The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     â€‹Regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of patients infected with chickenpox in a male ward of learning disabilities, the spokesperson for Kwai Chung Hospital made the following update today (February 1):
      
     Following a contact tracing investigation, one more patient in the ward, a 21-year-old male who had no antibodies of varicella zoster virus, was transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital on January 25 for isolation and medical surveillance. The patient has been presenting with rash and fever since January 31 and was confirmed to have chickenpox infection after viral tests were arranged. The patient concerned is being treated in isolation and is in stable condition.
      
     Admission to the ward concerned continues to be suspended. Infection control measures have already been stepped up. The hospital will continue to closely monitor the situation of the patients. The case has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.
     

     The Transport Department (TD) today (February 1) held a kick-off ceremony for the Safe Driving and Health Campaign to encourage commercial vehicle drivers to continuously pay attention to safe driving and health through a series of publicity and education activities with a view to enhancing road safety.
      
     The campaign features five themes this year: "Be positive and manage your stress in time", "Beware of blind spots", "Driving attentively and courteously", "Keep a safe following distance and don't change lanes recklessly" and "Keep healthy with regular body checks". These messages will be disseminated to commercial vehicle drivers through various channels including radio broadcasts, interviews, interactive games, free health check-ups, and website and social media publicity.

     About 130 representatives from the commercial vehicle drivers trade, including franchised bus, non-franchised bus, public light bus, taxi, nanny van and goods vehicle attended the kick-off ceremony. Speaking at the ceremony, the Commissioner for Transport, Ms Angela Lee, said that in order to encourage commercial vehicle drivers to pay attention to safe driving and their health conditions, the TD has created a theme character, Miss FIT, this year to link up the series of promotional activities. In addition, to further reach out to commercial vehicle drivers, a promotional vehicle with a Miss FIT logo on its body will from time to time tour various public transport interchanges in Hong Kong this year to widely disseminate the above five key messages and provide simple health indicator tests for commercial vehicle drivers.
        
     As one of the key activities of the campaign, free health check-ups for commercial vehicle drivers will continue to be provided to commercial vehicle drivers to encourage them to be mindful of their health conditions and build a healthy lifestyle. Commercial vehicle drivers can continue to register through the online platform. Health check-ups are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
      
     Commercial vehicle drivers can visit the campaign's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TDSafeDrivingandHealthCampaign) and the dedicated Instagram page (www.instagram.com/safedrivingandhealthcampaign) to obtain more information about road safety and health, and participate in the interactive prize games. For enquiries, please call 2804 2600.

    

     Lucky Linkage Limited and its two directors were prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for contravention of the Employment Ordinance (EO). The company and its two directors pleaded guilty at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (February 1) and were each fined $42,000, making a total fine of $126,000. The company and its two directors were also ordered to pay employees an outstanding sum of about $420,000.
      
     The company failed to pay two employees, in accordance with the requirement of the EO, wages totalling about $320,000 within seven days after the expiry of the wage periods and termination of their employment contracts, as well as the awarded sum totalling about $420,000 within 14 days after the date set by the Labour Tribunal (LT). The two directors concerned were prosecuted and convicted for their consent, connivance or neglect in the above offences.
      
     "The judgment will disseminate a strong message to all employers, directors and responsible officers of companies that they have to pay wages to employees within the statutory time limit stipulated in the EO, as well as the sums awarded by the LT or the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board," a spokesman for the LD said.
      
     "The LD will not tolerate these offences and will spare no effort in enforcing the law and safeguarding employees' statutory rights," the spokesperson added.

    Police will implement crowd safety management measures and special traffic arrangements on Hong Kong Island to facilitate a football exhibition match to be held at the Hong Kong Stadium on February 4 (Sunday).

A.    Crowd safety management measures

    As a large number of people is expected, crowd management measures will be implemented in Causeway Bay, Tin Hau and Hong Kong Stadium area to maintain public order and safety.
    
    Members of the public are advised to make use of public transport to go to the Hong Kong Stadium. They should also exercise patience and tolerance, follow the instructions of the Police on site, and take heed of directional signs and announcement at scene.

B.    Traffic arrangements before the match

     The following traffic arrangements will be implemented by phases:

Phase I (from 2pm on February 3 and noon on February 4 onwards)

Road Closure
——————–

     The following roads will be closed:

– Northbound and southbound Caroline Hill Road between Cotton Path and Leighton Road/Pennington Street, except for vehicles to St. Paul’s Hospital when the access from Tung Lo Wan Road is closed;
– The right traffic lane of Caroline Hill Road between Eastern Hospital Road and Cotton Path will be closed during anti-clockwise traffic flow, whilst the left traffic lane remain to normal traffic;
– Westbound Hysan Avenue between Hoi Ping Road and Yun Ping Road; and
– If necessary, Lee Garden Road between Lan Fong Road and Hysan Avenue, except for green minibuses (GMBs).

