The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority: Caritas Medical Centre (CMC) today (November 24) reminds members of the public to stay alert to fraudulent calls. As informed… read more
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (November 24) investigating a case of Legionnaires’ disease (LD), and stressed the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, and that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.
The male patient, aged 86 with underlying illnesses, lives in a residential care home for the elderly (RCHE) in North Point. He developed fever since November 20 and developed shortness of breath and oxygen desaturation since November 21. He was admitted to Ruttonjee & Tang Shiu Kin Hospitals on November 22 for treatment. The clinical diagnosis was pneumonia. He is currently in stable condition.
The patient’s urine sample tested positive for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen upon laboratory testing.
Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had no travel history during the incubation period.
“Epidemiological investigations with the RCHE are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any. Relevant water samples and environmental swabs will be collected from potential sources for testing,” a spokesman for the CHP said.
Tracing of contacts including staff and residents in the RCHE where the patient stayed is ongoing and those identified will be put under medical surveillance. The CHP has provided health advice against LD to staff and residents, including those with weakened immunity who should use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing.
Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpools and spas, water fountains and home apparatus which support breathing. People may become infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.
Immunocompromised persons should:
As a strategic enterprise partner of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), biopharmaceutical enterprise AstraZeneca from the United Kingdom is setting up the AstraZeneca R&D Centre and the Hong Kong iCampus in Hong Kong. The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and representatives of AstraZeneca jointly witnessed the Plaques Unveiling Ceremony at the Central Government Offices today (November 24).
The AstraZeneca R&D Centre in Hong Kong will focus on research and development of medicines in such key areas as cell therapy and gene therapy. The Hong Kong iCampus is an incubation platform, which assists in the business expansion of start-ups in related areas, and engages in collaboration with Hong Kong universities, scientific research institutions, innovation and technology (I&T) parks, etc. These will help promote the innovative research of medicines in key therapy areas and expand the life and health technology ecosystem in Hong Kong.
　　
AstraZeneca also organised a group of about 80 Mainland pharmaceutical and biotechnology enterprises to come and visit Hong Kong, comprising large-scale listed enterprises and start-ups engaging in pioneering pharmaceutical technologies, which included AstraZeneca’s upstream, midstream and downstream partners.
Delivering his speech at the ceremony, Mr Chan said that the establishment of the AstraZeneca R&D Centre in Hong Kong can reinforce the frontier research of distinguished medical research institutions, experts and scholars of Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to create new momentum for pharmaceutical research and development in the region. Meanwhile, the establishment of iCampus will bring together relevant start-ups to build a more vibrant medical innovation ecosystem.
　　
He said that Hong Kong is developing into an international I&T centre with the country’s staunch support. Hong Kong enjoys five advantages in developing the life and health technology industry, namely the institutional advantage of “one country, two systems”, a robust pool of talent, the fundraising advantage as an international financial centre, the policy advantage of the Government in promoting the development of medical and pharmaceutical industries, and a diversified and quality lifestyle. Mr Chan said that Hong Kong is fully capable of becoming a world-class life and health technology cluster. Pharmaceutical enterprises around the globe are welcome to leverage Hong Kong’s advantages to expand their businesses.
OASES will continue to follow up on these 80 start-ups and provide one-stop services in setting up their businesses in Hong Kong. After the unveiling ceremony, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, and the Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan, introduced to these enterprises the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint and the development situation and advantages of I&T and medical services in Hong Kong, as well as the policy initiatives of developing Hong Kong into a health and medical innovation hub as announce in this year’s Policy Address by the Chief Executive. During their stay in Hong Kong, these enterprises will also visit the Hong Kong Science Park and medical institutions, and participate in thematic seminars.
Since its establishment in December last year, OASES has met with representatives from nearly 300 enterprises. Among them, about 30 strategic enterprise partners will set up businesses or increase their business scale in Hong Kong, investing a total of more than $30 billion in Hong Kong and creating about 10 000 jobs in the coming few years. These strategic enterprise partners will bring together upstream, midstream and downstream enterprises in related industries and promote the robust development of related industries in Hong Kong.
The Regional Flag and Regional Emblem (Amendment) Ordinance (Amendment Ordinance) has been published in the Gazette and comes into effect today (November 24).
A Government spokesman said, “The fundamental principle and spirit of the Amendment Ordinance is ‘respect’ – respect the regional flag and regional emblem which are the symbols and signs of the Special Administrative Region. Emphasising on both ‘education’ and ‘punishment’, the Amendment Ordinance on one hand provides for the proper use, etiquette, education and promotion in relation to the regional flag and regional emblem; while on the other hand, it punishes and deters desecration of the regional flag and regional emblem by clarifying the relevant offences provisions. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will strengthen the publicity and educational efforts in relation to the regional flag and regional emblem, and enhance the public’s understanding on the Amendment Ordinance.”
In addition, in accordance with sections 3(1), 3(2A) and 3(2B) of the Amendment Ordinance, the Chief Executive has revised and published in the Gazette today the stipulations for the display and use of the national flag and national emblem and the regional flag and regional emblem. Key revisions include stipulating that the design of the regional emblem must be used on the websites of the HKSAR Government, the Legislative Council and the Judiciary; and specifying the recovery and disposal of the regional flag and regional emblem. The above‑mentioned stipulations are available on the following website: www.protocol.gov.hk/files/stipulations_e.pdf.
On the mechanism for the recovery and disposal of the regional flag and regional emblem, any damaged, defiled, faded or substandard regional flags and regional emblems must be returned to designated collection points. The mechanism is similar to the one for the recovery and disposal of the national flag and national emblem. After an event in which regional flags or regional emblems are used, the organiser has the responsibility to keep the regional flags and regional emblems used on the site of the event for safekeeping or reuse, and return any damaged, defiled, faded or substandard regional flags and regional emblems to the designated collection points. Details of the locations and opening hours of the designated collection points are available at the Home Affairs Department’s website: www.had.gov.hk/en/public_services/collection_of_damaged/index.htm.
The Regional Flag and Regional Emblem Ordinance (RFREO) came into effect in the HKSAR on July 1, 1997. In view of the amendments to the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance that were passed in 2021, the HKSAR Government decided to amend the RFREO to suitably align the two ordinances. read more
The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Twilight” and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed “Champion” and “Windsand”, for three consecutive days from November 21 to yesterday (November 23). A total of five suspected illegal workers, five overstayers and one illegal immigrant were arrested.
During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided three target locations including restaurants and a retail shop. One suspected illegal worker was arrested. The arrested suspected illegal worker was a woman, aged 38. The woman was also suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card.
During operation “Champion”, enforcement officers raided 39 target locations in Hung Hom and Kowloon City district. Four suspected illegal workers, five overstayers and one illegal immigrant were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised one man and three women, aged 38 to 59. Among them, one woman was a holder of recognisance form, which prohibits her from taking any employment. In addition, two women were respectively suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card and using and being in possession of a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. One male and four female overstayers, aged 29 to 41, were arrested. Furthermore, one female illegal immigrant, aged 33, was arrested. Among them, two suspected illegal workers and five overstayers were handled by the ImmD.
“Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties,” an ImmD spokesman said.
The spokesman warned, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.”
The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.
