The Task Force on Supplies from the Mainland led by the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) has been working closely with the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government to explore various means to stabilise the supply of goods from the Mainland to Hong Kong.
 
     A spokesperson for the TLB said that the "Sea Express" water transportation service from the Mainland to Hong Kong has been fully launched and its capacity is rising to increase the supplies of fresh food, other daily necessities and manufacturing materials. The current supply of fresh food from the Mainland is stable.
 
     The spokesperson said today (August 18) that Shenzhen operated 47 cargo vessel trips and transported around 4 090 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cross-boundary supplies by water yesterday (August 17), equivalent to about 16 200 tonnes of goods, of which around 10 TEUs (about 10 tonnes) were fresh food and around 4 080 TEUs (about 16 190 tonnes) were non-fresh food, according to information from the Mainland authorities.
 
     Since the launch of services from the three ports in Shenzhen since February 18 to yesterday, a total of around 826 700 TEUs of cross-boundary supplies have been transported, equivalent to about 3 984 240 tonnes of goods, of which around 2 250 TEUs (about 19 080 tonnes) were fresh food and around 824 450 TEUs (about 3 965 160 tonnes) were non-fresh food.
 
     Meanwhile, to avoid a spillover of the epidemic, the Transport Department (TD) arranges for dedicated staff to conduct rapid nucleic acid tests, using nasopharyngeal swabs for specimen collection, for cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers at various land boundary control points. Only drivers with a negative result are allowed to enter the Mainland. A total of 3 268 rapid nucleic acid tests were conducted yesterday, among which four cases that tested preliminarily positive or indeterminate were found. The TD has passed the cases to the Department of Health for follow-up.
 
     The TLB will closely monitor the situation and co-operate with the Mainland authorities to facilitate and implement various measures to ensure both smooth cross-boundary land transport and a stable goods supply to Hong Kong, while reducing the risk of epidemic transmission in both the Mainland and Hong Kong.

     â€‹The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore (Singapore ETO) hosted a business seminar in Singapore today (August 18) to share with the maritime and logistics trade in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) information of the boundless opportunities offered by Hong Kong as a regional hub port with extensive connectivity and a gateway to the Mainland of China under the National 14th Five-Year Plan.

     Entitled "Development of Hong Kong Shipping Registry and logistics opportunities associated with Greater Bay Area", the hybrid-mode event was well received by industry leaders and executives, attracting over 100 in-person and online participants from various companies and associations.

     Addressing the audience in a virtual keynote speech, the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, said that Hong Kong is one of the world's busiest transhipment container ports, serving some 270 container ship services a week and connecting to over 600 destinations worldwide. Despite port congestion worldwide, the city's port throughput stood at around 18 million twenty-foot equivalent units in 2021. 

     "Despite the prolonged impact of the pandemic and international trade disputes, air cargo services at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) remain resilient. We moved around 5 million tonnes of cargo in 2021, representing a rise of around 13 per cent as compared to the 2020 figure," he added.

     Highlighting President Xi Jinping's important speech delivered at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and his calls for "four musts" for the new administration, with one being the "must" to maintain Hong Kong's distinctive status and edge, Mr Lam showed confidence in the Central Government's continued support for Hong Kong's maritime, aviation and logistics industries.

     He cited a wide range of measures taken by the authorities to further advance the maritime and logistics sectors, including smart port and green port initiatives to support port development and improve port efficiency.  

     "We also foster high value-added maritime services, including ship registration, ship finance, ship management, marine insurance, and maritime legal and arbitration services," he added. To this end, new tax concessions for ship agents, ship managers and ship brokers were introduced by the relevant authorities last month to encourage them to use Hong Kong as a base to grow their businesses.

     "To enhance services for owners of Hong Kong-registered ships residing abroad, we have set up Regional Desks of the Hong Kong Shipping Registry (HKSR) in seven cities around the world, including the Singapore Regional Desk which was set up in 2020," he said.

     On the logistics front, to take forward the development of intermodal transhipment within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to facilitate the flow of goods within the region, the HKIA Logistics Park will be established in Dongguan port. HKIA's three-runway system, expected to be commissioned in 2024, will also boost the city's cargo handling capacity to 10 million tonnes annually, he added.

     Mr Lam's speech was followed by presentations by the Head (Transport, Infrastructure and Advanced Manufacturing) of Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), Mr Benjamin Wong; the Regional Head (Singapore), HKSR, Marine Department, Mr Philip Ho; and the Chairman of the Promotion Sub-committee under the Hong Kong Maritime Arbitration Group (HKMAG), Captain Lee Fook-choon. They briefed the audience on different topics, including opportunities offered by Hong Kong's shipping and logistics sectors for businesses in ASEAN; support rendered by the HKSR for owners of Hong Kong-registered ships residing in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and India; and the advantages of using Hong Kong as the seat for maritime arbitration.

     Several industry players then joined the three speakers in a panel to discuss their experiences of using Hong Kong as a platform to grow their businesses. They were the Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Orient Overseas Container Line, Mr Michael Fitzgerald; the Executive Director, Global Business Development of LF Logistics, Mr Simon Oxley; and the Chief Executive and General Manager of China Merchants Insurance Co Ltd, Ms Sigorney Lau.  They discussed a wide range of issues including the challenges presented by disruptions in supply chains under the epidemic, the enormous business potential offered by the GBA as the world's ninth largest economy, the unique advantages of using maritime insurance and arbitration services in Hong Kong, and career prospects and talent attraction in the maritime industry.

