In view of the latest situation of COVID-19, the Government has announced that tightened social distancing measures will be extended until February 3. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (January 19) that most of the leisure and cultural venues/facilities will continue to be temporarily closed and all recreational, sports and cultural programmes to be held in the above period will also be cancelled.
Leisure and sports venues
Outdoor leisure venues/facilities will continue to be temporarily closed, including tennis courts, bowling greens, sports grounds, Ngau Chi Wan Park Archery Range, Shek O Obstacle Golf Course, Tuen Mun Recreation and Sports Centre, hard-surface/sand/grass pitches, gateball courts, table tennis tables, skateparks, roller skating rinks, roller hockey grounds, skateboard grounds, outdoor fitness equipment, model car play areas, model boat pools, cycling facilities (except for cycle paths), outdoor children's play facilities (including tricycling areas, outdoor children's playgrounds and road safety towns), pebble walking trails, chess tables, amphitheatres, public swimming pools, water sports centres, barbecue sites, holiday camps and Pui O Campsite. Lifeguard services at the gazetted beaches that were originally open during the winter period, namely Deep Water Bay Beach, Clear Water Bay Second Beach, Silverstrand Beach and Golden Beach, will continue to be suspended.
All indoor sports facilities including sports centres, squash centres and badminton centres will also continue to be closed.
Passive/amenity areas at the LCSD's parks (such as lawns and benches in parks) and outdoor jogging tracks at parks will continue to remain open.
Application for use of amphitheatres and non-fee charging leisure venues for non-designated use/sales activities and application from schools or organisations on road safety towns will continue to be suspended until further notice.
Standby arrangement for non-fee charging land recreation and sports facilities will be suspended from January 20 until further notice.
For refund arrangements in relation to venue closures, the hirer may submit a completed refund application form together with the original booking permit to the LCSD booking office at a District Leisure Services Office or to relevant leisure venues by post. The application form can be downloaded from www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/aboutlcsd/forms/refund.html. Due to the closure of fee-charging facilities in relation to the situation of COVID-19, the number of refund cases will increase tremendously. The LCSD has adopted measures to handle these refund cases as soon as possible but a prolonged processing time for refunds is expected. Members of the public are advised to note the longer time required for refunds. The department apologises for any inconvenience caused.
Cultural venues
All public libraries and their students' study rooms will continue to be temporarily closed. All book drop services of the Hong Kong Public Libraries and those located at MTR Central, Kowloon Tong and Nam Cheong Stations as well as the self-service library stations at Island East Sports Centre Sitting-out Area, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Tsuen Nam Road, Tai Wai, will maintain services. Public libraries will continue to provide online services such as e-Books and e-Databases. Please visit www.hkpl.gov.hk/en/index.html for details.
All performance venues, music centres of the Music Office and museums will continue to be temporarily closed. All programmes and activities will be suspended. During the period, all applications for Museum Passes and the Hong Kong Film Archive Resource Centre's Audiovisual Materials Viewing Cards will be suspended. Admission arrangements for holders of Museum Passes will be announced in due course.
The URBTIX outlets and ticket dispensing machines at the LCSD performance venues will continue to be closed. URBTIX will maintain Internet and mobile app ticketing and hotline services.
Refund arrangements in relation to the closure of cultural facilities will be announced in due course.
During the venue closure period, members of the public can visit the LCSD's Edutainment Channel (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/edutainment-channel.html), a one-stop online platform offering informative and educational materials on aspects of culture and leisure, to participate in the online programmes of the "vis-a-vis +01" series and access its videos in various fields including culture, arts and sports.
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