In the preceding week till 11.59pm on January 16, the Department of Health (DH) received 60 reports (Note 1) of adverse events following COVID-19 immunisation. No death case was reported by the Hospital Authority (HA) involving indi… read more
The Government today (January 19) 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 7pm, under which people (hereafter referred to as “persons subject to compulsory testing”) within the specified “restricted area” in Kwai Chung (i.e. Yat Kwai House, Kwai Chung Estate. 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 about 7am tomorrow (January 20).
A Government spokesman said, “Under Cap. 599J, the Government can, according to the needs of infection control, make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’. A confirmed case with mutant strain announced today, as well as a case tested preliminarily positive (with preliminary test result involved a mutant strain) detected today live in the abovementioned building. As the risk of infection in the relevant area is assessed to be likely higher, the Government decided to make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’ for the relevant area.”
The Government has set up temporary specimen collection stations at the “restricted area” and requested persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo testing before 1am tomorrow. Arrangements have been 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 arrange for door-to-door specimen collection for people with impaired mobility and elderly persons.
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 7am 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 person who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from January 6, 2022 to January 19, 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 January 21, 2022. As a mutant strain is involved, and having considered relevant infection risks, for prudence’s sake, vaccinated persons and persons who have recently been tested are also required to undergo testing.
In addition, in accordance with the latest arrangement, persons who resided in the same building as the preliminary case carrying variants of concern suspected to be Omicron are required to undergo compulsory testing on days 2, 3, 4, 7, 12 and 19 counting from the day subsequent to that when the relevant confirmed case last stayed in that building before being admitted to hospital for treatment or leaving Hong Kong.
The Housing Department has set up a hotline (Tel: 2427 9006) which has started operation at 7pm 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 $5,000. 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 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months. read more
The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (January 19) that the Council on Professional Conduct in Education (CPC) will officially come to an end on May 1.
A spokesman for the EDB said, “With the continuous development of the services provided by the Government and professional education organisations over the past 30 years, the CPC’s role in maintaining teachers’ professional conduct and promoting the continuous professional development of teachers is no longer the same as when it was established. After consulting the Education Commission, the EDB has decided that the CPC will officially come to an end upon expiry of the current term of its members on April 30, 2022.”
The CPC was established in April 1994 based on the recommendation of the Education Commission Report No 5. Its terms of reference include: to advise the Government on measures to promote professional conduct in education, to draft operational criteria defining the conduct expected of an educator and to gain widespread acceptance of these criteria among all sectors of the education community through consultation, and to advise the Permanent Secretary for Education on cases of disputes or alleged professional misconduct involving educators.
The spokesman said, “On enhancing teachers’ professional conduct and promoting their continuous professional development, the Committee on Professional Development of Teachers and Principals (COTAP) was set up in 2013 comprising frontline educators, academics from tertiary institutions, parents and other members from the community. COTAP has all along been offering advice to the Government on policies and measures relating to the professional development of the sector, and conducting relevant educational research and professional development programmes as necessary to promote the professional development of teachers and principals. Apart from introducing the ‘T-standard+’ on professional standards for teachers and principals in 2018 to outline the professional roles required of teachers and principals, COTAP has strived to promote the development of the Professional Ladder for Teachers and provide advice on its implementation in recent years.”
The spokesman continued, “Regarding teachers’ code of conduct, as announced in the 2021 Policy Address, the EDB will provide clear guidelines and examples on teachers’ professional conduct, which are expected to be completed within this year. We will provide examples to illustrate the penalties for teacher misconduct to help teachers to be mindful about their words and deeds and be law-abiding. These guidelines will also serve as a reference for the EDB in reviewing the registration status of teachers.”
For the handling of suspected cases involving teachers’ misconduct, the spokesman stressed that the EDB, as the authority of teacher registration, has a responsibility to perform the role of gatekeeping.
In the past, complaints about suspected cases of professional misconduct of teachers could be lodged with the EDB or the CPC. For complaints lodged with the CPC, it would submit a report together with recommendations to the EDB when it completed the cases. From mid-June 2019 to the end of December 2020, the EDB received 269 complaints on professional misconduct of teachers relating to the social turmoil. The EDB has completed all cases except for those still under legal proceedings. As at the end of December 2021, the EDB had cancelled four teachers’ registration according to the Education Ordinance, and issued reprimand letters, warning letters, advisory letters or verbal reminders to 176 teachers.
During the same period, the CPC received six relevant complaints involving four teachers. So far, none of the cases have been submitted to the EDB for handling.
