Dear Staff and Students,
We would like to share the following message on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) from Department of Health about Government further tightens social distancing measures and extends expiry dates of Regulations under Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance and Government gazetted latest amendments to Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation.
Please also click to view the email attachments: English / Chinese
Health, Safety and Environment Office
Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Government further tightens social distancing measures and extends expiry dates of Regulations under Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance and Government gazetted latest amendments to Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation
In view of the development of COVID-19 epidemic situation in Hong Kong, the Government announced that it will further tighten social distancing measures, and will extend the expiry dates of various regulations under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599) to March 31, 2021. The relevant statutory framework had provisions in place to allow flexibility such that the Government may tighten or relax or even suspend specific requirements and conditions subject to development of the epidemic situation.
The following measures will take effect from December 10, 2020 for a period of 14 days to December 23, 2020:
(I) Catering premises (details at Annex 1)
(1) From 6pm to 4.59am of the subsequent day, save for specific premises (details at Annex 2), a person responsible for carrying on a catering business must cease selling or supplying food or drink for consumption on the premises of the business; and close any premises, or part of the premises, on which food or drink is sold or supplied by the business for consumption on the premises. The premises concerned may still sell or supply food and/or drink for takeaway services and deliveries. A person responsible for carrying on a catering business is also required to put up a notice at the entrance to the catering premises to remind customers that food or drink should not be consumed in areas adjacent to the catering premises.
(2) The number of people participating in banquets in catering premises is limited to 20.
(3) Other requirements and restrictions on catering business will be maintained, including the following requirements: no more than two persons may be seated together at one table within any catering premises; the number of customers must not exceed 50 per cent of the normal seating capacity; persons must not consume food or drink and must wear a mask when they are away from the table; and no live performance and dancing is allowed, etc. A person responsible for carrying on a catering business must display the poster containing the "LeaveHomeSafe" venue QR code at the entrance of the premises or at a conspicuous location which must be unobstructed at any one time so that it is readily accessible for scanning with a mobile phone by a person entering the catering premises and the size of the image of the poster displayed must not be not less than 210 x 297mm (A4 size).
(4) Bars or pubs will continue to be closed.
(II) Scheduled premises (details at Annex 1)
(5) Except club-houses and hotels or guesthouses, all scheduled premises regulated under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) as listed below must be closed:
(a) Amusement game centres;
(b) Bathhouses;
(c) Fitness centres;
(d) Places of amusement;
(e) Places of public entertainment;
(f) Premises (commonly known as party rooms) that are maintained or intended to be maintained for hire for holding social gatherings;
(g) Beauty parlours;
(h) Establishments (commonly known as clubs or nightclubs) that are open late into the night, usually for drinking, and dancing or other entertainment;
(i) Karaoke establishments;
(j) Mahjong-tin kau premises;
(k) Massage establishments (save for those set out in Annex 3);
(l) Sports premises; and
(m) Swimming pools.
(6) For club-houses and hotels or guesthouses, managers must comply with the relevant restrictions under Cap. 599F, including the following requirements: closing the facilities therein that are being used or operated as premises mentioned in point (5) above, such as fitness centres or swimming pools; the number of persons in meeting rooms or function rooms must not at any one time exceed 50 per cent of the normal capacity of that room; and no more than four persons are allowed in a guest room or a rental unit of hotels or guesthouses, etc.
(III) Group gathering
(7) Unless exempted, the prohibition on group gatherings of more than two persons in public places will continue. The requirement is also applicable to group gatherings in catering business and scheduled premises regulated under Cap. 599F in which the relevant requirements or restrictions are not complied with.
(IV) Mask-wearing requirement
(8) The mandatory mask-wearing requirement under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation (Cap. 599I) will be extended.
Moreover, the Government gazetted the latest amendments to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (the Regulation) (Cap. 599J) to provide the legal framework for the Government to, according to the needs of infection control, restrict movement of persons subject to compulsory testing, or seal off premises with epidemic outbreaks until all persons on the premises have undergone testing and the test results are ascertained. If necessary, such as when there is suspicion on environmental contamination onsite which increases the infection risks of persons therein, the Government may transfer persons on the premises to a designated place to wait for the test result having regard to the situation, or send them to quarantine centres for compulsory quarantine under the existing mechanism.
