The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (February 1) investigating an outbreak of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) at a secondary school in Wong Chuk Hang, and appeals to members of the public and staff of institutions to maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene, and receive seasonal influenza vaccination for better protection.

     The outbreak involves 55 students, comprising 42 males and 13 females aged 12 to 20. Most of the affected persons are Secondary Six students. Eleven staff members are also involved. They have developed symptoms since January 27. Twelve of them sought medical attention. All are in stable condition and none required hospitalisation.

     The officers of the CHP have visited the secondary school and provided preventive advice against URTI, such as advising the school to arrange cleaning and disinfection, to open windows where appropriate for better ventilation, to separate affected students from other students, etc. The school has been placed under medical surveillance.

     The public should maintain good personal and environmental hygiene against influenza and other respiratory illnesses and note the following:
 

• Receive seasonal influenza vaccination for personal protection;
• Surgical masks can prevent transmission of respiratory viruses from ill persons. It is essential for persons who are symptomatic (even if having mild symptoms) to wear a surgical mask;
• For high-risk persons (e.g. persons with underlying medical conditions or persons who are immunocompromised), wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Avoid touching one's eyes, mouth and nose;
• 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;
• Cover the nose and mouth with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly into a lidded rubbish bin, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending classes at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly; and
• Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.

     â€‹â€‹â€‹Members of the public, particularly children, the elderly and those with chronic diseases, should consult a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of respiratory tract infection.

     A Government spokesman today (February 1) reminded members of the public not to bring endangered species into Hong Kong without a required licence and not to import regulated food illegally when returning from visits to other places.
      
     The spokesman said, "As some plant and animal species are facing the threat of extinction due to over-exploitation, the import and export of such species are regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, Cap. 586, is the local legislation that gives effect to CITES in Hong Kong. Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, the import, export, re-export or possession of endangered animals and plants, including their parts and/or derivatives, is subject to control under a licensing system."
      
     Any person who contravenes the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, even for non-commercial purposes, commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000,000 and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited. More than 400 seizures were made in 2023. The specimens involved include American ginseng, orchids (including artificially propagated species such as moth orchid), gastrodia, dendrobium, dried seahorses, and scheduled shark species (including shark fins).
      
     "As the Chinese New Year holidays are approaching, there have been a number of recent cases in which members of the public were intercepted for illegally bringing orchids from the Mainland back to Hong Kong. Members of the public should pay attention to whether the plant and animal products they intend to buy from places outside Hong Kong are endangered species. As it might not be easy to identify whether the wildlife products are originated from endangered species, members of the public are advised not to buy such items if they cannot ascertain whether the items are subject to control," the spokesman continued.
      
     The Government is committed to the protection of endangered species. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and Hong Kong Customs will continue to work closely and step up their enforcement work in combatting the illegal trade in endangered species. For information on endangered species, please call 1823 or visit www.cites.hk.
      
     Meanwhile, the spokesman further said that according to the Imported Game, Meat, Poultry and Eggs Regulations (Cap. 132AK), any person who imports game, meat, poultry or eggs should produce a health certificate issued by an issuing entity from the place of origin or obtain prior permission in writing from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD). Offenders are liable on conviction to a fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment. Moreover, under the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60), import licences issued by the FEHD are required for the import of frozen or chilled beef, mutton, pork and poultry.
      
     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the FEHD has all along maintained close collaboration with the other law enforcement departments. Joint blitz operations are carried out at boundary control points where quarantine detector dogs are deployed to assist law enforcement officers in carrying out surveillance work to combat illegal food import. During the joint operations with Hong Kong Customs in 2023, the CFS instituted a total of 1 117 prosecutions involving inbound persons illegally bringing raw meat, poultry or eggs into Hong Kong, with respective fines of between $150 and $4,500 levied.
      
     With the Lunar New Year holidays approaching, the CFS will step up the publicity of the relevant regulations to remind members of the public not to contravene the law.

            

     A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (February 1) that the Lai Wan Market, after an overhaul, is ready to commence operation in phases. The market will start business tomorrow (February 2) to let tenants and patrons experience the new environment and facilities of the market.

     The Lai Wan Market, an overhaul project under the Market Modernisation Programme, commenced its overhaul works in February last year. With the endeavour of the FEHD and the Architectural Services Department, the works were largely completed and the majority of the stall tenants are ready to start business from tomorrow.