     After the business seminar, participants at the scene joined a networking session to further establish ties and exchange views with the speakers as well as other industry players.

     Co-organised with InvestHK, the Marine Department and the HKMAG, the business seminar was the ninth event held by the Singapore ETO this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR. The Singapore ETO will continue to host events under the theme of "A New Era – Stability • Prosperity • Opportunity" to invite a wide spectrum of the community to celebrate this momentous occasion.

          

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority today (August 18) announced information regarding patients who tested positive via admission screening or testing with patients or staff members identified as close contacts and nosocomial COVID-19 infection cases.
 
     The following are the statistics of patients who tested positive via admission screening or by testing in public hospitals with patients or staff members identified as close contacts:
 

 
     The following are the statistics of clusters of nosocomial infection cases in public hospitals:
 

 
     Thorough cleaning and disinfection operations have been conducted for the wards concerned. The hospitals will continue to monitor the health condition of patients and staff members closely, and communicate with the Centre for Health Protection on the latest situation.

     ​The Government today (August 18) exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to make a "restriction-testing declaration" (declaration) effective from 5pm, under which people (hereafter referred to as "persons subject to compulsory testing") within the specified "restricted area" in Siu Sai Wan (i.e. Tower 3, Island Resort, Siu Sai Wan (only including the 6/F Podium and floors above), see Annex) are 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. The Government aims at finishing this exercise at around noon tomorrow (August 19). The operation may be extended depending on test results.
 
     A Government spokesman said, "Under Cap. 599J, the Government can, according to the needs of infection control, make a 'restriction-testing declaration'. Having reviewed a basket of factors, including the viral load in sewage, the information of relevant positive cases, and other circumstantial factors, and conducted a risk assessment, the Government decided to make a 'restriction-testing declaration' for the relevant area."
 
     The Government will set up temporary specimen collection stations at the "restricted area" and request persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo testing before 10.30pm today. Arrangements will be made for persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo a nucleic acid test at specimen collection stations where dedicated staff will collect samples through combined nasal and throat swabs. Persons subject to compulsory testing must stay at their place of residence until all test results are ascertained to avoid cross-infection risk. The Government will make arrangement to facilitate specimen collection for people with impaired mobility. 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, are not required to undergo testing in this compulsory testing exercise.
 
     The Government spokesman said, "We understand that this exercise will cause inconvenience to the public. The Government has made arrangements to carry out testing for all persons present in the 'restricted area' as soon as possible. The aim is to strive to complete testing of all identified persons subject to compulsory testing and confirm the results, and finish the exercise at around noon tomorrow. The Government will make a public announcement when the declaration expires officially. In the cases in which employees are unable to go to work because of the declaration, the Government hopes their employers can exercise discretion and not deduct the salaries or benefits of the employees."
 
     If staying in the "restricted area" will cause unreasonable hardship to individuals who are not residents in the area when the declaration takes effect, government officers may exercise discretion and allow that person to leave the area after considering the individual circumstances. That person must have followed the instructions to undergo testing and leave his/her personal information for contact purposes.
 
     According to the compulsory testing notice to be issued today, any persons other than those specified above who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from August 12 to 18, 2022, even if they were not present in the "restricted area" at the time when the declaration took effect, must undergo compulsory testing on or before August 20, 2022. As a mutant strain is involved, for prudence's sake, vaccinated persons and persons who have recently been tested are also required to undergo testing.
 
     The Labour and Welfare Bureau has set up two hotlines (Tel: 6796 5242 and 6798 9940) which started operation at 5pm today for residents restricted by the declaration to make enquiries and seek assistance. The Social Welfare Department will also provide assistance to the affected persons.
 
     The Government appeals to persons subject to compulsory testing for their full co-operation by registering and undergoing testing, and waiting for the results patiently at home. The Government will strictly follow up on whether the persons concerned have complied with the compulsory testing notices and "restriction-testing declaration". Any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notices commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $10,000. The person would also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him or 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 would be liable to a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     The Rating and Valuation Department will issue today (August 18) about 350,000 requisition forms asking payers of rates and/or Government rent to provide details of rents and other terms of tenancies for different categories of properties.

     A spokesman for the department said the rental information collected would be used to prepare a new round of general revaluation.

     "The general revaluation will better reflect prevailing market rents of properties. The new rateable values will take effect on April 1, 2023," the spokesman said.

     Rates and/or Government rent payers should complete and return the forms within 21 days. They can also complete and return the forms by using the Electronic Submission of Forms service provided at the department's website (www.rvd.gov.hk).

     Rates and/or Government rent payers are reminded to affix sufficient postage if they return the forms by post to ensure timely and successful postal delivery.

     Anyone having difficulty in completing and returning the forms within the specified period must apply in writing for an extension of time before the end of the stipulated period and should state their reasons.

     Anyone who knowingly makes a false statement or refuses to furnish any of the particulars specified in the form commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $25,000 or $10,000 respectively. They will also be fined an amount equivalent to three times the rates and/or Government rent undercharged.

     Enquiries on how to complete the form can be made by calling the number printed on the form, or visiting the department at 15/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon.

     The department's website also provides answers to commonly asked questions on completing the form.