Special traffic and transport arrangements for Hong Kong Streetathon 2024 this Sunday
The Transport Department (TD) today (December 4) reminded members of the public that temporary special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in phases at various locations on Hong Kong Island North and in Kowloon East and Tseung Kwan O from 1am this Sunday (December 8) to facilitate the holding of the Hong Kong Streetathon 2024.
The full marathon race will start at the Island Eastern Corridor (IEC) near Hing Fat Street and route through major road sections including the IEC, the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, Lung Wo Road, then turn back and be routed through the Eastern Harbour Crossing and the Tseung Lam Highway, then turn back again and be routed via Cha Kwo Ling Road, Kwun Tong Bypass, Hoi Bun Road, Kai Fuk Road, Kai Tak Tunnel and East Kowloon Corridor to the finishing point at San Shan Road in To Kwa Wan.
The race route of the half marathon race will be similar to the full marathon race, except that it will not be routed through the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, Lung Wo Road and the Tseung Lam Highway.
The 10-kilometre race will start at the Tseung Lam Highway near Tong Yin Street and route through the Tseung Lam Highway, Cha Kwo Ling Road and Kwun Tong Bypass, and finish at Hoi Bun Road in Kwun Tong.
Subject to the race arrangements and progress, the road sections along the race routes will be temporarily closed in phases from 1am on that day, until the reopening of roads at about 1pm. Motorists are advised to pay attention to the traffic signs erected at the scene and consider using alternative routes to their destinations.
Due to the temporary road closures, the TD anticipates that the traffic at various locations on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon will be more significantly congested when compared with normal Sundays, including:
Hong Kong Island: King's Road, Java Road, Shau Kei Wan Road, Causeway Road, Victoria Park Road, Yee Wo Street, Gloucester Road, Hennessy Road, Connaught Road Central, Harcourt Road, Queensway, the Aberdeen Tunnel (Wan Chai bound) and in the vicinity of Central Ferry Pier areas; and
Kowloon: Kwun Tong Road, Wai Yip Street, Prince Edward Road East and in the vicinity of Kowloon Bay areas.
Motorists are advised to avoid driving to the above affected areas. In case of traffic congestion, motorists should exercise patience and drive with care, and follow the instructions of the Police on-site.
In view of temporary road closures, 58 bus routes (including 18 KMB routes, 20 Citybus routes and 20 Cross Harbour Bus routes) and 16 Green Minibus routes will be affected and subject to diversion, truncation or relocation of stops in phases until the reopening of the roads. During the road closure period, taxi stands (including taxi pick-up/drop-off points), public light bus stands, roadside parking spaces and private car parks on the roads affected will be suspended.
To enable participants travelling to Causeway Bay for the full and half marathon races with the earliest starting times from 5.15am and 5.55am respectively, the first departures of all MTR rail lines (except the Airport Express and Disneyland Resort Line) will be advanced suitably on Sunday, with the first departures on the Tuen Ma Line and East Rail Line to be operated at 2.50am. In addition, three special bus routes will also be operated to serve event participants travelling to Causeway Bay this Sunday.
Members of the public should plan their journeys early to avoid unexpected delays, and use public transport services (particularly railway services) as far as possible, and pay attention to the arrangements of temporary route diversions and relocations of stops. They may browse the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk) or mobile application "HKeMobility" for information about the special traffic and transport information, or may also browse relevant public transport operators' websites or mobile applications for details of service changes.
The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation. Other temporary road and traffic control measures, including adjusting the extent of road closures, and alteration or suspension of public transport services may be implemented by the Policeat short notice depending on the actual traffic conditions. Members of the public are advised to stay alert to the latest traffic news.
CHP investigates two suspected food poisoning clusters with epidemiological linkage
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (January 9) investigating two epidemiologically linked suspected food poisoning clusters affecting 39 students from two primary schools. The students developed symptoms after consuming lunch provided by the Sailing Boat Luncheon Production Limited. The CHP reminded the public to maintain good personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent foodborne diseases.
The first cluster involves 12 boys and 16 girls aged between 6 and 11. They attend a primary school in Sham Shui Po. The investigation revealed that the affected students developed abdominal pain and diarrhoea approximately three to 31 hours after eating school lunch containing fish, chicken cutlets, sauce, garnish and rice, which was provided by the abovementioned school lunch supplier on January 6.
While investigating the first cluster, the CHP of the DH traced the supply chain of the school lunch supplier and identified another cluster, involving eight boys and three girls, aged between 10 and 12, who attend a primary school in Diamond Hill. The investigation revealed that the affected students developed abdominal pain and diarrhoea approximately five to 15 hours after eating lunch containing chicken, cervelat sausage, sauce and fusilli at school yesterday (January 8). The food concerned was also provided by the same school lunch supplier.
None of the affected students required hospitalisation and they are all currently in stable condition.
Officers of the CHP and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, including personnel of the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) and the Environmental Hygiene Branch, have inspected the food factory of the school lunch supplier concerned and the kitchen of the first school. They inspected the food storage, the food preparation process and environmental hygiene. Investigation revealed that some food items, such as meat and sauce, were prepared at the food factory, while the other food items, such as rice and garnish, were prepared at the school kitchen. It is suspected that some food items were prepared too early in advance. The CFS immediately instructed the premises concerned to suspend operations for thorough cleaning and disinfection, improve food preparation process and hygiene standards. The CFS has provided food safety and environmental hygiene education to the staff. Food and environmental samples were collected for testing.
The investigation of the CHP and CFS is ongoing.
To prevent foodborne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out, one should:
Avoid eating raw seafood;
Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters at a buffet;
Choose pasteurised eggs, egg products or dried egg powder for dishes that often use undercooked eggs;
Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;
Ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating during a hotpot or barbecue meal;
Handle raw and cooked foods carefully and separate them completely during the cooking process;
Use two sets of chopsticks and utensils to handle raw and cooked foods;
Avoid patronising illegal food hawkers;
Drink boiled water;
Susceptible populations, including those with weakened immunity, the elderly, pregnant women and young children are at a higher risk of foodborne diseases, so they should not consume raw or undercooked foods;
Refrain from trying to use salt, vinegar, wine or wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.
Source: AI-found images