For more details, please refer to the press release and the Annex:
Government further tightens social distancing measures and extends expiry dates of Regulations under Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202012/08/P2020120800780.htm
Government gazetted latest amendments to Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202012/08/P2020120800808.htm
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
******************************************
敬啟者：
2019冠狀病毒病的最新資訊
政府進一步收緊社交距離措施及延長《預防及控制疾病條例》下規例有效期 及 政府就《預防及控制疾病（對若干人士強制檢測）規例》下的最新修訂刊憲
因應本港2019冠狀病毒病的疫情發展，政府公布進一步收緊社交距離措施，以及延長《預防及控制疾病條例》（第599章）下多項規例的有效期至2021年3月31日。有關法律框架已加入彈性條款，容許政府視乎疫情發展，收緊或放寬甚至取消個別限制和條件。
以下措施於2020年12月10日至12月23日的十四日期間生效：
（1） 餐飲業務（詳情見附件一）
（一）每天下午六時起至翌日上午四時五十九分，除特定處所（見附件二）外，餐飲業務負責人須停止售賣或供應供在有關業務的處所內進食或飲用的食物或飲品；及如該業務在某處所（或某處所的部分範圍）售賣或供應食物或飲品，供在該處所內進食或飲用，餐飲業務負責人須關閉該處所或該範圍（視乎屬何種情況而定）。受影響處所將可繼續以外賣及外送方式售賣或供應食物及／或飲品。餐飲業務負責人亦須於餐飲處所入口處張貼告示，提醒顧客不應於餐飲處所毗連的地方進食或飲用食物或飲品。
（二）限制在餐飲處所舉行的宴會活動人數至20人。
（三）繼續維持其他就餐飲業務的規定及限制，包括餐飲處所內不得有多於二人同坐一桌；顧客人數上限為通常座位數目上限的五成；離開餐桌時不得飲食並必須佩戴口罩；禁止進行現場表演及跳舞活動等。餐飲業務負責人亦須在處所入口或當眼的位置展示載有「安心出行」場所二維碼的海報，該展示位置必須在任何時間都不受阻擋以方便進入餐飲處所的人士利用手機掃瞄有關二維碼，而海報的尺寸不得少於210 x 297mm（A4尺寸）。
（四）繼續關閉酒吧或酒館。
（2）表列處所（詳情見附件一）
（五）除會址及酒店或賓館外，所有《預防及控制疾病（規定及指示）（業務及處所）規例》（第599F章）下的表列處所必須停止營業，詳列如下：
（a）遊戲機中心；
（b）浴室；
（c）健身中心；
（d）遊樂場所；
（e）公眾娛樂場所；
（f）設置（或擬設置）供租用舉行社交聚會的處所（一般稱為派對房間）；
（g）美容院；
（h）通常供人飲酒，以及跳舞或作其他娛樂的、營業至深夜的場所（一般稱為夜店或夜總會）；
（i）卡拉OK場所；
（j）麻將天九耍樂處所；
（k）按摩院（豁免者除外，見附件三）；
（l）體育處所；及
（m）泳池。
（六）就會址及酒店或賓館而言，管理人須遵守第599F章下的相關限制，包括關閉當中用作上述第（五）點用途的設施，如健身中心及泳池等；會議室或多用途室內的人數不得超過該房間的通常容納量的五成；以及酒店或賓館每間客房或出租單位內不得有超過四人等。
（3）羣組聚集
（七）除獲豁免者外，繼續禁止在公眾地方進行超過二人的羣組聚集。有關規定同樣適用於未有遵從第599F章下相關規定或限制的餐飲業務及表列處所內的羣組聚集。
（4）佩戴口罩要求
（八）延續《預防及控制疾病（佩戴口罩）規例》（第599I章）下強制佩戴口罩的要求。
另外，政府就《預防及控制疾病（對若干人士強制檢測）規例》（《規例》）（第599J章）下的最新法例修訂刊憲，以提供法律框架，讓政府可按防疫需要，限制接受強制檢測人士的活動，或封鎖有疫情爆發的處所，直至處所內所有人士已完成檢測而有關檢測結果已獲確定。如有需要，例如懷疑環境受到污染，令留在該處所的人士的感染風險增加，政府亦可按情況轉移處所內人士到指定地點等候檢測結果，或按現行機制要求處所內人士到檢疫中心接受強制檢疫。
詳情請參閱有關新聞公報及附件：
政府進一步收緊社交距離措施及延長《預防及控制疾病條例》下規例有效期
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202012/08/P2020120800704.htm
政府就《預防及控制疾病（對若干人士強制檢測）規例》下的最新修訂刊憲
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202012/08/P2020120800724.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
