The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, spoke highly of the award-winning teachers and students in various competitions on values education held the previous school year, and kicked off the "My Pledge to Act" activity series for this school year in the Values Education Prize Presentation Ceremony 2021/22 cum "My Pledge to Act" 2022/23 Launching Ceremony today (September 2).

     Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Choi said that cultivating students' positive values and helping them practise good attitudes and behaviours is one of the important goals of the school curriculum. She was pleased to see that despite the epidemic, schools and students still participated actively in various competitions organised by the Education Bureau (EDB). 

     In the award-winning lesson plans, teachers adopted a variety of teaching strategies to enhance students' understanding of positive values. Through different learning activities, students' affection and motivation for practising good behaviours were enhanced. It was impressive to see that students were able to show appreciation and recognition to people with good deeds they came across in their daily life in the award-winning comic strips and short videos. The positive energy embedded in "Be Grateful and Treasure What We Have, Stay Positive and Optimistic" was displayed in their work.

     Today's event was organised by the Curriculum Development Institute of the EDB. Since 2019, the EDB has set "Be Grateful and Treasure What We Have, Stay Positive and Optimistic" as the theme for "My Pledge to Act", and this has been widely recognised and supported by schools. To build on the success over the past three years and align with the EDB's newly added priority values and attitudes, i.e. "Law-abidingness", "Empathy" and "Diligence", starting from this school year, schools may flexibly select from the three sub-themes, i.e. "Be Diligent and Law-abiding, Perform Acts of Kindness", "Think from Others' Perspectives, Foster Harmony and Be Respectful" and "Inherit Traditional Culture, Be Patriotic and Love Hong Kong", to organise their school-based "My Pledge to Act" activities. 

     The EDB will organise various related learning activities, such as a mascots design competition, a creative social media post design competition and a parent-child storytelling competition, to support the implementation of "My Pledge to Act" and cultivate students' positive values and good attitudes and behaviours. Please refer to EDB Circular Memorandum No. 114/2022 (applications.edb.gov.hk/circular/upload/EDBCM/EDBCM22114E.pdf) for details.

     â€‹For the list of the winners of the competitions and details of the "My Pledge to Act" 2022/23 activities, please visit the Values Education webpage of the EDB (www.edb.gov.hk/en/ve).

        

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed "Lightshadow" and "Twilight" for four consecutive days from August 29 to yesterday (September 1). A total of 10 suspected illegal workers and a suspected employer were arrested.
 
     During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 81 target locations including a bakery factory, food and beverage areas, an industrial building, premises under renovation, recycling yards, restaurants, retail shops, vegetable stalls and warehouses. Ten suspected illegal workers and one suspected employer were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised two men and eight women, aged 28 to 55. Among them, one man and three women were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. In addition, one man was suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Furthermore, one woman, aged 53, was suspected of employing the illegal workers and was also arrested.
 
     An ImmD spokesman said, "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties."
 
     The spokesman warned, "As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years' imprisonment."
 
     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years' imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years' imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
 
     According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
 
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

  

     The Government yesterday (September 1) exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to make a "restriction-testing declaration" effective from 5pm yesterday, under which people (hereafter referred to as "persons subject to compulsory testing") within the specified "restricted area" in Sha Tin (i.e. Wo On House, Fung Wo Estate) were required to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing. Persons subject to compulsory testing are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the "restricted area" have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. All persons in the "restricted area" who have tested positive in the past 14 days, including positive cases identified either by nucleic acid tests recorded by the Department of Health (DH) or by rapid antigen tests that have been self-declared to the DH, were not required to undergo testing in this compulsory testing exercise.

     In addition, the Government issued a compulsory testing notice yesterday to any person who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from August 26 to September 1, 2022 to undergo compulsory testing on or before September 3, 2022 even if they were not present in the "restricted area" at the time when the declaration took effect. 

     The Government finished the compulsory testing exercise at around 7.15am today (September 2) and is now carrying out enforcement actions in the "restricted area" to verify that all people in the "restricted area" have undergone compulsory testing. The Government will further announce the revocation time of the declaration.

