The Government announced today (December 30) that in view of the latest global developments of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, Belarus, Curaçao and Vietnam will be specified as Group A specified places from 0.00am on January 2, 2022, to tighten the boarding and quarantine requirements for relevant inbound travellers.
 
     To manage and prevent the importation risks posed by Omicron cases, the Government will continue to employ the most stringent measures to guard against importation of cases. Overseas places where Omicron cases have been detected that may lead to local transmission and exportation of cases will be specified as Group A specified places. Noting that the detection of Omicron cases was confirmed in Belarus, Curaçao and Vietnam, the Government will specify them as Group A specified places from 0.00am on January 2, 2022. Non-Hong Kong residents who have stayed there within 21 days will not be allowed to enter Hong Kong. Hong Kong residents can only board a flight for Hong Kong if they have been fully vaccinated and hold a recognised vaccination record. They will have to undergo compulsory quarantine in a designated quarantine hotel for 21 days upon returning to Hong Kong, with six tests to be conducted during quarantine, followed by compulsory testing in a community testing centre on the 26th day of arrival in Hong Kong.
 
     Details on the relevant boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements for respective specified places can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/inbound-travel.html.
 
     The Government will gazette the relevant updated specifications under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to effect the above measures.

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, attended the Passing-out Parade cum 60th Anniversary Grand Parade of the Immigration Department (ImmD) today (December 30) to review 171 officers on parade, including 45 Immigration Officers and 126 Immigration Assistants.
      
     As the first disciplined service to introduce Chinese-style footdrill, the ImmD adopted a totally Chinese style for the flag raising ceremony and the footdrill performance of the 60th Anniversary Grand Parade. In the Chinese-style footdrill performance, the parade marched in step and lined up to form the numerals "1961" to represent the year of establishment of the ImmD, the abbreviation for the department "IMMD", and the Chinese numerals "60" to symbolise the ImmD's 60 years of serving the Hong Kong community. In addition, the youth were also engaged in the parade. Members of the Immigration Department Youth Leaders Corps (IDYL) marched into the venue in the Chinese-style footdrill performance, holding the national, regional and departmental flags, which were taken over by the Flag Party to perform a Chinese-style flag raising ceremony, with the Immigration Band playing the national anthem live and guests rising to sing.
      
     In her speech, Mrs Carrie Lam said despite the many challenges over the years, the ImmD remained dauntless and forged ahead bravely, tiding over one difficulty after another with positive attitude and professionalism. She also commended the ImmD for its remarkable achievements in the past six decades, repeatedly winning great acclaim from citizens and visitors. For instance, the Next Generation Electronic Passport System was given the Award of the Year at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2021 in recognition of the ImmD's efforts and contributions in harnessing information technology to provide quality public service experience for the community.
      
     She also appreciated the ImmD's incorporation of an element of youth engagement in the parade, which reflected its active role in promoting youth training and its dedication to nurturing new blood who had positive energy and had aspirations for serving the community and to ensure passing on the baton to the new generation.
      
     Lastly, Mrs Carrie Lam called on passing-out officers to stay true to their original aspirations and founding mission, ride out difficulties, and serve Hong Kong and contribute to the motherland with all their efforts. She hoped that the ImmD would continue to uphold the principles of putting people first and striving for excellence, and make sustained efforts to expand its scope of services and enhance the existing services in support of the sustainable development of the country as well as Hong Kong.   

                    

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, at a media session today (December 30) on the quarterly land sale programme for January to March 2022:
 
Reporter: How do the Government arrive at the new size limit? Do you expect that the new policy will make it harder for people to get on the property ladder? Is the Government planning to apply this limit to all development projects in Hong Kong?
 
Secretary for Development: In reaching the figure of 26 square metres, we have first looked at the subsidised housing project on Anderson Road. In that case, the minimum flat size is 23 square metres, so it is basically 10 per cent above that. Given the position of private housing on the home ownership ladder, which is the next rung up, we do believe it is appropriate for us to set a slightly bigger minimum size. The other factor we have considered is that according to the figures provided by the Rating and Valuation Department, for the past 5 years, if we look at the proportion of private housing unit supply, those that is smaller than 26 square metres in salable area is about 13 per cent. So about one-eighth of the private housing supply will be impacted by our new measure. We think is about the right balance, so that is why we choose the figure of 26 square metres in salable area as the minimum size.
 
     With regard to the coverage, it applies to Government land sale projects. If it works, we believe this requirement will continue in the 2022-23 land sale programme. We also believe that the MTR Corporation Limited is likely to also follow the Government’s practice. With regard to Urban Renewal Authority’s projects, they have already adopted a higher minimum size which we do not think we should intervene. As for existing housing stocks, the existing size is their existing size.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     The Government today (December 30) 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 Shek Kip Mei (i.e. Wing Chak House, Chak On Estate, 1 Chak On Road, Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon, Hong Kong. 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 (December 31).
           
     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 positive case who has lived in the abovementioned building detected today is the close contact of an imported case announced earlier which carried the Variant of Concern Omicron, 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 request 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.
           
     Persons in the "restricted area" who have undergone testing from December 28 to December 30, 2021, and are able to provide the SMS notification through a mobile phone or related certification containing the test results, are not required to take the test again. However, they are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the area have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. Also, 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 December 10 to December 30 2021, 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 1, 2022. As a mutant strain is involved, for prudence's sake, vaccinated persons 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: 2778 2628) which will start 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. 

     Following is the transcript of the opening remarks by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, at a media session today (December 30) on the land sale programme for January to March 2022:
 
     In the fourth quarter of financial year 2021-22, the Government will sell by tender a residential site in Tuen Mun, providing a supply of about 2 020 flats. The Government will impose a minimum flat size restriction on this site so that the saleable area of each flat has to reach at least 26 square metres, which is around 280 square feet.
 
     Apart from Government land sale, the MTR Corporation Limited plans to sell by tender a development project at Pak Shing Kok Ventilation Building, which will produce about 550 units. I understand that the MTR Corporation Limited will also adopt the same minimum flat size requirement of 26 sq m of saleable area. The Urban Renewal Authority plans to put up for tender two development projects in To Kwa Wan, capable of providing about 890 flats in total.
 
     In addition, five private development and redevelopment projects are expected to complete their lease modifications in the fourth quarter. They will together provide a supply of about 2 220 flats. 
 
     Taking all sources of private housing land supply into account, the total private housing land supply in the fourth quarter would be able to provide about 5 680 flats.
 
     Together with the supply of around 14 400 flats from the first three quarters, the total private housing land supply of the financial year reaches some 20 080 flats, exceeding our private housing supply annual target by about 55 per cent. 
 
     As regards commercial land, the Government plans to put up for sale again a commercial site in Tung Chung Area 57. The site is capable of providing around 120 000 sq m of gross floor area.  
             
     Looking ahead, the Government will continue to increase land supply through a multi-pronged approach to meet the housing, economic and social development needs of our community.
 
     Thank you very much.