Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     The Hong Kong Observatory has issued the Very Hot Weather Warning.

     To prevent heat stroke, avoid prolonged activities outdoors.

     If engaged in outdoor work or activities, wear a wide-brimmed hat and light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes. Stay in shaded areas as much as possible.

     Drink plenty of water, and avoid beverages containing caffeine or alcohol.

     If you feel sick, consult a doctor right away.

     A spokesman for the Home Affairs Department (HAD) said today (September 1) that in view of the new anti-epidemic requirements, the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) under the HAD has since August 9 stepped up inspections of premises licensed by the OLA (including hotels, guesthouses, club-houses and amusement game centres), and reminded the licence holders, customers and patrons of the latest anti-epidemic requirements and the need to strictly comply with the requirements and directions under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F), the Prevention and Control of Disease (Vaccine Pass) Regulation (Cap. 599L) and other regulations under Cap. 599. 

     In view of the epidemic development, the Government added the Red Code and Amber Code into the Vaccine Pass to differentiate persons with higher risk of infection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with effect from August 9; the new requirement had a 14-day adaptation period after commencement. Starting from August 28, staff of all scheduled premises must undergo a rapid antigen test (RAT) for COVID-19 once every three days before entering the premises and keep record of each RAT result for three days; the new requirement has a 7-day adaptation period after commencement. Besides, with effect from August 28, customers entering catering premises to participate in a banquet activity must undergo a RAT within the preceding 24 hours and use their mobile phones to take a photo of the testing kit for record.

     In the past three weeks or so (from August 9 to 31), the number of inspections conducted by the OLA under the HAD in respect of scheduled premises licensed by it is set out below:
 

     The HAD spokesman said, as noted from inspections conducted during the adaptation periods of the above new requirements, most premises had complied with the new anti-epidemic requirements. The OLA had urged those few which had not fully complied to complete the necessary arrangement within the adaptation period. Since the expiry of the adaptation period of the addition of the Red Code and the Amber Code, the OLA has started to take enforcement actions on this requirement. When the adaptation period for staff at scheduled premises to undergo RAT once every three days ends on September 3, the OLA will also take the same enforcement actions. If any non-compliance is found, the OLA under the HAD will strictly enforce the law without prior warning. 

     The HAD strongly appealed to all persons-in-charge and patrons of the premises again to stay vigilant and continue to comply with the relevant regulations on prevention and control of disease, in a concerted and persistent manner, with a view to keeping their staff, customers and the public safe, and controlling the epidemic situation. The HAD will continue to strengthen its publicity efforts and enforcement actions. All trades are reminded to exercise self-discipline and comply with the regulations to fight the virus together.

     In response to media enquiries on the policy on designated quarantine hotels, a spokesman for the Chief Executive's Office said that the Government's overall anti-epidemic policy is maintained according to the following five points:
 
(1) Not to "lie flat" and to continue to contain the number of confirmed cases, better manage risks and enhance our capability to respond to contingencies in order to prevent the healthcare system from overloading;
(2) To reduce critical cases and deaths;
(3) To protect high-risk groups, including the elderly, the young and patients with chronic illnesses;
(4) To differentiate people into different risk levels precisely and scientifically for proper control, and to reduce the number of people and areas placed under control so as to allow maximum numbers of daily activities and participants involved; and
(5) To strike a balance between risks and economic impetus, safeguarding the livelihood of the public and Hong Kong's competitiveness on the premise of proper risk management.
 
     The Government will continue its prevention and control measures taking into account the development of the epidemic and the above-mentioned policy.
 
     The spokesman pointed out that the current epidemic situation is serious as the number of confirmed cases reaches 8 000 to 10 000 a day and there is a rising trend. This not only threatens the lives of high-risk groups such as the elderly and children, but also seriously affects the operation of the public health system, where some 30 per cent of the non-emergency services has been cut as a result of the epidemic situation, leading to a severe impact. The Government will continue to take precise measures to control the epidemic.
 
     The spokesman appealed to the community to join hands and encourage the elderly to get vaccinated early. Parents should also arrange for their children's early vaccination to ensure that they are protected. 

     Since August 12, the quarantine arrangement for inbound persons from overseas places or Taiwan has been adjusted to three days of compulsory quarantine, followed by four days of medical surveillance. An increase in inbound passenger flow at the airport was noted subsequently as expected. To get well-prepared, the Government conducted an inter-departmental exercise at the airport in small hours today (September 1) to test whether any potential further increase in passenger flow could be handled effectively with the current procedures.

