Special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Happy Valley today (January 4). The arrangements will come into effect one and a half hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

A. Traffic arrangements before the commencement of the first race

1. Road closure

     Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen's Road East and the up-ramp outside the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will be closed except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel.

2. Traffic diversions

– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the up-ramp outside HKJC will be re-routed one way northbound;
– Traffic along eastbound Queen's Road East heading for Wan Chai and Happy Valley will be diverted to turn left to Morrison Hill Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic along Queen's Road East cannot turn right to Wong Nai Chung Road except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Queen's Road East will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Morrison Hill Road to turn right at the junction of Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen's Road East; and
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley or Racecourse will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, southbound Morrison Hill Road, Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road.

B. Traffic arrangements before the conclusion of race meeting

1. Road closure

     The following roads will be closed from about 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– The up-ramp on Wong Nai Chung Road outside HKJC leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen's Road East and the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the Public Stands of HKJC;
– Westbound Leighton Road between Wong Nai Chung Road and Canal Road East; and
– Southbound Morrison Hill Road between Leighton Road and Queen's Road East.

     In addition, southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel and the Public Stands of HKJC will be closed from about 10 minutes before the start of the last race.

2. Traffic diversions

     The following traffic diversions will be implemented from about 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– Eastbound Queen's Road East at its junction with Morrison Hill Road will be reduced to one-lane traffic heading for northbound Canal Road flyover;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, U-turn slip road beneath Canal Road flyover, Canal Road West and Hennessy Road;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted to turn left to eastbound Leighton Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road; and
– Traffic along westbound Leighton Road will be diverted to Wong Nai Chung Road.

C. Learner drivers prohibition

     Learner drivers will be prohibited to turn left from Caroline Hill Road to Leighton Road between one and a half hours before the start of the first race and one hour after the last race. In addition, learner drivers will be prohibited from accessing the following roads within the above period of time:

– Shan Kwong Road between Yik Yam Street and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Village Road between its upper and lower junctions with Shan Kwong Road;
– Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Leighton Road;
– Canal Road East; and
– The service road leading from Gloucester Road to Canal Road flyover.

D. Suspension of parking spaces

     Parking spaces on southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Sports Road and Blue Pool Road will be suspended from 11am to 7pm during day racing, from 4.30pm to 11.59pm during evening racing, and from 5pm to 11.59pm during night racing.

     Any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts of the above affected areas will be towed away without prior notice.

     Actual implementation of road closure and traffic diversion will be made by the Police at the time depending on traffic conditions in the areas. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience, and follow the instructions of Police on site.

     In response to media enquiries, the Department of Health (DH) today (January 3) clarifies that Elderly Health Care Voucher (EHCV) does not cover online/telemedicine services.

     A spokesman for the DH stresses that, elderly persons shall receive the healthcare services in person by the enrolled health care providers (EHCPs) in Hong Kong, or attend the outpatient services provided by designated Outpatient Medical Centers, Medical Service Departments of the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital and its Huawei Li Zhi Yuan Community Health Center in order to use EHCV.  All medical services with fees paid by using the EHCV shall not be conducted by telemedicine.

     To ensure the proper use of public money, the DH will conduct regular or sampling checks in accordance with the monitoring mechanism. All suspected cases of violating the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme (EHVS) rules or making false declarations will be strictly dealt with. Appropriate action or measures will be taken, including referring relevant cases to law enforcement agencies for investigation. Making a false declaration is a criminal offence and offenders are liable to a fine or imprisonment upon conviction.

     "The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address" announced an initiative of rolling out the "Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme" (Pilot Scheme) to extend the coverage of the EHCV initially to about five suitable medical institutions in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) as trial service points for provision of primary healthcare services, as well as to include individual designated medical institutions providing dental services at places near Hong Kong, such as Shenzhen. The Health Bureau and the DH have already been taking forward the Pilot Scheme, including inviting relevant Mainland authorities to recommend medical institutions suitable for inclusion in the Pilot Scheme and conducting a market research by inviting medical organisations with EHCPs participating in the EHVS to provide, for the Government's reference, information and operational details of medical institutions which are set up, being operated or supervised by them in the GBA. The Government will announce further details under the Pilot Scheme at appropriate times.

     â€‹Regarding the incident announced on December 30, 2023, where samples of pigs from a Yuen Long pig farm tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) launched a culling operation on January 1 on the farm concerned. The operation was completed today (January 3).

     An AFCD spokesman said, "According to the contingency plan on ASF, the AFCD has sent staff to cull and handle a total of 939 pigs on the licensed farm in San Tin, Yuen Long, since January 1. The operation was completed today. All culled and handled pigs were sent to the West New Territories Landfill for dumping according to established procedures."

     The spokesman further said, "The AFCD will arrange thorough cleaning and disinfection of the farm, and has notified the World Organisation for Animal Health of this incident. An investigation and tracing of the source of the virus in collaboration with international experts is underway."

