Dear Staff and Students,
We would like to share the following message from Department of Health about Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines.
Health, Safety and Environment Office
Dear Sir/Madam,
Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines
1. Government maintains most of the social distancing measures
The Government will maintain most of the social distancing measures currently in place during the period from August 19 to September 1.
Taking into account the risk involved in the operation of catering business, especially the fact that customers within the premises are consuming food or drinks hence mask-off most of the time, the Government will tighten the testing requirement for staff of catering businesses which adopt Type B Mode of Operation with effect from August 26. The staff will be required to undergo more frequent testing, from the current requirement of testing once every 14 days to testing once every 7 days. Fully vaccinated staff will continue to be regarded as having complied with the testing requirement.
In addition, since one’s health condition may change from time to time, staff members of premises under Cap. 599F who are unfit for COVID-19 vaccination due to health reasons should consult medical advice regularly and provide updated medical certificate to the managers of relevant premises or their employers.
For details, refer to: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/17/P2021081700802.htm
2. Border control measures to be tightened for persons arriving at Hong Kong
The boarding, quarantine and testing requirements for persons arriving from overseas will be tightened from 0.00am on August 20, in view of the developments of the global COVID-19 epidemic situation and the latest expert recommendations.
The vaccination record requirements will be tightened, where fully vaccinated persons can only have their quarantine period shortened upon presentation of recognised vaccination records, and the quarantine period can no longer be further reduced with positive serology antibody test result.
The Government has also decided to upgrade the risk grouping of 16 overseas places to impose more stringent boarding, quarantine and testing requirements:
(1) The following 15 overseas places will be upgraded from Group B specified places (medium-risk) to Group A specified places (high-risk): Bangladesh, Cambodia, France, Greece, Iran, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.
(2) Australia will be upgraded from Group C specified place (low-risk) to Group B specified place (medium-risk).
The Delta variant, with higher transmissibility, is rapidly spreading around the world, and that fully vaccinated persons with the Delta variant breakthrough infections can spread the virus to others. Nonetheless, vaccination can still effectively prevent infected persons from getting seriously ill or even death. Therefore, persons who are not yet vaccinated, especially senior citizens, chronic patients and other immunocompromised persons who are most likely to be affected by COVID-19, should get vaccinated as soon as possible for better self-protection before the fifth wave strikes in Hong Kong.
For details, refer to:
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/17/P2021081700867.htm
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/16/P2021081600483.htm
More information on COVID-19 vaccines
www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/
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冠狀病毒病及疫苗的最新資訊
1. 政府維持大部分社交距離措施
政府由8月19日至9月1日期間會維持大部分現行的社交距離措施。
考慮到食肆運作所涉及的風險，尤其是顧客在有關處所內大部分時間均在飲食而不佩戴口罩，政府會由8月26日起收緊以B類運作模式營運的餐飲業務的員工檢測規定，員工將須進行更頻密的檢測，由每14天檢測一次改為每7天一次。已完成接種疫苗的員工會繼續被視為已符合有關檢測要求。
另外，由於個人健康狀況可能不時轉變，第599F章下處所的員工如因健康原因而不適宜接種新冠疫苗，應定期重新諮詢醫生意見，並向相關處所負責人或僱主提交新的醫生證明書。
詳情可參閱：https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/17/P2021081700800.htm
2. 收緊抵港人士入境防控措施
因應全球2019冠狀病毒病疫情發展及專家的最新建議，政府將於8月20日凌晨零時起，收緊從海外地區到港人士的登機、檢疫及檢測要求。
有關疫苗接種紀錄的要求會收緊，已完成疫苗接種人士只能在出示認可疫苗接種紀錄的情況下才可獲縮短檢疫期，並且不能再以血清抗體測試陽性結果進一步縮減檢疫期。
政府亦決定提升16個海外地區的風險組別:
（一）將以下15個海外地區由中風險B組指明地區提升至高風險A組指明地區：孟加拉、柬埔寨、法國、希臘、伊朗、馬來西亞、荷蘭、西班牙、斯里蘭卡、瑞士、坦桑尼亞、泰國、土耳其、阿拉伯聯合酋長國及美國
（二）將澳洲由低風險C組指明地區提升至中風險B組指明地區。
Delta變異病毒株有更高傳染性，並正在全球急速傳播，已完成接種疫苗的人士如感染Delta變異病毒株亦能將病毒傳播他人。但疫苗仍能為接種人士提供有效保護，免於感染後併發重症甚至死亡，因此仍未接種疫苗的市民，特別是最容易受新冠病毒影響的長者、長期病患者及其他免疫力較弱人士，應在本港第五波疫情來臨前盡快接種疫苗，為自己健康做好防護工作。
詳情可參閱：
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/17/P2021081700826.htm
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/16/P2021081600480.htm
更多新冠疫苗資訊：
www.covidvaccine.gov.hk
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