Traffic Diversions
————————

     The following traffic diversions will be implemented:

– Caroline Hill Road between Link Road and Stadium Path will be re-routed one way southbound (an anti-clockwise system);
– Eastern Hospital Road between Stadium Path and Tung Lo Wan Road will be re-routed one way northbound (an anti-clockwise system);
– Caroline Hill Road between Leighton Road and Link Road will have two lanes for traffic entering Caroline Hill Road from Hoi Ping Road;
– Traffic from northbound Link Road downhill to northbound Caroline Hill Road must turn left to westbound Leighton Road;
– Hysan Avenue between Leighton Road and Hoi Ping Road will be re-routed one way eastbound;
– Eastbound Hysan Avenue will have two traffic lanes for vehicles turning right to Hoi Ping Road simultaneously;
– Vehicles leaving the private driveway of Lee Garden One must turn left to eastbound Hysan Avenue;
– Traffic along Yun Ping Road cannot turn left to westbound Hysan Avenue, and will be directed to Pak Sha Road and Lan Fong Road; and
– If necessary, traffic along Lan Fong Road must turn right to Lee Garden Road and will be directed to Percival Street via Foo Ming Street, except for GMBs.

Passenger alighting arrangements
————————————————–

     The drop off zone for private cars and taxis will be at the western kerbside of Caroline Hill Road near Disciplined Services Sports and Recreation Club, and northern kerbside of Cotton Path.

Phase II (from 4pm on February 3 and 2pm on February 4 onwards)

Road Closure
——————–

     The following roads will be closed:

– The offside traffic lane of Caroline Hill Road between Caroline Garden and Cotton Path will be closed during anti-clockwise flow, whilst the nearside lane remains open to normal traffic;
– Eastern Hospital Road between Caroline Hill Road and Tung Lo Wan Road;
– Westbound Hysan Avenue between Hoi Ping Road and Yun Ping Road; and
– If necessary, Lee Garden Road between Lan Fong Road and Hysan Avenue, except for GMBs.

Traffic Diversions
————————

     The following traffic diversions will be implemented:

–    Caroline Hill Road between Link Road and Eastern Hospital Road will be re-routed one way southbound (an anti-clockwise system);
– Caroline Hill Road between Leighton Road and Link Road will have two lanes for traffic entering Caroline Hill Road from Hoi Ping Road;
– Traffic from northbound Link Road downhill to northbound Caroline Hill Road must turn left to westbound Leighton Road;
– Traffic from northbound Link Road downhill to northbound Caroline Hill Road cannot turn right to Caroline Hill Road;
– Hysan Avenue between Leighton Road and Hoi Ping Road will be re-routed one way eastbound;
– Eastbound Hysan Avenue will have two traffic lanes for vehicles turning right to Hoi Ping Road simultaneously;
– Traffic along Yun Ping Road cannot turn left to westbound Hysan Avenue, and will be directed to Pak Sha Road and Lan Fong Road;
– Vehicles leaving the private driveway of Lee Garden One must turn left to eastbound Hysan Avenue;
– If necessary, traffic along at Lan Fong Road must turn right to Lee Garden Road and will be directed to Percival Street via Foo Ming Street, except for GMBs; and
– If necessary, traffic along northbound Yun Ping Road cannot turn left to westbound Hysan Avenue, and will be directed to Yun Ping Road and Lan Fong Road.

Passenger alighting arrangements
————————————————-

     Same as Phase I.

Phase III (if necessary)

Road Closure
——————–

     The following roads will be closed:

– Southbound Caroline Hill Road between Link Road and Leighton Road ;
– Eastern Hospital Road between Caroline Hill Road and Tung Lo Wan Road;
– Cotton Path between Caroline Hill Road and Eastern Hospital Road;
– Westbound Hysan Avenue between Hoi Ping Road and Yun Ping Road; and
– If necessary, Lee Garden Road between Lan Fong Road and Hysan Avenue, except for GMBs.

Traffic Diversions
————————

     The following traffic diversions will be implemented:

     Northbound Caroline Hill Road between Link Road and Leighton Road will maintain two ways traffic, in order to keep Link Road in normal traffic.

C.    Traffic arrangements after the match

    The following traffic arrangements will be implemented from 7pm on February 3 and 5.30pm on February 4 onwards:

Road Closure
——————-

     The following roads will be closed:

– Caroline Hill Road. Before the crowd dispersal, vehicles may be permitted to exit South China Athletic Association car park by turning right to northbound Caroline Hill Road;
– Eastern Hospital Road between Caroline Hill Road and Cotton Path. Before the crowd dispersal, vehicles may be permitted to exit buildings along Eastern Hospital Road to enter northbound Eastern Hospital Road;
– Hoi Ping Road;
– Sunning Road;
– If necessary, Leighton Road may be closed; and
– If necessary, northbound Link Road downhill may be closed, except for vehicles heading for Link Road No. 1, 3, 5 and 7.

