Dear Staff and Students,
We would like to share the following message on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) from Department of Health about Government extends social distancing measures under Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance and Specifications under Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation to be gazetted and Extend collection hours for deep throat saliva samples.
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Health, Safety and Environment Office
Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Government extends social distancing measures under Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance and Specifications under Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation to be gazetted and Extend collection hours for deep throat saliva samples
Taking into account the latest public health risk assessment, starting from this Friday (November 6), apart from refinements to the social distancing restrictions for spectator stands at public skating rinks, sports premises and swimming pools, the Government will maintain all other requirements and restrictions applicable to catering business and scheduled premises. During the seven-day period from November 6 to 12, 2020, social distancing restrictions applicable to spectator stands at public skating rinks, sports premises and swimming pools will be aligned with those applicable to other places of public entertainment such as cinemas and performing venues, i.e. seats to be occupied must not exceed 75 per cent of the total seating capacity of the spectator stands, and no more than four consecutive seats in the same row may be occupied.
Unless exempted, the prohibition on group gatherings of more than four persons in public places will continue during the seven-day period from November 6 to 12, 2020. The mandatory mask-wearing requirement will be extended for the same period.
In view of the global development and severity of the COVID-19 epidemic situation, Turkey is included as a specified place starting from November 13 to more effectively combat the epidemic. The latest list of specified places includes Bangladesh, Belgium, Ethiopia, France, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. According to the latest specifications, a traveller who, on the day on which the traveller boarded a civil aviation aircraft that arrives at, or is about to arrive at, Hong Kong (specified aircraft), or during the 14 days before that day, has stayed in one of the aforementioned specified places must provide the following documents:
(1) A test report in English or Chinese issued by a laboratory or healthcare institution bearing the name of the relevant traveller from the aforementioned specified places identical to that in his or her valid travel document to show that:
(a) the relevant traveller from the aforementioned specified places underwent a nucleic acid test for COVID-19, the sample for which was taken from the relevant traveller from the aforementioned specified places within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the specified aircraft;
(b) the test conducted on the sample is a nucleic acid test for COVID-19; and
(c) the result of the test is that the relevant traveller from the aforementioned specified places was tested negative for COVID-19.
In addition, conditions are imposed based on public health grounds on travellers who have visited any country outside China (excluding very high-risk areas currently specified under Cap. 599H) within 14 days before arrival in Hong Kong starting from November 13, in order to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to household members during home quarantine of imported cases. A traveller who, on the day on which the traveller boarded a specified aircraft, or during the 14 days before that day, has stayed in a specified place outside China (excluding very high-risk areas specified otherwise), must provide confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 14 days starting on the day of the arrival in Hong Kong of the relevant traveller from the rest of the world. The relevant specifications will come into effect on November 13 and remain until further notice. The operator of the specified aircraft should submit to the Department of Health (DH) before the specified aircraft arrives at Hong Kong a document in a form specified by the DH confirming that each relevant traveller from the rest of the world has, before being checked in for the flight to Hong Kong on the aircraft, produced for boarding on the aircraft the above document. A person who is in transit in Hong Kong and a person exempted by the Chief Secretary for Administration from compulsory quarantine under section 4(1) of either the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) or the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E) will not be affected.
Finally, starting from Thursday (November 5), the collection hours for deep throat saliva samples for COVID-19 testing in the 13 designated chest clinics or social hygiene/dermatological clinics under the DH will be extended to 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 3pm from Monday to Friday, and will remain as 9am to 11am on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
For more details, please refer to the press release and the Annex:
Government extends social distancing measures under Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202011/03/P2020110300750.htm?fontSize=1
Specifications under Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation to be gazetted
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202011/03/P2020110300613.htm?fontSize=1
CHP investigates nine additional confirmed cases of COVID-19
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202011/03/P2020110300652.htm?fontSize=1
Please visit our Facebook and Thematic Website (https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/index.html) regularly for further information and updates.
We would like to solicit your support to disseminate the information to your colleagues, work associates and/or business partners so that they could adopt proper preventive measures. Thank you very much for your support.