     The overhauled Lai Wan Market provides 30 stalls, with all of them successfully let to existing tenants and other eligible persons by way of auctioning in last December. The majority of the stalls will be opened tomorrow and the categories of retail commodities for sale include fish, fresh meat, frozen meat, poultry, fruits, food-related dry or wet goods, and non-food related dry or wet goods. The opening ceremony of the Lai Wan Market will be held on March 1, and more stalls will come into service by that time.

    

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, chaired the 15th meeting of the Youth Development Commission (YDC) today (February 1). 
      
     At the meeting, members were briefed by government representatives on the implementation of the Youth Development Blueprint since its release in December 2022. Members were pleased to note that the feedback received from various sectors of the community on the Blueprint is positive and the community agrees with the Blueprint's vision and general direction. Policy bureaux and departments have also been taking forward youth development work at full steam along the guiding principles set forth in the Blueprint and implementing more than 160 concrete actions and measures as stated therein. Over the past year, close to 60 new youth-related measures have been put forward to consistently respond to the evolving needs of young people.
      
     Mr Chan said, "The Blueprint demonstrates the Government's commitment to continuously promoting long-term youth development work. Policy bureaux and departments work closely together, progress with the times and break new ground while upholding fundamental principles. Apart from actively taking forward the various concrete actions and measures as set out in the Blueprint, policy bureaux and departments have also introduced various new measures in the light of the latest situation of the society and the youth. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the YDC for their full collaboration with the Government in fully implementing and promoting the Blueprint."
      
     At the meeting, members also noted the progress of the various youth development initiatives under the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the YDC. The major initiatives are as follows:

     (1) In 2023-24, the HYAB and the YDC implemented various Mainland and overseas internship and exchange programmes which provide over 4 800 internship places and over 36 000 exchange places to young people. These programmes cover various Mainland provinces and cities, as well as 42 overseas countries, including countries in the Belt and Road region, providing young people with diversified internship and exchange opportunities; 

     (2) The Government's inaugural Youth Festival was held in 2023 with the slogan "Ignite Youth Power". Around 200 activities, which included knowledge exchange, arts and culture as well as sports activities, were featured to strengthen cohesion among and unleash the potential of the youth, and promote positive thinking among young people;

     (3) The HYAB launched the Youth Link in September 2023 to link up participants of various government youth programmes. It provides young people with opportunities to develop diverse talents through participating in seminars, different types of large-scale government activities, and exchange visits to the Mainland and overseas, and strengthen their communication, interaction and trust with the Government. More than 5 000 youths have joined the Youth Link;

     (4) The HYAB has established the Alliance of Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in the Greater Bay Area in December 2023. The Alliance will leverage the resources and network of representative organisations from various sectors in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to provide a one-stop information, publicity and exchange platform and offer comprehensive support to Hong Kong youth entrepreneurs, with a view to facilitating their expansion of network in the GBA and enhancing their competitiveness;

     (5) The HYAB will continue to take forward each of the projects under the Youth Hostel Scheme. The second youth hostel project, whose construction cost was fully funded by the Government, has come into operation since May 2023, providing 1 680 hostel places. Moreover, the HYAB launched the Subsidy Scheme for Using Hotels and Guesthouses as Youth Hostels in early 2023, under which three projects with the provision of 478 hostel places in total have been approved; and

     (6) The HYAB and the YDC launched the Funding Scheme for Youth Positive Thinking Activities and the Funding Scheme for Youth Adventure Training Activities in late 2022. The first round of the two funding schemes subsidises 11 non-government organisations in total to organise projects promoting young people's positive thinking. The sponsored organisations have gradually rolled out their activities, which will last for two years, with the total number of beneficiaries estimated to be more than 16 000.
      
     Mr Chan said, "Young people are the future, hope and pillars of Hong Kong. They are also the engine that drives the long-term development of society and the economy. In the coming year, I hope that the YDC will continue to work hand in hand with the Government in drawing the community together to support youth development and provide our younger generation with an enabling environment to build their future."

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     The Marine Department today (February 1) reminded masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels navigating in Hong Kong waters to proceed at a safe speed and exercise extreme caution because restricted visibility of less than 2 nautical miles has been reported.

     Appropriate sound signals shall be made when underway or at anchor. All vessels must comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea.

     Also, when radar is used without the benefit of adequate plotting facilities, the information obtained from the equipment is rather limited and should be construed accordingly.

     Visibility reports are broadcast by the Vessel Traffic Centre (VTC) on VHF channels 02, 12, 14, 63 and 67.

     In the event of an accident, a report shall be made immediately to the VTC at Tel: 2233 7801.