The Secretary for Education (SED), Mr Kevin Yeung, will leave Hong Kong in the afternoon next Wednesday (June 20) for a duty visit to Beijing.
 
     On June 21, Mr Yeung will attend a regular working meeting with officials of the Ministry of Education to exchange views on education issues of mutual concern.
 
     Mr Yeung will also visit a secondary school and a university laboratory to look into the latest developments of secondary education and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education on the Mainland, and meet a group of young Hong Kong people pursuing tertiary studies or working in Beijing.
 
     Officials accompanying Mr Yeung on his visit to Beijing will include the Acting Permanent Secretary for Education, Mrs Michelle Wong; Deputy Secretary for Education Mrs Hong Chan Tsui-wah; and Principal Assistant Secretaries for Education Ms Sharon Ko and Mr Lee Kam-kwong. 
 
     Mr Yeung will return to Hong Kong on June 22. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, will be the Acting SED.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (June 15) investigating an outbreak of upper respiratory tract infection (URI) at a residential child care centre in Wan Chai District, and appealed to members of the public and staff of institutions to stay alert and maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene.

     The outbreak affected 12 boys and eight girls aged 2 months to 2 years who have developed URI symptoms including fever, cough and runny nose since May 20. All patients sought medical attention. Among them, two required hospitalisation and were discharged following treatment. All patients are now in stable condition.
 
     The nasopharyngeal swab of one girl tested positive for enterovirus/rhinovirus upon laboratory testing.

     Officers of the CHP have conducted a site visit and advised the centre to adopt necessary infection control measures against respiratory tract infections. The centre has been placed under medical surveillance.

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

• Receive seasonal influenza vaccination for personal protection;
• 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 when sneezing or coughing, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly in a lidded rubbish bin;
• Put on a surgical mask when respiratory symptoms develop;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• Avoid going to crowded or poorly ventilated public places; high-risk individuals may consider putting on surgical masks when staying in such places; and
• Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.

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

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (June 14) conducted an operation to combat the sale of pirated software. A total of 301 sets of suspected pirated software and a batch of packaging materials with an estimated market value of about $340,000 were seized. Four persons were arrested.

     Customs earlier received information alleging the sale of suspected pirated software at shops in Sham Shui Po. After investigation, Customs officers conducted an operation yesterday and seized the batch of suspected pirated software at four retail shops in the district. A batch of packaging materials was also found in one of the shops.

     During the operation, two male shop owners and two salesman, aged between 22 and 41, were arrested.

     Investigation is ongoing and the arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs will continue to step up patrols to curb any form of infringing activity.

     Customs appeals to consumers to procure goods at reputable shops. They should check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt.

     Under the Copyright Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale any infringing goods commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $50,000 per infringing copy and imprisonment for four years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected infringing activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

     The Lands Department (LandsD) announced today (June 15) that a site, Fanling Sheung Shui Town Lot No. 267 at On Chuen Street, On Lok Tsuen, Fanling, New Territories, in the 2018-19 Land Sale Programme will be disposed of by public tender. The tender invitation for the lot will commence on June 22 and close on July 20.
      
     Fanling Sheung Shui Town Lot No. 267 has a site area of about 3,765 square metres and the permissible uses are industrial; godown and ancillary office; office in direct support of an industrial operation; information technology and telecommunications industries; research, design and development centre; audio-visual recording studio; media design and media production; workshop for laundering, dry cleaning, tailoring or repair of goods; vehicle repair workshop, vehicle inspection centre or vehicle testing centre; cargo handling and forwarding facilities; showroom ancillary to factory; motor vehicle showroom on the ground floor; laboratory, inspection and testing centre; recyclable collection centre; and a combination of any of the permissible uses. The minimum gross floor area and the maximum gross floor area are 11,295 sq m and 18,825 sq m respectively, both excluding the gross floor area of a public vehicle park to be constructed by the purchaser under the Conditions of Sale.
      
     Land sale documents including the Form of Tender, the Tender Notice, the Conditions of Sale and the sale plan of the lot will be available for downloading from the LandsD website (www.landsd.gov.hk), and the sale plan will be available for distribution and inspection by the public from June 22, when the particulars of the tender will also be gazetted.
    

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (June 15) released the latest grading of water quality of 37 gazetted beaches and one non-gazetted beach (Discovery Bay) that are open for swimming.
        
     Twenty-six beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 10 as Fair (Grade 2) and two as Poor (Grade 3).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:                   

 
Grade 2 beaches are:

 
Grade 3 beaches are:

 
     Compared with the grading released last week, Discovery Bay has been upgraded from Grade 4 to Grade 1; Kadoorie Beach from Grade 2 to Grade 1.  Shek O Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2; Anglers' Beach and Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach from Grade 2 to Grade 3.
      
     "The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.
 
     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
      
     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a storm or heavy rainfall.
      
     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend.  Latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the department's websites on Beach Water Quality (www.beachwq.gov.hk or www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.