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 16) that Shenzhen operated 40 cargo vessel trips and transported around 4 550 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cross-boundary supplies by water yesterday (August 15), equivalent to about 15 500 tonnes of goods, of which around 10 TEUs (about 10 tonnes) were fresh food and around 4 540 TEUs (about 15 490 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 817 990 TEUs of cross-boundary supplies have been transported, equivalent to about 3 944 670 tonnes of goods, of which around 2 250 TEUs (about 19 080 tonnes) were fresh food and around 815 740 TEUs (about 3 925 590 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 3 225 rapid nucleic acid tests were conducted yesterday, among which 13 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 Government today (August 16) 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 Ma On Shan (i.e. Block 1, Fok On Garden, Ma On Shan, excluding non-domestic units under the podium, 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 17). 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 11pm 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 10 to 16, 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 18, 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 Water Supplies Department has set up a hotline (Tel: 9148 3846) which starts 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.

     â€‹The Home Affairs Department will continue to open 18 community halls/community centres as temporary heat shelters today (August 16).
 
     The temporary heat shelters will remain open for people to take refuge from the heat when the Very Hot Weather Warning is in force. From 10.30pm to 8am the next day, the temporary heat shelters will also provide bedding and a sleeping place for people in need. The shelters are manned by duty attendants.
 
     In light of the implementation of mandatory use of the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application when entering government premises, all persons are required to use the app to scan the venue QR code before they are allowed to enter temporary heat shelters, except for exempted persons (including persons who are aged below 12 or aged 65 or above, persons with disabilities that render use of the app difficult and persons without smartphones). All exempted persons are required to complete a prescribed form to register their personal particulars, contact phone number and the date and time of entry. The staff will verify the information provided.
 
     For further information, please call the department's hotline before midnight on 2572 8427.
 
     The heat shelters are located at:
 
Hong Kong Island:
———————
 
Central and Western –
Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall
3/F, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex
2 High Street, Sai Ying Pun
 
Eastern –
Causeway Bay Community Centre
3/F, 7 Fook Yum Road, Causeway Bay
 
Southern –
Wah Kwai Community Centre
Wah Kwai Estate, Kellett Bay
 
Wan Chai –
Wan Chai Activities Centre
LG/F, Wan Chai Market, 258 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai
 
Kowloon Districts:
——————
 
Kowloon City –
Hung Hom Community Hall
1/F, Kowloon City Government Offices
42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom
 
Kwun Tong –
Lam Tin (West) Estate Community Centre
71 Kai Tin Road, Lam Tin
 
Sham Shui Po –
Shek Kip Mei Community Hall
G/F, Block 42, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Sham Shui Po
 
Wong Tai Sin –
Tsz Wan Shan (South) Estate Community Centre
45 Wan Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan
 
Yau Tsim Mong –
Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre
60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei
 
New Territories Districts:
————————–
 
Islands –
Tung Chung Community Hall
G/F, Tung Chung Municipal Services Building, 39 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung
 
Kwai Tsing –
Kwai Shing Community Hall
Podium, Block 6, Kwai Shing West Estate, Kwai Chung
 
North –
Cheung Wah Community Hall
Cheung Wah Estate, Fanling
 
Sai Kung –
Chi Shin Activity Centre
G/F, Tseung Kwan O South Ancillary Facilities Block, 5 Chi Shin Street, Tseung Kwan O
 
Sha Tin –
Lung Hang Estate Community Centre
Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin
 
Tai Po –
Tai Po Community Centre
2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po
 
Tsuen Wan –
Lei Muk Shue Community Hall
G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan
 
Tuen Mun –
Wu Shan Road Community Hall
101 Wu Shan Road, Tuen Mun
 
Yuen Long –
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long
 
    In addition to the above heat shelters, a number of community halls/community centres can also be used for taking refuge from the heat during their operating hours. For their address details, please browse the following document: www.had.gov.hk/file_manager/en/documents/public_services/emergency_services/List_CH_CC_Day_E.pdf.

     The chairmanship of the incumbent Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) Chairman, Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah, will expire today (August 16).