Department of Health
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敬啟者：
2019冠狀病毒病的最新資訊
政府延續《預防及控制疾病條例》下的社交距離措施 及 政府就《預防及控制疾病（規管跨境交通工具及到港者）規例》下的指明刊憲 及 延長深喉唾液樣本收集時間
考慮到最新的公共衞生風險評估，由本星期五（十一月六日）起，除稍為調整公眾溜冰場、體育處所及泳池內觀眾席的社交距離限制外，政府會維持其他適用於餐飲業務處所及表列處所的限制。 在二○二○年十一月六日至十二日的七日期間內， 適用於公眾溜冰場、體育處所及泳池內觀眾席的社交距離限制會與其他公眾娛樂場所（如電影院和表演場所）看齊，即供佔用座位不得超過總觀眾席座位數目的75%，及同一行座椅不可有連續超過四張座椅被佔用。
在二○二○年十一月六日至十二日的七日期間內，除獲豁免者外，繼續禁止在公眾地方進行超過四人的羣組聚集。 同一期間內，延續強制佩戴口罩的要求。
鑑於全球2019冠狀病毒病的疫情發展和嚴峻程度，由十一月十三日起將土耳其加入指明地區 ，以更有效應對疫情。現時指明地區包括孟加拉、比利時、埃塞俄比亞、法國、印度、印尼、哈薩克斯坦、尼泊爾、巴基斯坦、菲律賓、俄羅斯、南非、土耳其、英國及美國。 根據最新指明，到港人士如在登上從香港以外地區到達（或即將從香港以外地區到達）香港的民航飛機（指明飛機）的當日，或在該日之前的14日內，曾在上述指明地區停留，相關到港人士必須提供以下文件：
（一）一份由化驗所或醫療機構發出的中文或英文報告，當中載有相關由以上指明地區到港人士姓名（所載有的姓名須與相關由以上指明地區到港人士的有效旅遊證件所示姓名相同），並顯示以下資料：
（a）相關由以上指明地區到港人士已接受一項2019冠狀病毒病核酸檢測，而檢測樣本是在飛機的預定起飛時間前72小時內，取自相關由以上指明地區到港人士的；
（b）對該樣本進行檢測的是2019冠狀病毒病核酸測試；及
（c）相關由以上指明地區到港人士的2019冠狀病毒病的檢測結果呈陰性
另外，由十一月十三日起向在抵港前十四日內曾到訪任何中國以外的國家（不包括現時已在第599H章極高風險地區名單上的地區）的相關到港人士施加關乎保障公共衞生的條件，以減低輸入個案在家居檢疫期間把病毒傳播給同住人士的風險。
到港人士如在登上指明飛機的當日，或在該日之前的14日內，曾在中國以外的地區（不包括已指明的極高風險地區）停留，相關由各地到港人士必須提供在香港酒店預訂房間的中文或英文確認書，其租住期間為自相關由各地到港人士抵達香港當日起計的不少於14日。有關指明將於十一月十三日生效，並維持有效直至另行通知。指明飛機的營運人在指明飛機抵達香港之前，須向衞生署提交符合由衞生署指明格式的文件，以確認每名相關到港者在辦理乘坐該飛機赴香港的登機手續之前，為登機而出示顯示上述證明文件。在香港轉機過境的人士，以及政務司司長根據《若干到港人士強制檢疫規例》（第599C章）及《外國地區到港人士強制檢疫規例》（第599E章）的第4（1）條豁免接受強制檢疫的人士將不受影響。
最後，由星期四（十一月五日）開始，衞生署轄下提供收集深喉唾液樣本服務作2019冠狀病毒檢測的13間指定胸肺科或社會衞生科／皮膚科診所，將延長星期一至五的樣本收集時間，時間為上午九時至下午一時及下午二時至三時，而星期六、日及公眾假期則維持上午九時至十一時。
詳情請參閱有關新聞公報及附件：
政府延續《預防及控制疾病條例》下的社交距離措施
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202011/03/P2020110300421.htm
政府就《預防及控制疾病（規管跨境交通工具及到港者）規例》下的指明刊憲
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202011/03/P2020110300525.htm
衞生防護中心調查新增九宗2019冠狀病毒病確診個案
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202011/03/P2020110300642.htm
請定期留意我們的Facebook及專題網站（https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/chi/index.html），以獲取更多及更新的資訊。
希望你可以將有關資訊與你的同事、合作者及／或業務伙伴分享，讓他們都能採取合適的預防措施。非常感謝你的支持。
衞生署
