Month: June 2026

DH further strengthens training on personal protective equipment in light of Ebola disease outbreak in Africa       
     At the meeting, the SCIC reviewed the latest developments of the Ebola disease outbreak, its modes of transmission and risks, as well as the infection control guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health authorities. Following an in-depth discussion, the SCIC confirmed the PPE recommendations for personnel working in different settings and performing different roles to minimise the risk of healthcare professionals and relevant staff contracting Ebola. These recommendations cover healthcare settings (including caring for hospitalised patients, patient registration or triage in hospitals or clinics) and community settings (including health screenings at boundary control points, transporting patients and close contacts, working in quarantine facilities, conducting epidemiological investigations, cleaning and disinfecting community environments, and handling waste). Meanwhile, the SCIC emphasised in its recommendations that while the correct use of PPE is important, other measures, such as timely and proper hand hygiene, thorough cleaning and disinfection of the environment, and proper waste disposal are also indispensable for the effective prevention of infection and transmission.
      
     “Ebola disease is a severe acute viral illness. The virus is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected animals. Human-to-human transmission mainly occurs through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected persons, as well as indirect contact with environments contaminated by such body fluids. Although Ebola disease is not a respiratory illness and is not spread through the airborne route, more than 60 per cent of Ebola patients experience vomiting and diarrhoea, which may create infectious droplets. These patients may also undergo medical procedures that generate aerosols. Given the disease’s high fatality rate, additional precautionary measures are required,” said the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui.
      
     He stressed that the current risk of Ebola disease is mainly confined to the outbreak areas in Africa, including the DRC and Uganda. The immediate impact on public health in Hong Kong remains low. Although no confirmed cases of Ebola have ever been recorded in Hong Kong, as an international city Hong Kong has always remained vigilant in peacetime and stayed alert constantly. 
        
     To enhance frontline personnel’s understanding of infection control and ensure their safety on the job, the Infection Control Branch (ICB) of the CHP has been providing training to various government departments and organisations since late May this year (including the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and its contractors for cleansing services, and the Civil Aid Service). The training covers the correct use of PPE, donning and doffing procedures, and related infection control principles.
      
     In addition, the ICB of the CHP, in collaboration with the Infectious Disease Control Training Centre of the Hospital Authority, organised a forum on Ebola disease last month for healthcare professionals in both the public and private sectors, with more than 1 500 participants. The forum aimed to deepen healthcare professionals’ understanding of Ebola and response measures, including diagnosis, clinical management and infection control measures.
      
     The CHP will continue to closely monitor the latest developments overseas and the latest recommendations of the WHO, and will take appropriate follow-up action and implement appropriate prevention and control measures according to risk assessments to safeguard public health.
      
     The latest recommendations of the SCIC have been uploaded to the CHP websiteIssued at HKT 14:30

Over 2 700 quality job vacancies to be offered at Leaping into a New Page Job Fair      
     About 50 organisations will participate in the two-day job fair, offering over 2 700 quality job vacancies from various industries, among which nearly 2 100 are from the catering, retail and property management industries. About 25 organisations will set up booths and conduct recruitment on the spot each day. A wide variety of positions will be offered at the job fair, including branch manager, marketing officer, operation assistant, building services technician, control room officer, company driver, accounting officer, clerk, graphic designer, food quality controller, recreation assistant, clinical assistant, cook, beauty advisor, jewellery sales consultant, packer, store assistant and security guard. Job seekers can visit the LD’s Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk      
     Around 81 per cent of the vacancies offered at the job fair are full-time jobs. Most vacancies offer monthly salaries ranging from $12,000 to $25,000. About 94 per cent of the vacancies require a Secondary Six education level or below. Around 55 per cent are open to job seekers without relevant work experience.
      
     Job seekers can submit job applications during the event and may be selected for on-the-spot interviews. They can also make enquiries about the employment services provided by the LD at its counter inside the venue.
      
     The job fair will be held on June 11 and 12 from 11am to 5.30pm at Tung Cheong Street Community Hall, 1/F, Tai Po Tung Cheong Street Leisure Building, 25 Tung Cheong Street, Tai Po. Admission is free, with final admissions at 5pm each day.
Issued at HKT 11:00

Government announces Action Plan to Promote Development of Corporate Treasury Centres in Hong Kong      The full text of the Action Plan is set out in the Annex.

     In his remarks at the Forum, Mr Hui noted that Hong Kong has risen to become the world’s largest cross-boundary wealth management centre, and has been the world’s largest offshore Renminbi business hub. Backed by a mature and robust financial market system that is well-aligned with international standards, Hong Kong has long been providing comprehensive financial and professional services to both Mainland and overseas enterprises.Issued at HKT 17:22

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Results of monthly survey on business situation of small and medium-sized enterprises for May 2026     
     A Government spokesman said that business sentiment amongst SMEs was largely stable in May, though remained cautious due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The current diffusion index on business receipts for SMEs improved somewhat from the preceding month, while the outlook diffusion index fell slightly. Meanwhile, the overall employment situation held steady.      
     The results of the survey should be interpreted with care. The survey solicits feedback from a panel sample of about 600 SMEs each month and the survey findings are thus subject to sample size constraint. Views collected from the survey refer only to those of respondents on their own companies rather than those on the respective sectors they are engaged in. Besides, in this type of opinion survey on expected business situation, the views collected in the survey are affected by the events in the community occurring around the time of enumeration, and it is difficult to establish precisely the extent to which respondents’ perception of the business situation accords with the underlying trends. For this survey, main bulk of the data were collected around the last week of the reference month.
      
     More detailed statistics are given in the “Report on Monthly Survey on the Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises”. Users can browse and download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080015&scode=300Issued at HKT 16:30

Resumption of airmail services to Middle East and certain destinations      
     Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Comoros, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Maldives, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
      
     Additional conveyance time may be required for mail items destined for all of the above destinations, as mail items to these destinations have to be transited via other postal administrations.
      
     Members of the public may visit the webpage of Hongkong Post at www.hongkongpost.hk/en/about_us/whats_new/notices/index_id_1486.htmlIssued at HKT 15:08