Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Labour Department (LD) will hold the North District Recruitment and Training Expo 2020 at Po Wing Road Sports Centre in Sheung Shui on January 3 (Friday).
      
     A total of 72 organisations will participate in the Expo. Among them, 65 organisations, mainly from the catering, retail and property management industries, will offer over 4 600 vacancies and conduct on-the-spot recruitment at their booths. Seven training organisations will provide information on their training courses to visitors. Two skill demonstration sessions on repair and maintenance of flush cisterns and simulation of electric arc welding will also be held in the afternoon.
      
     The vacancies offered cover a wide variety of positions including fundraising ambassador, clinic assistant, shop assistant, clerk, security guard, driver, technician, equestrian assistant, storekeeper, cashier, cook, waiter/waitress, elderly sitter and beautician. Job seekers can find more information on the LD’s Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk).
      
     Around 77 per cent of the vacancies are full-time jobs and most of them offer monthly salaries ranging from $10,000 to $19,000. Over 99 per cent of the vacancies require a Secondary Six education level or below. Around 72 per cent are open to job seekers without relevant experience.
      
     Job seekers can submit applications on the spot and may be selected by employers for on-site interviews. They can also enquire about the employment programmes and services provided by the LD at its counter.
      
     The Expo will be held from 11am to 5.30pm at Po Wing Road Sports Centre, 19 Pak Wo Road, Sheung Shui (next to Sheung Shui Government Secondary School). Admission is free. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      During the winter surge, the Hospital Authority is closely monitoring the service demand of Accident and Emergency Departments and the occupancy rates in public ho… read more

     Police today (December 30) reclassified a theft and wounding case in Yuen Long on December 28 as theft and murder.      At about 9.50pm on December 28, Police received a report from a passerby t… read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (December 30) investigating a case of severe paediatric influenza A infection and reminded the community to heighten vigilance against influenza.
 
     The case involves a 18-month-old baby boy with good past health, who has presented with fever, cough, runny nose and vomiting since December 28. He was taken to the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital for medical advice on December 29 and was admitted for treatment. He was transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit at Queen Mary Hospital on the next day for further management.

     His respiratory specimen tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was influenza A infection complicated with encephalopathy. He is now in critical condition.
 
     Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had received a seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) for this season and had no travel history during the incubation period. His home contacts have remained asymptomatic so far.
 
     The CHP’s investigations are ongoing.

     A spokesman for the CHP said, “The latest surveillance data showed that the overall local seasonal influenza activity has been increasing gradually in the past two weeks, and the winter influenza season might arrive soon. Members of the public aged six months or above who have not yet received influenza vaccination, particularly children, the elderly and those with underlying illnesses, are advised to receive an SIV as early as possible to better protect themselves in the coming winter influenza season against influenza A and B infections. It takes about two weeks for antibodies to develop in the body after vaccination.”

     The 2019/20 seasonal influenza vaccination programmes, including the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme and the Government Vaccination Programme, have been launched. As well, the SIV school outreach has been regularised to allow all primary schools to join, and has been extended to kindergartens, child care centres and kindergarten-cum-child care centres as a pilot.

     “Influenza can cause serious illnesses in high-risk individuals and even healthy persons. Given that influenza vaccines are safe and effective, all persons aged six months or above, except those with known contraindications, are recommended to receive an SIV for personal protection. Vaccinations among family members is key to protecting their personal and family health,” the spokesman said.

     The public should maintain good personal and environmental hygiene for protection against influenza and other respiratory illnesses:
 
• Receive an SIV for personal protection;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water properly whenever possibly contaminated;
• When hands are not visibly soiled, clean them with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub as an effective alternative;
• Wash or clean hands frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes, or after touching public installations such as handrails or door knobs;
• Cover the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly in a lidded rubbish bin;
• Put on a surgical mask when respiratory symptoms develop;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• Avoid going to crowded or poorly ventilated public places; high-risk individuals may consider putting on surgical masks when staying in such places; and
• Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.

     The public may visit the CHP’s influenza page and weekly Flu Express for more information. read more

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and the Transport Department (TD) today (December 30) to learn more about the measures and recovery work taken by the two departments in response to the protests and vandalistic acts in recent months. She also expressed her gratitude to colleagues for their dedication to duty and concerted efforts to maintain the operation of Hong Kong during the current serious situation.
 
     Accompanied by the Acting Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Pang Yiu-hung, Mrs Lam visited a traffic light workshop and the Customer Service Centre. Since June, approximately 750 sets of signalised junctions across the city have been vandalised more than 1 400 times. To enable the speedy recovery of the damaged traffic lights before the morning peak hours, the EMSD deployed additional experienced manpower from various units to the recovery team, increasing the number of staff from about 80 to 160 during peak repair periods. As at today, all damaged traffic lights have resumed operation.
 
     Mrs Lam noted that the EMSD also works closely with various government departments and suppliers to substantially shorten the overall time required for parts procurement, delivery and on-site repair works. The team has also proactively conceived, tested and implemented various designs to enhance the protection of the traffic lights and their controllers.
 
     Mrs Lam then visited the TD to keep abreast of the department’s work on monitoring and handling traffic and transport emergency incidents, and to note the progress in taking forward measures to enhance the operational safety of franchised buses.
 
     Accompanied by the Commissioner for Transport, Ms Mable Chan, Mrs Lam was briefed on how the department co-ordinates with various government departments and public transport operators to handle traffic incidents swiftly to enable the resumption of traffic and public transport services as soon as possible. In particular, she was briefed on the department’s contingency measures to steer and co-ordinate public transport during the closure of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel last month including the provision of special ferry services, re-routing of cross-harbour bus routes and the co-ordination of relevant government departments and public transport operators to implement repair works properly and prepare for the re-opening.

     Mrs Lam also received a briefing on initiatives to enhance franchised bus safety including supervising franchised bus operators to install safety seat belts in all seats on new buses and retrofit seat belts in all seats on the upper decks of existing double-decker buses. Together with the newly procured double-decker buses, there will be more than 3 000 buses equipped with seat belts in 2022, and they will be deployed with priorities for long-haul routes operated via expressways with relatively fewer bus stops. Mrs Lam then toured the Commute with “Ease” Roving Exhibition which showcases how the department leverages innovation and technology to promote smart mobility, enhance road safety and transport efficiency.

     Mrs Lam said that during the social unrest, which has persisted for more than six months, wanton vandalism by rioters on transport facilities gravely affected people’s commutes. Taking traffic lights as an example, over the past few months, more than 5 000 lamps and 100 controllers have been replaced. The amount of parts used would be adequate for 10 years under normal situations and the estimated additional recovery cost has exceeded $30 million.
 
     “In fact, every Government department is affected by the social unrest to different degrees. Colleagues are required to allocate resources effectively, deploy manpower flexibly, enhance communication with various departments and walk an extra mile to respond to different situations proactively with new thinking. I express gratitude to colleagues who have been standing fast at their posts during the past months, working together to minimise the impacts of the protests and vandalistic acts on the public, while striving to maintain effective public services,” Mrs Lam said.