The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 is 105.1 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     Exchange Fund Bills tender results:
 

 
*"Pro rata ratio" refers to the average percentage of allotment with respect to each tender participant's tendered amount at the "highest yield accepted" level.
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     Hong Kong Monetary Authority tenders to be held in the week beginning March 11, 2024:
 

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     A spokesperson for United Christian Hospital made the following appeal today (March 5) regarding a patient leaving the hospital without notification:
      
     A 45-year-old female patient was sent by ambulance to the Accident and Emergency Department of United Christian Hospital for treatment at around 9am today. After consultation and pending further assessment, the patient left the Accident and Emergency Department without notification.
      
     Security guards were deployed to search for the patient within the hospital compound and in the vicinity. The hospital also made a report to the Police for assistance. The patient is yet to be located.
      
     The hospital is very concerned about the incident and will fully co-operate with the Police in order to locate the patient.
      
     The patient is about 1.6 metres tall, with long black hair and of medium build. CCTV footage showed that the patient was wearing a bluish purple jacket, black trousers and white shoes when she left. The hospital appeals to the public to contact the Hospital at 3949 4002 or the Police if they know the whereabouts of the patient.
      
     The hospital has reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office through the Advance Incident Reporting System.
 

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, today (March 5) continued his visit to Fuzhou, Fujian.

     Accompanied by the Director of Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE), Mr Anthony Lau, Mr Sun paid a courtesy call on Deputy Director of the Fujian Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security Mr Hong Changchun this morning and exchanged views on endeavours to attract and support outside talent. Mr Sun outlined the achievements of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government's policy initiatives to attract and retain talent with a view to raising competitiveness. HKTE is committed to attracting talent from the Mainland and overseas, providing one-stop support services to assist them for long-term settlement in the city. HKTE will organise the Global Talent Summit and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area High-quality Talent Development Conference in May, aiming to promote Hong Kong's advantages as an international talent hub and enabling the flow of talent among the cities of the Greater Bay Area.

     Mr Sun and other officials then called on Deputy Director General of the Fujian Provincial Department of Civil Affairs Mr Ouyang Xiaobo to learn more about the elderly service planning in Fujian and explore how to cope with challenges in long-term care services amid an ageing population. Mr Sun said that Guangdong and Fujian are closely connected with Hong Kong on the social, economic and transport fronts, and most Hong Kong elderly persons retiring on the Mainland reside in these two provinces. The HKSAR Government currently implements various portable cash assistance measures, covering the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance as well as the Old Age Allowance and Old Age Living Allowance under the Social Security Allowance Scheme. As of end-January 2024, about 25 500 and 2 500 Hong Kong elderly persons residing in Guangdong Province and Fujian Province have benefitted from the relevant measures respectively.

     Prior to his departure, Mr Sun called on the Party Secretary and Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office and Director General of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People's Government of Fujian Province, Mr Li Lin, at a lunch gathering this afternoon and updated him on the latest developments in Hong Kong's labour, manpower and welfare policies, before returning to Hong Kong with his delegation.

      

      In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on March 4 to noon today (March 5), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 137 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 34 204 samples of food imported from Japan (including 22 943 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 9 574 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.