The spokesman said that the public is greatly concerned about the professional conduct of teachers and that misconduct cases of teachers should be handled without delay. For cases being processed by the CPC, the EDB will approach the persons concerned and take follow-up action accordingly. The EDB will continue to perform its gatekeeping role to ensure that all teachers permitted to teach in schools are fit and proper persons,” the spokesman said.
For complaints about suspected professional misconduct of teachers, they will be investigated by schools in accordance with the established procedures and a report will be submitted to the EDB. The EDB has been prudent and serious in handling all cases from the perspective of education professionalism, basing the handling on evidence and taking students’ well-being as the prime consideration. The EDB will enhance the transparency in the handling of cases, and plans to release the numbers of complaints against teachers’ misconduct on a regular basis and provide case examples to illustrate the penalties for teacher misconduct and the considerations involved for the public’s information and schools’ reference in strengthening the management of their teaching staff.
The spokesman thanked all chairmen and members who had contributed to the CPC, especially for the time and efforts dedicated to matters of professional conduct of the education profession.
He said, “The EDB will strengthen the collaboration with COTAP, listen to the views from frontline educators and other stakeholders, and continue to collect the views from various sectors through multiple channels, with a view to enhancing teachers’ professional conduct and promoting their continuous professional development.”
The EDB calls on the sector to work together to enhance teachers’ professional conduct, establish a professional and high-quality teaching force, raise the professional status of teachers, and boost public confidence in the teaching profession. read more
The Government today (January 19) 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 7pm, under which people (hereafter referred to as “persons subject to compulsory testing”) within the specified “restricted area” in Sham Shui Po (i.e. Fu Yuet House, Fu Cheong Estate, 19 Sai Chuen Road, Sham Shui Po. 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 about 7am tomorrow (January 20).
A Government spokesman said, “Under Cap. 599J, the Government can, according to the needs of infection control, make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’. As a preliminary tested positive case who has lived in the abovementioned building was detected today, and the preliminary test result involved a mutant strain, the risk of infection in the relevant area is assessed to be likely higher, so the Government decided to make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’ for the relevant area after the test result was found to be positive.”
The Government has set up temporary specimen collection stations at the “restricted area” and requested persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo testing before 0.30am tomorrow. Arrangements have been 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 arrange for door-to-door specimen collection for people with impaired mobility and elderly persons.
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 7am 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 person who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from January 10, 2022 to January 19, 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 January 21, 2022. As a mutant strain is involved, and having considered relevant infection risks, for prudence’s sake, vaccinated persons and persons who have recently been tested are also required to undergo testing.
In addition, in accordance with the latest arrangement, persons who resided in the same building as the preliminary case carrying variants of concern suspected to be Omicron are required to undergo compulsory testing on days 2, 3, 4, 7, 12 and 19 counting from the day subsequent to that when the relevant confirmed case last stayed in that building before being admitted to hospital for treatment or leaving Hong Kong.
The Housing Department has set up a hotline (Tel: 2361 8181) which has started operation at 7pm 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 $5,000. 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 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months. read more
The Immigration Department (ImmD) today (January 19) said that in relation to a person who had briefly visited the second, fourth and eighth floors of the Immigration Tower on January 14 and had subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, the Government exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) and published in the Gazette a compulsory testing notice, which requires any person who had been present at the relevant offices (including the Information and Liaison Section on 2/F, Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) Section and Travel Documents (Issue) Section on 4/F and Hong Kong Registration of Persons Office on 8/F) from 11am to 2pm on January 14 to undergo COVID-19 nucleic acid tests four times on January 18 or January 19, January 21, January 26 and February 2.
In accordance with the compulsory testing notice and the advice of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), the ImmD had arranged for all staff of the offices to undergo COVID-19 testing and conducted thorough cleaning and sterilisation at the offices on January 18. The ImmD will arrange for all staff of the offices to undergo additional tests on January 21, January 26 and February 2. The offices will suspend service on January 21 and January 26 and resume public services on the next working day (January 22 and January 27). As February 2 is a public holiday, the above service suspension arrangement does not apply.
Members of the public who have appointments at the offices may consider proceeding to the offices in the days ahead, or other Registration of Persons Offices for identity card applications or other branch offices for travel document applications without the need to make another appointment. Information on the address and working hours of other Registration of Persons Offices and other branch offices can be obtained at www.immd.gov.hk/eng/contactus/address.html. During the service suspension of the above offices, the ImmD will provide the following enquiry services:
| Enquiry category | Enquiry hotline | Service hours |
| Travel document related | 2852 3045 | January 21 and January 26 from 8.45am to 5.15pm |
| Identity card related | 3521 6565 | |
| Visa and extension of stay related | 3521 1840 |