     Regarding the eight pig farms within 3 kilometres of the index farm, transport of any pigs from them is still suspended for the sake of prudence. Once the pig culling operations of other pig farms with pigs found with the ASF virus in the related zone are completed, the AFCD will arrange veterinary inspections of the pig farms in the area and collect further samples from pigs for ASF virus testing as appropriate. If no abnormal health condition is noted on the pigs, and all samples have tested negative for the ASF virus, pigs on these pig farms would be allowed to be transported to slaughterhouses.

     The AFCD will continue to keep local pig farms under close surveillance as well as conducting tests if necessary. The AFCD has also reminded all farmers to ensure biosecurity measures have been properly implemented and alert the Department immediately if an abnormal health condition is observed in pigs. Meanwhile, AFCD staff are currently inspecting all local licensed pig farms to ensure biosecurity measures have been properly implemented. Surveillance of the activities of wild pigs in the vicinity of the index farm has also been stepped up.

     The spokesman stressed that ASF is not a zoonotic disease and will not infect humans, hence does not cause any food safety risk. Pork cooked thoroughly is safe for consumption. Members of the public do not need to be concerned. The incident does not affect the operation of local slaughterhouses nor the overall supply of live pigs.

     The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) today (January 3) announced that samples taken from a pig farm in Sheung Shui had tested positive for the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus.

     An AFCD spokesman said, "Six samples were taken at a licensed pig farm in Kwu Tung, Sheung Shui, yesterday (January 2). Upon testing by AFCD staff, two of the samples were found to be positive for the ASF virus. The AFCD has immediately suspended transportation of any pigs from the farm concerned until further notice according to the contingency plan on ASF. The AFCD is arranging culling of all pigs, totalling over 400 on the farm concerned, for the sake of prudence."

     He further said, "Positive cases should be seriously and promptly handled as the effect of ASF is very lethal to pigs. If the spread is not contained, a large number of pigs will die and hence seriously impact pig farmers and the pig-rearing industry. AFCD staff immediately notified all local pig farmers of this incident and reminded them to alert the AFCD immediately if any abnormal health condition is observed in pigs. In addition, the AFCD has arranged staff to inspect the seven pig farms within three kilometres of the index farm and collect pig samples for ASF testing. For the sake of prudence, the AFCD has been suspending movements of pigs on those seven pig farms until further notice. No reports of abnormalities from pig farms outside the three-kilometre zone have been received so far. AFCD staff are conducting visits in phases to all local licensed pig farms to ensure biosecurity measures have been properly implemented and will continue its close surveillance to detect pigs with abnormalities and whether a farm is infected as early as possible. Surveillance of activities of wild pigs in the vicinity of the index farm has also been stepped up. Moreover, the AFCD is maintaining close contact with pig farmers via text message groups, keeping them informed of the latest situation of ASF and ways to prevent the infection of pigs."

     The spokesman stressed that ASF is not a zoonotic disease and will not infect humans, hence does not present any human health and food safety risks. Regardless of whether the pigs are infected with ASF, pork cooked thoroughly is safe for consumption. Members of the public do not need to be concerned. The AFCD held a seminar for pig farmers to provide specific preventive measures and biosecurity advice against ASF, with a view to enhancing vigilance of the industry to prevent further spread of ASF. Meanwhile, in order to strengthen the knowledge of local pig farmers of the clinical signs of ASF for early detection and reporting of abnormalities in pigs, the AFCD has launched the Guidelines for Reporting Cases of African Swine Fever to assist pig farmers in identifying suspected cases for early reporting and to take appropriate follow-up.

     The present case does not affect the operation of local slaughterhouses nor the overall supply of live pigs. Since June 2019, a daily clearance arrangement whereby live pigs will be slaughtered within 24 hours upon admittance has been imposed in Sheung Shui and Tsuen Wan slaughterhouses. Under the arrangement, lairages in different areas of the slaughterhouses will be cleared out and undergo thorough cleaning and disinfection every day to further enhance biosecurity measures and minimise the risk of infection among pigs in the slaughterhouses.

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the AFCD will continue to stringently conduct cleaning and disinfection of Mainland live pig transportation vehicles and their counterparts for local pigs at slaughterhouses to minimise the risk of cross infection of ASF. Mainland and local live pig vehicles should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every time they leave the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse (SSSH), and the respective designated positions for their cleaning and disinfection are separate. Manpower and equipment of the SSSH were immediately strengthened for cleaning and disinfection of the vehicles. In light of these stepped-up measures, the slaughterhouses need not be closed and other pigs need not be culled.

     As a culling operation takes time, the AFCD will release updated operation information every day on the departmental web page, www.afcd.gov.hk, for the public.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Kwai Chung Hospital made the following announcement today (January 3):

     Four patients (aged 28 to 56) in a female ward of learning disabilities have presented with fever or respiratory symptoms since December 28, 2023. Appropriate viral tests were arranged for the patients and their test results were positive for parainfluenza virus type 3. The patients concerned are currently undergoing treatment and are in stable condition.

     Admission to the ward has been suspended. Infection control measures have already been stepped up according to established guidelines. All other patients in the ward are under close surveillance.

     The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.