     "We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the outgoing Chairman, Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah, for his exemplary and dedicated service rendered to the EAC in the past 13 years. Mr Justice Fung was first appointed as the EAC Chairman in 2009 and was reappointed in 2013 and 2017 respectively. By today, he would have served as the EAC Chairman for 13 years when his current term expires. During his tenure, Mr Justice Fung led the EAC in conducting and supervising a full range of elections including the Chief Executive Elections, Election Committee Subsector Elections, Legislative Council Elections, District Council Elections and Rural Representative Elections. Over the past year, three important elections have been successfully held under the improved electoral system, with a view to implementing 'patriots administering Hong Kong', and ensuring the steadfast implementation of 'one country, two systems'. Under the leadership of Mr Justice Fung, the EAC has made significant achievements in ensuring that public elections in Hong Kong are open, fair and honest," a Government spokesperson said.
 
     The Government is actively identifying the succeeding EAC Chairman, and the announcement on the appointment will be made in due course.
 
     The EAC is a statutory body established under the Electoral Affairs Commission Ordinance (Cap. 541). Its responsibilities include making recommendations on constituency boundaries, the conduct and supervision of public elections, and making regulations, guidelines and arrangements for the registration of electors. The main objective of the EAC is to ensure that public elections are conducted openly, fairly and honestly.

     In light of positive test results for the COVID-19 virus from sewage samples collected in Sai Kung, Tai Po, Kwai Tsing, Tuen Mun and Wan Chai Districts, the Home Affairs Department (HAD) said today (August 16) that the Sai Kung District Office (SKDO), the Tai Po District Office (TPDO), the Kwai Tsing District Office (K&TDO), the Tuen Mun District Office (TMDO) and the Wan Chai District Office (WCDO) have distributed a total of about 334 000 COVID-19 rapid test kits to households, cleansing workers and property management staff living and working in the Districts.

     The SKDO distributed rapid test kits to households, cleansing workers and property management staff living and working in Residence Oasis, La Cite Noble, Maritime Bay, Metro City Phases 1 and 2, The Grandiose, The Wings, The Wings II, The Wings IIIA, The Wings IIIB and Ocean Wings for voluntary testing through the property management companies.

     The TPDO also distributed rapid test kits to households, cleansing workers and property management staff living and working in TMT 222, Tai Mei Tuk Village, The Beverly Hills, Sha Lan Villas, Sha Lan Village, Meadow Cove, Lung Mei Village, Tai Po Garden, Tai Po Tau Shui Wai, Ye Yuen, Shek Kwu Lung, Greenwich Garden, Kam Shan, Kam Shek New Village, Kam Shek New Village – Treasure Spot Garden and Kam Sau Terrace for voluntary testing through the property management companies and the Village Representatives.

     The K&TDO also commenced distributing rapid test kits to households, cleansing workers and property management staff living and working in residential premises around Kwong Fai Circuit for voluntary testing through the property management companies and the owners' corporations.

     In addition, the TMDO and the WCDO distributed rapid test kits to households, cleansing workers and property management staff living and working in Botania Villa, Fuk Hang Tsuen, Tsuen Mun San Tsuen, GreenView, The Sherwood, Sun Fung Wai, Tin King Estate, Venice Gardens, Eight Regency, Goodrich Garden, Ori, Pierhead Garden, Miami Beach Towers and Marina Garden in Tuen Mun District, and residential premises around Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road in Wan Chai District for voluntary testing through the property management companies.

     The HAD made the above arrangements in the hope of identifying infected persons early.

     Members of the public may refer to the demonstration video produced by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) under the Department of Health (DH) via www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzFAUzTtmKk to learn how to use the rapid antigen test (RAT) kit.

     Persons testing positive through an RAT should take a photo of the test result and declare the result within 24 hours via the Declaration System for Individuals Tested Positive for COVID-19 Using Rapid Antigen Test (www.chp.gov.hk/ratp). If members of the public encounter difficulties in using the online platform, they can call the automated system at 183 6119 to register their identification document and telephone number. The CHP under the DH will contact the relevant person later to complete the report procedure. There is no need to declare negative test results.

     The Government appeals for the co-operation of members of the public to safeguard the health of themselves and their families by undergoing testing on a voluntary basis and fighting the virus together. The Government urges all individuals who are in doubt about their own health condition, or individuals with infection risks (such as individuals who visited places with epidemic outbreaks or had contact with cases that tested positive), to undergo testing promptly for early identification of infected persons to reduce the transmission risks of COVID-19.