The Assistant Commissioner (Boundary and Ports) of the Hong Kong Customs, Ms Wong Wai-chuen, today (November 29) led a delegation to Shenzhen to attend a meeting with representatives of the Shenzhen Customs District to discuss how to tie in with the Central Government's new arrangement on the resumption of the multiple-entry Individual Visit Scheme for Shenzhen starting December 1, and to enhance co-operation items and development between the two customs administrations.

     During the meeting, both sides explored ways to enhance the management of clearance at control points and continue deepening co-operation with a view to making full preparation and co-ordination for the smooth operation of control points, thereby providing visitors with a pleasant travel experience and further facilitating passenger flows between the two places.

     Hong Kong Customs will continue to strengthen communication with the Shenzhen Customs District and other government departments, co-ordinating on matters such as security and order, transportation arrangement, and emergency response at the land boundary control points. A series of contingency measures for passenger clearance has been formulated to accommodate the inflow of tourists travelling to Hong Kong. The department will flexibly deploy manpower, conduct real-time monitoring and notification of the situation of each control point, and take contingency actions where necessary to ensure the smooth operation of Customs clearance, thereby creating favourable conditions for the new arrangement.

    

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (November 29) reported one imported case of Legionnaires' disease (LD) which has epidemiological linkage with the cluster of LD cases involving a Foshan tour group organised by the Travel Around Limited announced on Monday. The CHP appealed to those who had visited Foshan on a group tour organised by the Travel Around Limited from November 7 to 17 to contact CHP as soon as possible for health assessment and medical surveillance.
      
     Regarding the Foshan tour group with occurrence of four imported cases, the CHP has promptly followed up on the health status of the participants, and set up a hotline to provide assessments and medical surveillance for the related persons. The latest case involved a 70-year-old female with underlying illness, who joined a tour group organised by the same tour agent (tour code: BG-EAL03) from November 15 to 17. Preliminary investigation revealed that she had the same itineraries and hotel with the previous four cases. The CHP believed that she was infected during the trip.
 
     Given that Travel Around Limited had two tour groups held from November 7 to 9 and November 15 to 17 respectively, with the same itineraries and hotel, had a total of five cases, it indicates that the source of infection persisted during this period. The CHP is now extending the tracing to include all persons who participated in the Foshan tour groups organised by this travel agent between November 7 and 17, which involves the following four tour groups (all group numbers are BG-EAL03):

• November 7 to 9;
• November 8 to 10;
• November 10 to 12; and
• November 15 to 17.

 
     The CHP is actively contacting those who had participated in the above tours to follow up on their health conditions. The CHP also appealed to them take the initiative to call the CHP's hotline (2125 2372) for follow up and medical surveillance. The hotline will be operating from 9am to 1pm tomorrow (November 30) and December 1. From December 2 to 6, the hotline will continue to operate from 9am to 5pm. They should seek medical advice immediately if they develop symptoms of infection, such as fever or feeling unwell.
      
     The CHP has reported the case to the health authorities on the Mainland and informed the Travel Industry Authority in Hong Kong.
      
     "Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection, including poor maintenance of water systems; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpools and spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or vessels," the spokesman said.
     
     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 that 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:
 

• Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
• Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices; and
• If using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not water directly from the tap. Also, clean and maintain humidifiers/devices regularly according to manufacturers' instructions. Never leave stagnant water in a humidifier/device. Empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and change the water daily. 

     
     The public should observe the health advice below:
 

• Observe personal hygiene;
• Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption;
• Strainers in water taps and shower heads should be inspected, cleaned, descaled and disinfected regularly or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer;
• If a fresh-water plumbing system is properly maintained, it is not necessary to install domestic water filters. Use of water filters is not encouraged as clogging occurs easily, which can promote growth of micro-organisms. In case water filters are used, the pore size should be 0.2 micrometres (µm) and the filter needs to be changed periodically according to the manufacturer's recommendations;
• Drain and clean water tanks of buildings at least quarterly;
• Drain or purge for at least one minute infrequently used water outlets (e.g. water taps, shower heads and hot water outlets) and stagnant points of the pipework weekly or before use;
• Seek and follow doctors' professional advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile water (not distilled or tap water) to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain the device regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. After cleaning/disinfection, rinse the device with sterile water, cooled freshly boiled water or water filtered with 0.2 µm filters. Never leave stagnant water in the device. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
• When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes: 

1. Wear gloves and a face mask;
2. Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
3. Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
4. Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
5. Avoid working in poorly ventilated places such as enclosed greenhouses.

