â€‹Hongkong Post announced today (March 1) that, as advised by the postal administration of Australia, due to bushfires in the state of Victoria, mail delivery services to Australia for areas with the postcodes listed below are subject to delay.
 

     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 February 29 to noon today (March 1), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 130 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 33 609 samples of food imported from Japan (including 22 518 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 9 374 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

     The Housing Bureau (HB) today (March 1) invites tenders for the operation and management contract of the first Light Public Housing (LPH) project, and encourages capable and experienced organisations to submit bids.
 
     The project is located at Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, providing about 2 100 LPH units, with intake tentatively scheduled in the first quarter of next year. The scope of the contract mainly covers occupant management, property management, daily maintenance, as well as the provision of social services, and the management and operation of ancillary facilities, etc.
 
     Apart from housing, LPH will provide various services and facilities for the residents and those in the vicinity. Therefore, the operation and management service requirements of LPH are different from those of the general property management contracts. To encourage participation of different stakeholders in the community, the HB welcomes tenders from all capable and experienced service providers, including non-government organisations and those with a valid property management company licence, or a collaboration between them.
 
     To ensure service quality, the HB will carry out a technical assessment based on a series of factors, including the management capability, relevant experience and past service performance of the tenderers, as well as the proposed modes of operation and management, social service support to be provided, feasibility of the exit plan and use of innovation and information technology as stated in their proposals, etc such that the facilities and services of LPH can meet the needs of the residents and the local community. The tender price will then be evaluated to form a consolidated assessment so as to decide on the most suitable organisations for operating the LPH.
 
     A spokesman for the HB said, "LPH could fill the short-term gap of public housing supply in order to improve the living conditions and quality of life of people living in inadequate housing as soon as practicable. Construction of a number of projects has already commenced. On top of providing a safer and more adequate accommodation, the HB hopes that the residents can have a more comfortable, convenient and dignified life with various social facilities and community services. We hope that experienced and aspirational organisations can actively participate in the tender exercise and join hands with us in this large-scale social project."
 
     Interested organisations may download the tender documents via the relevant tender notice on the HB's website (www.hb.gov.hk) or from the e-Tendering System; or contact the Dedicated Team on Light Public Housing under the HB for obtaining the tender documents. Tender reference is HB2024/OPR-LPH-YPR.
 
     Tenderers must submit the tenders by noon on April 19, 2024 (Friday), either electronically via the e-Tendering System or by deposit in the Government Secretariat Tender Box situated at the lobby of the Public Entrance on Ground Floor, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar. Late tenders will not be accepted.

     The Inland Revenue Department today (March 1) alerted members of the public to fraudulent emails purportedly issued by the department, which invite recipients to claim tax refunds. Each email provides a hyperlink to a website which seeks to obtain the recipient's personal particulars and credit card information.

     The department has no connection with the fraudulent emails and has reported the case to the Police for further investigation. Members of the public are reminded not to open any suspicious emails.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (March 1) that the Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Swimming Pool in Yuen Long District has been temporarily closed for cleaning and superchlorination following the discovery of a small amount of vomit in the pool.

     It will be reopened at 7pm today.

     The department appeals to swimmers to be considerate and to keep the swimming pools clean. They are advised not to swim after a full meal and should use the toilet facilities if necessary before swimming.