The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     As the Chinese New Year draws near, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the three note-issuing banks (The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited and Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited) today (December 23) announced that new notes and good-as-new notes, i.e. used notes which are in good condition and suitable for use as lai-see, will be available for exchange at branches of the three note-issuing banks from January 13, 2022 (Thursday) to January 31, 2022 (Monday).

     The HKMA encourages the public to use electronic channels including the Faster Payment System available via online or mobile banking, or other e-wallet services for giving lai-see. Major banks and electronic payment operators will also encourage the giving of electronic lai-see by various promotional programmes. The public may refer to the details of these programmes as and when announced by banks and operators.

     The three note-issuing banks will put in place appropriate measures to facilitate the notes exchange and safeguard public health, including:

a) Advancing the opening hour to 8am on the first three days of the service period, i.e. January 13, 2022 (Thursday) to January 15, 2022 (Saturday);

b) Dedicating the aforesaid additional operation hours, i.e. 8am to 9am on each of the three days during January 13, 2022 (Thursday) to January 15, 2022 (Saturday) exclusively for providing the notes exchange service; and

c) Stepping up social distancing and relevant measures such as offering online booking service starting from January 8, 2022 (Saturday), as well as distributing physical tickets when needed and implementing queue management as appropriate.

     Members of the public who desire to use cash for giving lai-see may wish to check for any remaining stock of new notes or good-as-new notes at home before going to a bank. Also, there is no need to rush exchanging for new notes and good-as-new notes during the first few days of the service period as banks will ensure the supply of these notes throughout the service period.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department today (December 23) announced an adjustment to the auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations from January 1 to January 31, 2022, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts of the dedicated LPG filling stations.
 
     A department spokesman said that the adjustment on January 1, 2022, reflects the movement of the LPG international price in December 2021. The adjusted auto-LPG ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations will range from $4.39 to $4.96 per litre, representing a decrease of $0.33 to $0.34 per litre.
 
     The spokesman said that the auto-LPG ceiling prices were adjusted according to a specified pricing formula. The formula comprises two elements – the LPG international price and the LPG operating price. The LPG international price is the LPG international price of the preceding month. The LPG operating price is adjusted on the first day of February every year according to the movement in the Composite Consumer Price Index in the previous year.
 
     The auto-LPG ceiling prices for respective dedicated LPG filling stations in January 2022 are as follows:
 

 
     The spokesman said that the details of the LPG international price and the auto-LPG ceiling price of each dedicated LPG filling station have been uploaded to the department website www.emsd.gov.hk. They are also posted at dedicated LPG filling stations to enable the trades to monitor the price adjustment.
 
     Details of the pricing adjustment mechanism for dedicated LPG filling stations can also be viewed under the "What's New" section of the department website at www.emsd.gov.hk/en/what_s_new/current/index.html.
 
     The dedicated LPG filling station at Wai Lok Street, Kwun Tong, will reopen at 4pm tomorrow (December 24) after renovation. However, the dedicated LPG filling stations at Fung Yip Street, Chai Wan, and Yuen Chau Tsai, Tai Po, will be closed for renovation from 9am on December 28. For details, please refer to the announcement on the webpage of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department.

The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:

     The Ombudsman, Ms Winnie Chiu, held a press conference this morning (December 23) to announce the results of two direct investigation reports. The titles of the reports are "Regulatory work on dog keepers' obligations by Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department" and "Government's control of illicit fuelling activities". Details of the reports can be found on the website of the Office of The Ombudsman: ofomb.ombudsman.hk/abc/en-us/news. 

      

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 0.00am, December 23, the CHP was investigating two additional confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), taking the number of cases to 12 551 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 12 550 confirmed cases and one probable case).

     The newly reported cases are imported cases which involved mutant strains. The patients comprise one male aged 36 and one female aged 27. One of them arrived in Hong Kong from a Group A specified place (high-risk) with enhanced surveillance, the other one from a then (day of arrival) Group A specified place (high-risk). One patient tested positive during the "test-and-hold" arrangement upon arrival at the Temporary Specimen Collection Centre at Hong Kong International Airport and one tested positive during quarantine.

     A total of 77 cases have been reported in the past 14 days (December 9 to 22) and all of them are imported cases.

     The CHP's epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. For case details and contact tracing information, please see the Annex or the "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk).

     â€‹The spokesman for the CHP stressed, "The global situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and there is a continuous increase in the number of cases involving mutant strains that carry higher transmissibility, and there are also reports of breakthrough infections in some vaccinated individuals. The CHP strongly urges members of the public to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong, in particular to specified places with high risk under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H)."

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) today (December 23) announced that in view of the epidemic of COVID-19 and the winter service surge, the general out-patient clinic (GOPC) services will be enhanced during the Christmas holidays. The consultation quota will be increased by around 900 during the Christmas holidays. Furthermore, two additional GOPCs will provide services during the long holidays, i.e. 16 clinics in total (see table below) will remain open to address the service needs of the public.

     The HA Chief Infection Control Officer, Dr Raymond Lai reminded the public to continue to stay vigilant during festive celebrations. They should maintain personal and environmental hygiene to prevent infection and spreading the virus in the community.

     "Current data show that Omicron variant is much more contagious than Delta variant. There are a lot of people returning to Hong Kong from overseas for the Christmas and New Year holidays. To minimise the risk of infection, people should avoid mass gathering activities and maintain personal hygiene, including masking and frequent hand-washing. Members of the public should also seek medical advice early for respiratory symptoms."

     "Amid the growing threat of the Omicron surge, vaccination is still the most effective means of outbreak control. Members of the public who have not yet vaccinated should grasp the opportunity for vaccination as soon as possible. Vaccinated people should consider taking a booster dose at appropriate time to reduce the risk of infection or developing severe symptoms if infected."

     Members of the public are welcome to browse the designated website www.ha.org.hk/goto/wintersurge/en and "Service Surge Online" in the "HA Go" mobile application for key service statistics, Accidental and Emergency Department waiting times and medical consultation information. In addition, members of the public can obtain specimen collection packs for COVID-19 tests during the holiday or submit specimens at eleven GOPCs (see table below) within the specified time. The public can also obtain specimen collection packs at the selected MTR stations. For details, please visit the website: www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html .

General out-patient clinic services during Christmas holidays (December 25 – 27)
 

# Will provide clinic services on December 27

Service hours:
December 25 & 26: 9am to 1pm
December 27: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm

* General out-patient clinics to distribute specimen collection packs and collect specimens for COVID-19 tests
Specimen collection packs distribution time: from 9am (while stocks last)
Specimen collection time: 9am to 11am