     Starting from around 7.15am today, persons in the specified "restricted area" in Sha Tin who have undergone testing and are able to present SMS notifications with negative test results and wore a wristband as proof of having undergone testing may leave the "restricted area" through the designated exit after providing personal information to a prescribed officer.

     The Government set up temporary specimen collection stations in the "restricted area" yesterday and requested persons subject to compulsory testing to collect combined nasal and throat swab samples at the stations to undergo a COVID-19 virus test before 11pm yesterday. A total of 636 people within the area had undergone testing, among which 13 cases tested positive were found. The Centre for Health Protection of the DH will arrange to follow up.

     Regarding the case tested positive in the specified "restricted area", the Government has provided additional food packs, health advice for persons tested positive pending admission to hospitals or isolation facilities, disinfection products and surgical masks to these persons and their household members pending follow-up arrangement.

     Moreover, the Government also assigned staff to visit 378 households in the "restricted area", among which 74 households did not answer the door. The Government will take measures to follow up.

     The Government reiterates that enforcement actions will be taken seriously. Any person who fails to present an SMS notification with a test result or wear a wristband as proof of having undergone testing breaches the compulsory testing notice and may be liable to a fine of $10,000. The person will also be issued with a compulsory testing order, requiring him/her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the compulsory testing order or the "restriction-testing declaration" is an offence and the offender may be liable to a fine of level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (September 2) reminded members of the public, particularly those undertaking outdoor activities, to take heed of necessary measures against heat stroke and sunburn in very hot weather.

     "The public should carry and drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration while engaging in outdoor activities," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     "Those engaged in strenuous outdoor activities should avoid beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee and tea, as well as alcohol, as they speed up water loss through the urinary system," the spokesman explained.

     "Children, the elderly, the obese and those with chronic illnesses, such as heart disease or high blood pressure, are more vulnerable to heat stroke. They should pay special attention," the spokesman added.

     The public should adopt the following precautions:
 

• Wear loose and light-coloured clothing to reduce heat absorption and facilitate sweat evaporation and heat dissipation;
• Avoid vigorous exercise and prolonged activities like hiking or trekking as heat, sweating and exhaustion can place additional demands on the physique;
• Perform outdoor activities in the morning or the late afternoon;
• For indoor activities, open all windows, use a fan or use air-conditioning to maintain good ventilation;
• Do not stay inside a parked vehicle; and
• Reschedule work to cooler times of the day. If working in a hot environment is inevitable, introduce shade in the workplace where practicable. Start work slowly and pick up the pace gradually. Move to a cool area for rest at regular intervals to allow the body to recuperate.

     The public should also note the latest and the forecast Ultraviolet (UV) Index released by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). When the UV Index is high (6 or above):
 

• Minimise direct exposure of the skin and the eyes to sunlight;
• Wear long-sleeved and loose-fitting clothes;
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat or use an umbrella;
• Seek a shaded area or put on UV-blocking sunglasses;
• Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen lotion with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or above. Apply liberally and reapply after swimming, sweating or towelling off; and
• While using DEET-containing insect repellents for personal protection against mosquito-borne diseases, apply sunscreen first, then insect repellent.

     If symptoms develop, such as dizziness, headache, nausea, shortness of breath or confusion, rest and seek help immediately, and seek medical advice as soon as possible.

     â€‹The public may obtain more information from the DH's Health Education Infoline (2833 0111), heat stroke page and UV radiation page; the HKO's Dial-a-Weather (1878 200), latest weather report and forecast, UV Index and weather information for hiking and mountaineering; and press releases of the Labour Department on precautions against heat stroke for outdoor workers and their employers when the Very Hot Weather Warning is in force.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

     Please broadcast the following special announcement immediately, and repeat it at frequent intervals when the Very Hot Weather Warning is in force:

     The Labour Department reminds employers that as the Very Hot Weather Warning is in force, they should assess the risk of heat stroke to their employees and adopt effective preventive measures such as providing cool drinking water, setting up temporary sunshade, providing mechanical aids to reduce physical exertion of employees and providing for employees as far as practicable covered space with good ventilation for rest and meals. Employees should drink water regularly and be mindful of their physical condition. If early heat stroke symptoms such as headache and thirst appear, they should rest in a cool or shady place and drink water immediately. They should also inform their supervisors to take appropriate action.