The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (August 4) announced that in view of recent cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) found to be related to Hung Hom Market and To Kwa Wan Market, for prudence's sake, the Government invited the Chair Professor of the Department of Microbiology, the University of Hong Kong, Professor Yuen Kwok-Yung, to go to the two markets to carry out inspection and offer advice on anti-epidemic measures for the markets concerned so that the market stall tenants and the public can rest assured that their health and safety are being safeguarded. In view of this, the two markets were closed early today at 5pm.
The FEHD attaches importance to the hygiene conditions of public markets. In view of the developments of the epidemic, the FEHD has continued to enhance anti-epidemic measures and carry out cleaning and disinfection work in its markets. In addition to regular cleaning work in the daytime, market service contractors also conduct thorough cleaning in all markets after the markets are closed every day.
During the epidemic, the FEHD has already stepped up cleaning and disinfection of communal areas and facilities in the markets, including toilets, escalators, elevators and stair handrails, with diluted household bleach regularly every day. Disinfectant hand sanitisers are also placed at communal points such as the vicinities of lift lobbies, escalators and public scales for use by market patrons. The FEHD also arranged earlier for staff to distribute face masks and disinfectant hand sanitisers to market and hawker bazaar operators so as to safeguard the health and safety of tenants and the public.
For those markets found to be related to COVID-19 cases, the FEHD has immediately cleaned and disinfected the areas the patients had used and arranged for the markets concerned to close earlier for deep cleaning and disinfection.
To further enhance the cleaning and disinfection work in its markets, the FEHD has arranged for some 20 markets in various districts to close an hour earlier for additional deep cleaning and disinfection in the past few weeks as a precautionary measure.
During the period, FEHD staff will thoroughly clean and disinfect communal areas and facilities in the markets, and call for co-operation of market tenants to conduct cleaning and disinfection at their respective stalls, with a view to improving the overall hygiene conditions of the markets. In addition, the FEHD will carry out deep cleaning work at the periphery of the markets and nearby streets.
A spokesman for the FEHD said, "Moreover, since late July, the FEHD has progressively arranged a voluntary one-off free COVID-19 testing service for staff of market stalls and personnel working in markets. No online registration is required. The FEHD is working closely with the testing agency to determine the priority of various markets with reference to a risk-based approach and manpower resources.
"The FEHD is in close liaison with the Centre for Health Protection and has been distributing specimen bottles to markets with confirmed cases involving operators of market stalls or personnel working therein since the implementation of the scheme. This includes distributing specimen bottles to operators of market stalls or personnel working in Hung Hom Market and To Kwa Wan Market on July 31 and August 1 respectively."
​The spokesman strongly appealed to market stall tenants to actively participate in the testing scheme, continue to comply with the Government's regulation to wear masks in markets, and maintain personal and environmental hygiene continuously. The FEHD will continue to closely monitor the situation of each market, and will conduct deep cleaning and disinfection work in other markets if necessary so as to maintain environmental hygiene.
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