The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 3) conducted joint operations with the Police in the vicinity of the junction of Fuk Wah Street and Pei Ho Street and of the junction of Tai Nan Street and Nam Cheong Street in Sham Shui Po in two stages. During the joint operations, the two departments inspected a total of 15 catering premises. The FEHD initiated prosecution against six catering business operators suspected for breaching the requirements and directions (relating to distance or partition between tables or mask-wearing) under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) (the Regulation); issued verbal warning to one licensed hawker suspected for causing obstruction in public places in contravention of the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228) (the Ordinance); and seized the abandoned articles of a hawker. The Police also issued six fixed penalty notices for illegal parking. In addition, the two departments cleared over 1.3 tonnes of commodities and paraphernalia on the carriageway with the use of a grab lorry.
An FEHD spokesman said, "The latest directions issued by the Secretary for Food and Health in relation to social distancing measures in catering business and scheduled premises under the Regulation has been extended till January 6, 2021. Catering business operators must strictly comply with a series of requirements and restrictions, which include requirements that a mask must be worn within the premises except when the person is consuming food or drink at a table therein; tables must be arranged in a way to ensure there is a distance of at least 1.5 metres or some form of partition which could serve as an effective buffer between one table and another table etc. If a person responsible for carrying on a catering business contravenes the Regulation, he or she is liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months."
The spokesman added, "Under section 4A of the Ordinance, any person who without lawful authority or excuse sets out or leaves any matter or thing which obstructs, inconveniences or endangers any person or vehicle in a public place shall be liable to a fine of $5,000 or to imprisonment for 3 months."
The spokesman stressed that the FEHD will continue to step up law enforcement and publicity efforts and will deploy additional manpower to conduct joint operations with the Police to take stringent enforcement actions against offenders to ensure compliance of relevant regulations. The spokesman reminded responsible operators and the public to exercise self-discipline and co-operate to fight the virus together.
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