that testing received at the Accident and Emergency Departments of the Hospital Authority, or testing provided by private laboratories which cannot issue SMS notifications in respect of test results, does not comply with the requirements of the aforementioned compulsory testing notice.

     "If persons subject to compulsory testing have symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately and undergo testing as instructed by a medical professional. They should not attend the mobile specimen collection stations or the CTCs."

     Persons subject to compulsory testing must keep the SMS notifications containing the result of the test and the relevant medical certificate (if applicable) for checking by a law enforcement officer when the officer requires the persons to provide information about their undergoing the specified test.

     Any enquiries on compulsory testing arrangements may be addressed to the hotline at 6275 6901, which operates daily from 9am to 6pm.

     The Government will continue to trace possibly infected persons who had been to relevant premises, and seriously verify whether they had complied with the testing notices. Any person who fails to comply with the testing notices commits an offence and the maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months. The fixed penalty for discharging the liability is $10,000. The person may also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Any person in breach of the compulsory testing order would be liable to a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     The spokesman said, "The Government urges all individuals who are in doubt about their own health conditions, or individuals with infection risks (such as individuals who visited places with epidemic outbreaks or had contact with cases tested positive), to undergo testing promptly for early identification of infected persons."