     â€‹â€‹The public may visit the CHP's LD page, the Code of Practice for Prevention of LD and the Housekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Management of the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP's risk-based strategy for prevention and control of LD.

     The Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) held the Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Certificate Presentation Ceremony 2024 today (November 29) at the Customs Headquarters Building and presented AEO Certificates and Hong Kong AEO Programme Partnership Scheme Awards to Hong Kong AEOs. A signing ceremony of the AEO Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) Action Plan between Hong Kong Customs and Lao Customs was also held.
      
     The C&ED at the ceremony presented AEO Certificates to six new and 27 renewed AEOs. The Hong Kong AEO Partnership Awards were also presented to nine enterprises in recognition of their outstanding performance in promoting the Hong Kong AEO Programme. Since the implementation of the Hong Kong AEO Programme in 2012, the number of accredited enterprises has increased to 89.
      
     In addition, witnessed by the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho, and the Consul General of Laos, Mr Ammala Saenchonghack, the Assistant Commissioner (Excise and Strategic Support) of Customs and Excise, Mr Rudy Hui, and the Deputy Director-General of Lao Customs, Mr Vongvanhpheng Phoumsavanh, signed the Action Plan for the AEO MRA, marking a significant step towards the conclusion of the MRA.
      
     Currently, the C&ED has ratified MRAs with 15 Customs administrations, including Mainland China, India, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, Macao, China, and Bahrain. Under the MRAs, AEOs from the signatory countries or regions enjoy reciprocal trade facilitations including reduced Customs inspection and prioritised clearance. On expansion of the MRA network, the C&ED will continue to accord priority to discussions with the Belt and Road economies, particularly member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations  and the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as African and South American countries.  
      
     About 150 guests, including Consuls General of Kazakhstan, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand, Honorary Consuls of Bahrain and Iceland, Vice Consul General of Saudi Arabia, customs attachés, representatives from Hong Kong AEO companies, trade associations, and industry stakeholders, attended the ceremony today to witness the ongoing efforts and achievements of the C&ED in enhancing trade facilitation and fostering international customs co-operation.
      
     â€‹Moreover, the Lao Customs delegation visited Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (November 28) to understand the express cargo clearance operations of Hong Kong Customs.

        

     The Transport Department (TD) announced today (November 29) that the first pilot licence for autonomous vehicle (AV) has been issued in accordance with section 4(1) of the Road Traffic (Autonomous Vehicles) Regulation (Cap. 374AA).

     The applicant of this pilot licence is approved to conduct trial for 10 AVs in North Lantau. In its first phrase, only one autonomous private car will operate in each road test at a specified time on specified road sections between Hong Kong International Airport Car Park 4 and Chek Lap Kok South Road, via Cheong Tat Road, Airport North Interchange, Sky City Road, Third Sky Street, First Sky Street, Sky City Road East, Sky City Interchange, East Coast Road and Scenic Road. During the trial, the backup operator stationed on board shall take over control of the vehicle if necessary. Details of the pilot licence have been uploaded to the TD's website on AV trials (www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/taoav/index.html).

     A spokesman for the TD said that upon receipt of an application for the pilot licence, the TD will consider various factors including the design operating range and functions of the autonomous system submitted by the applicant, relevant international or national standards/guidelines, and the road test situations, based on the Code of Practice for Trial and Pilot Use of Autonomous Vehicles before approval. The TD will exercise stringent control with a view to promoting AV trials in Hong Kong in a safe and orderly manner.

     To facilitate wider trials and application of AVs by the industry in Hong Kong, the new legislation and regulatory regime for AVs came into operation on March 1, 2024, providing a flexible regulatory framework for AVs. The TD welcomes interested organisations or enterprises to submit applications and act in concert to promote the further development of autonomous driving in Hong Kong.

     In addition, the Government launched the $1 billion Smart Traffic Fund in 2021 to provide funding support to local organisations or enterprises for conducting research and application on vehicle-related innovation and technology. To date, 12 approved projects have been related to AVs. The road sections under these trials cover public roads and various application scenarios, such as the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Hong Kong Science Park and individual private residential estates.

     Police today (November 29) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Tuen Mun.

     Police received a report saying that a 38-year-old man, Chan Chun-nam, went missing after he was last seen in Yau Oi Estate today afternoon.
    
     He is about 1.6 metres tall, 75 kilograms in weight and of fat build. He has a round face with yellow complexion and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a dark green crewneck sweatshirt, black trousers and grey sneakers.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Persons Unit of New Territories North on 3661 3127 or email to rmpu-ntn-1@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.