     The exercise conducted in small hours was led by the Health Bureau and the Security Bureau. Co-ordinated by the Hong Kong Police Force, various departments and organisation, namely the Department of Health, the Hong Kong Customs, the Immigration Department and the Airport Authority, took part in the exercise. Over a thousand of staff members were enlisted to perform different duties as well as to simulate a situation in which one thousand inbound travellers arrived at Hong Kong within half an hour, with a view to examining the handling capacity of current quarantine and testing procedures.

     To better reflect actual situations, different scenarios were simulated during the exercise, including having "travellers" of different age groups, "travellers tested positive" or "travellers whose documents are not in order" and more. The exercise was conducted smoothly. Even though the simulated traveller flow was almost a double of that of current peak hours, the "travellers" could still complete all inbound quarantine and clearance procedures within a similar timeframe.

     Indeed, the streamlined arrival quarantine and testing procedures have been running smoothly in general since its implementation some two weeks ago. At present, the time needed for travellers to complete their inbound quarantine, testing and clearance procedures has been significantly reduced. Travellers are able to board the point-to-point transportation and depart from the airport for designated quarantine hotels within one to two hours after disembarking from the planes.

     Under the science-based principle, the Government will continue to ensure that the imported risks are under control with precise measures in place while enhancing the inbound quarantine procedures as far as practicable, so as to assist inbound persons and create the most favourable conditions for Hong Kong to resume normal connections with different parts of the world.

    

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met with the Minister of Education, Mr Huai Jinpeng, by video conferencing today (September 1). He stressed that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will proactively promote education exchanges and co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong with an aim to integrate into the overall development of the country. The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, also attended the meeting.

     Speaking at the meeting, Mr Lee said that Hong Kong and the Mainland have achieved good progress in tertiary education co-operation, especially in areas such as co-operative education, student exchanges and collaboration on research and development.

     He said, "The HKSAR Government has all along been supportive of Hong Kong's tertiary institutions in seizing the opportunities arisen from the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). We will continue to proactively participate in and promote higher education co-operation in the GBA, and assist Hong Kong's tertiary institutions in coming up with more flexible and innovative operation modes to facilitate stronger co-operation among their campuses in Hong Kong and GBA cities and better flow of teaching staff and students, striving to nurture talents to meet the need of the national development."

     This morning, Mr Lee delivered a video speech at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). The university is the first tertiary institution co-operated by the Mainland and Hong Kong since the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in 2019, signifying a new milestone in developing an education and talents hub for in the GBA.

     Mr Lee, also attended the opening ceremony of Minxin Hong Kong School in Nansha, Guangzhou, in the form of video conferencing through pre-recording today. He noted that the school, adopting Hong Kong curriculum from primary and secondary education in a 12-year through-train mode, aims to cultivate the next generation for having a broad mind of "roots in Hong Kong, a heart for China, a global perspective".

     With the country's 14th Five-Year Plan and the GBA development, he expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education (MoE) for supporting Hong Kong's school sponsoring bodies to set up schools offering Hong Kong curriculum in the GBA, providing children of Hong Kong people with through-train primary-cum-secondary education services. Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government also fully supports school sponsoring bodies in the Mainland to establish schools offering Mainland curriculum in Hong Kong.

     At the meeting, Mr Lee said, "Looking ahead, in order to guide the younger generation to grasp the opportunities under the country's rapid development, to leverage Hong Kong's unique advantage as a world city that implements the 'one country, two systems' principle under national development strategies such as the 14th Five-Year Plan, the GBA development and the Belt and Road Initiative, the HKSAR Government will continue to work closely with MoE to assist Hong Kong youth in understanding the development trend of our country and the rest of the world and enhancing their national pride and sense of being the masters."

     Mr Lee also, in particular, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Central Government for actively liaising with co-ordinating among relevant Mainland authorities and offering facilitation arrangement for Hong Kong students who pursuing further studies in Mainland, after learning about their difficulties in seeking to enter the Mainland under quotas. Multi-pronged measures were then put in place for these students to depart for studying in the Mainland via air or land boundary control points, easing their demand in the shortest time.

     He reiterated that, under "one country, two systems", the HKSAR Government will strengthen young people's understanding of the development trend of the country and the rest of the world, nurturing them to be talents who have both integrity, competence and love for both the country and Hong Kong to contribute to the stability and prosperity of the city and the country.