Traffic Diversions
————————

     The following traffic diversions will be implemented:

– Traffic along westbound Leighton Road cannot enter Link Road from Caroline Hill Road;
– Traffic along Leighton Road heading for Link Road will be diverted via Wong Nai Chung Road and Broadwood Road; and
– If Leighton Road is closed, traffic from westbound Causeway Road will be directed to Irving Street; traffic from eastbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted via Canal Road West; traffic from southbound Percival Street must turn right to westbound Leighton Road; and traffic from southbound Canal Road East cannot turn left to Leighton Road.

D.    Learner drivers prohibition

     Learner drivers will be prohibited from accessing the following roads between 1pm to 9pm on February 3 and 11am to 9pm on February 4:

– Westbound Leighton Road;
– Percival Street south of Hennessy Road;
– Caroline Hill Road;
– Link Road;
– Stadium Path;
– Cotton Path;
– Eastern Hospital Road; and
– Eastern Hospital Road service road.

     In addition, learner drivers will be prohibited to enter Tung Lo Wan Road from Causeway Road.

E.    Suspension of parking spaces
     
     All on-street parking spaces on the following roads will be suspended from 1pm to 9pm on February 3 and from 11am to 9pm on February 4:

– Stadium Path;
– Northbound Caroline Hill Road between Stadium Path and Cotton Path;
– Hoi Ping Road; and
– Eastern Hospital Road service road.

     All vehicles parked illegally during the implementation of the above special traffic arrangements will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing.  

     Actual implementation of traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the areas. Members of the public are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

     Following the first meeting held on January 15 to co-ordinate the preparation work for the arrival of visitors to Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau convened another meeting today (February 1) to follow up on the preparation work carried out by various departments, a Government spokesman said. The meeting was hosted by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, with representatives from government departments including the Hong Kong Customs (Customs), the Hong Kong Police Force (Police), the Immigration Department (ImmD), the Transport Department, various District Offices, etc, and various tourism-related organisations including the Travel Industry Authority (TIA), the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, major tourist attractions, hotel industry, etc, also attended. Relevant parties will continue to maintain close communication on the people flow during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland and co-ordinate different links for receiving visitor arrivals to Hong Kong.
      
     Mr Yeung said, "The Government will closely monitor the situation of visitor arrivals during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland. During the Golden Week, there are major events appealing to the public and visitors to be held in various spots in Hong Kong. Various government departments, relevant organisations and the trade will strengthen co-ordination and communication as well as enhance crowd management work with a view to creating a good travel experience for visitors.
      
     During the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland, relevant government departments will strengthen the manpower and co-ordination of transport and cross-boundary services at various control points, including extending operation hours of specific boundary control points, strengthening crowd management, increasing transport frequency, etc, to enable visitors to enjoy the festival. In addition, the Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre set up by Customs, the Police, the ImmD and other departments will be activated during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland to monitor the situation at each land control point, as well as to maintain close liaison with Mainland counterparts and take contingency actions where necessary. Moreover, the Security Bureau will activate the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre in due course to closely monitor and co-ordinate public order in various boundary control points and co-ordinate inter-departmental follow-up actions when necessary. The Transport Department's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will operate 24 hours as usual to monitor the traffic conditions of different districts, especially the boundary control points and major stations, implement response measures in due course and disseminate the latest traffic information through various channels.
      
         Various District Offices will closely monitor the flow of visitors within their corresponding districts during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland and strengthen management of the relevant spots having regard to the actual circumstances. Various major tourist attractions will also put in place crowd control measures during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland. 
      
     The TIA has been reminding travel agents receiving relevant Mainland inbound tour groups to stagger arrival times as far as possible and urge travel agents, shops, restaurants, etc, receiving Mainland inbound tour groups to implement appropriate measures for managing the order of visitors and coaches. The TIA will also deploy additional manpower during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland to conduct inspection in districts where relatively more registered shops for inbound tour groups are located, and offer assistance to visitors and tourist guides to protect inbound tour group visitors' rights. In addition, Customs will step up inspection of shops serving visitors so as to combat unfair trade practices.
      
     The Tourism Commission has been maintaining liaison with Mainland tourism authorities and has been communicating with them on the arrival of Mainland visitors. It has provided the hotlines of the relevant local organisations to Mainland inbound group visitors via the Mainland tourism authorities.
      
     At present, the ImmD will upload the daily arrival figures of each control point to its website (www.immd.gov.hk). In addition, visitors may check the estimated waiting time at each land boundary control point via the Immigration Mobile Application.
      
     During the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland, in case of emergency, Mainland inbound tour group visitors, tour escorts accompanying the tour groups and local tourist guides may seek assistance from the TIA by calling its service hotline 3698 5900 (operating from 9am to 6pm from February 10 to 17). For enquiries or complaints, visitors may call the HKTB's hotline 2508 1234 (operating from 9am to 9pm from February 10 and 11; 9am to 8pm from February 12 to 17) or the Consumer Council's hotline 2929 2222 (operating from 9am to 5.30pm from February 14 to 16).