Primary and secondary school students interested in joining the Jockey Club Student Drawing Competition of the Hong Kong Flower Show 2020 are invited to enrol through their schools by December 30.
 
     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the competition will be held on March 6, 2020, at Victoria Park.
 
     The competition will feature students' drawings of floral exhibits or garden displays in the showground with a view to enhancing awareness of conserving plants and the natural environment. Participants may draw or paint to illustrate the theme of this year's drawing competition, "Bliss in Bloom".
 
     The competition will be conducted in four categories – Junior Section in Primary School (Primary One to Primary Three), Senior Section in Primary School (Primary Four to Primary Six), Junior Section in Secondary School (Form One to Form Three) and Senior Section in Secondary School (Form Four to Form Six).
 
     The competition for the primary school categories will be held from 9am to noon, while that for the secondary school categories will be held from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
 
     For details of the competition, please call 2720 0211 or visit www.hkflowershow.hk/en/hkfs/2020/drawing.html.
 
     The upcoming flower show will be held in Victoria Park for 10 days from March 6 to 15, 2020, featuring "Bliss in Bloom" as the main theme and with the hydrangea as the theme flower. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is supporting the flower show for the eighth consecutive year and has been the Major Sponsor of the flower show since 2014.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

　　The Hospital Authority (HA) today (December 23) announces that in view of the increased demand during the winter surge in public hospitals, the general out-patient clinic (GOPC) service will be enhanced during the Christmas holidays. An addition of over 1 800 consultation quotas will be provided during the Christmas holidays. Furthermore, three additional GOPCs will provide service during the long holidays, i.e. 16 clinics in total (see table below) will remain open to meet the service needs of the public and alleviate the service pressure of Accident and Emergency (A&E) Departments. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the HA Central Coordinating Committee (A&E), Dr Tsui Sik-hon, reminded the public to refrain from excessive alcohol consumption during the festive celebrations.  
 
　　An HA spokesperson said the public could browse the website of Primary Care Directory of the Food and Health Bureau at www.pcdirectory.gov.hk to find an appropriate family doctor and the related clinic service.
 
　　As Christmas is approaching, Dr Tsui reminded the public to avoid excessive drinking. "Excessive alcohol will impair one's brain function. It may result in a headache, vomiting, breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, coma or even alcohol intoxication which could be life-threatening. Underage drinking is particularly harmful to brain development." He added that drinking cannot generate warmth as alcohol would dilate blood vessels and lower body temperature.
 
　　Dr Tsui also appealed to the public to avoid driving after drinking or during an alcohol hangover to help prevent the occurrence of traffic accidents.
 
　　With the approach of the influenza season, he also reminded the general public to receive a seasonal influenza vaccination as early as possible to protect themselves and others. Travellers returning to Hong Kong with respiratory symptoms are advised to wear face masks, seek medical attention and disclose their travel history to healthcare staff when seeking medical consultation.

General out-patient clinic service during Christmas holidays (December 25 and 26)
 

# Will provide clinic service on December 25
* Will provide clinic service on December 26
 
Consultation Hours:
9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm

     The Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (Safety and Survey) (Amendment) Regulation 2019 and the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (General) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulation 2019 come into effect today (December 23). The new regulations strengthen the existing requirements for provision of lifejackets on local vessels and enhance marine safety during major events at sea.
 
     A spokesman for the Marine Department (MD) said, "According to the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (Safety and Survey) (Amendment) Regulation 2019, all local vessels are required to carry on board suitable lifejackets, the quantity of which must be not less than the total number of persons which the vessel is licensed to carry. Furthermore, all commercial passenger-carrying local vessels which are licensed to carry more than 12 passengers must carry on board infant lifejackets, the quantity of which must not be less than 2.5 per cent of the number of passengers the vessel is licensed to carry."
 
     As the number of children and adults on board each journey may be different, to ensure the practicability of the amendment regulation, the Government has successfully developed a life jacket suitable for use by both adults and children (the Common Lifejacket) with the assistance of a local tertiary institution. The Common Lifejacket has commenced production and is now available in the market.
 
     As well, to enhance marine safety during major events at sea, the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (General) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulation 2019 requires children on board to wear lifejackets at all times during the events. A list of passengers and crew must also be kept by the coxswain of the vessel for emergency purposes.
 
     The MD will launch publicity work to enhance public awareness of the new regulations.

     The Department of Health (DH) today (December 23) announced that a new arrangement for measles vaccination under the DH's Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme (HKCIP) will be implemented from January 2, 2020.

     Children in Hong Kong are given the first dose of a combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine when they are 1 year old at the DH's Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs). Under the new arrangement, this will be followed by a second dose of a measles-containing vaccine (i.e. combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine) when they are 18 months old at MCHCs instead of receiving the vaccination at Primary One at school under the current practice.

     The new arrangement is applicable to children born on or after July 1, 2018. Those who were born before this date will continue to receive the vaccination concerned at Primary One via the School Immunisation Teams (SITs) of the DH through outreach visits to schools.

     After the implementation of the new measure, the DH will arrange for second doses of a measles-containing vaccine to children according to their date of birth. Detailed arrangements are as follows:

Children born on or after July 1, 2018
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     Those with scheduled appointments at 18 months old for receiving the diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (booster dose) at MCHCs on or after January 2, 2020, will receive the MMRV vaccine on the same day.

Children born between January 1, 2013, and June 30, 2018
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     As in previous years, these children will receive the MMRV vaccine at Primary One via the SITs through outreach visits to schools.

     According to the recommendation of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (SCVPD) under the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the DH, the second dose of measles-containing vaccination could be advanced to 18 months of age. The SCVPD reviewed the local and global epidemiology of measles, overseas experience and relevant scientific evidence, and made the recommendation, which was adopted by the DH.

     The public may visit the HKCIP page of the DH's Family Health Service (www.fhs.gov.hk/english/main_ser/child_health/child_health_recommend.html), the CHP's measles page (www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/24/31.html) or the SCVPD's Recommendation on the Schedule of the Second Dose of Measles-containing Vaccine in Hong Kong (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/recommendation_on_the_schedule_of_the_second_dose_of_measles_containing_vaccine_in_hong_kong.pdf) for more information.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 23) that the Leisure Link counter booking and self-service kiosks will be temporarily suspended from 9am to 1pm on December 30 (Monday) for system enhancement works. During the service suspension, the Leisure Link Internet booking service will operate as usual.

     Leisure Link counter booking and self-service kiosks will resume services at 1pm on the same day.