Special traffic and transport arrangements for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
The Transport Department (TD) today (December 23) reminded the public that the following special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented on December 24 and 25 to facilitate the celebrations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Road closures
Road closures will be implemented in Central from 2pm onwards on December 24. The associated bus stops, public light bus stands, taxi stands and parking spaces will be suspended. Depending on the actual situation, the Police may extend the closure area in Central in phases. The bus and green minibus (GMB) routes operating in the affected areas may be subject to temporary diversions, suspension of services or adjustments of associated stops.
The TD urged members of the public to heed ad-hoc traffic and public transport measures which may be implemented by the Police in the Tsim Sha Tsui area at short notice, including roads closures, traffic diversions, alterations or suspension of public transport services and their relevant stops when public safety considerations arise.
Public transport services on December 24 will be adjusted as follows:
- The first departure of MTR Airport Express from Hong Kong to Airport/AsiaWorld-Expo will be advanced and its service from AsiaWorld-Expo (via Airport) to Hong Kong will be extended;
- The service levels of MTR lines (except Airport Express) will be strengthened in phases from 3pm;
- MTR lines (except Airport Express, Disneyland Resort Line and East Rail Line section between Sheung Shui and Lok Ma Chau/Lo Wu)and Light Rail route nos. 505, 507, 610, 614P, 615P, 706 and 751will provide overnight services;
- The operating hours of MTR bus route nos. 506, K51 and K54A will be extended;
- Five special bus services (KMB route nos. N43, N64P, N71, N243 and N272) will be operated in the small hours on December 25. The operating hours of 12 KMB routes in Kowloon and New Territories will be extended; and
- The operating hours of three GMB routes in Kowloon and one GMB route in New Territories will be extended.
Central to Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System Services
The operating hours of the Central to Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System on December 24 and 25 will be extended to 1am on the following day.
For details of the special traffic and public transport arrangements, members of the public may visit the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk) or its mobile application "HKeMobility". Passengers may also refer to the passenger notices displayed by the relevant public transport operators.
Members of the public are advised to make use of public transport services as far as possible to avoid traffic congestion and unnecessary delays. The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures when necessary. The Police may adjust the traffic arrangements, subject to the prevailing crowd and traffic conditions in the areas. The public should pay attention to the latest traffic news through radio, television or "HKeMobility".
The Transport Department, Photo by Bastille Post
CHP investigates imported measles case
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (December 23) is investigating an imported measles case and reminded members of the public who are non-immune to measles to ensure that they have completed two doses of measles vaccination before travelling to reduce the risk of infection.
The case involves a seven-month-old boy who developed fever, cough and runny nose on December 17. He was brought to seek medical attention from a private doctor on December 19. The boy developed a rash on December 21. He was brought to the Accident and Emergency Department of Caritas Medical Centre and admitted on the same day for treatment. His clinical specimen was tested positive for the measles virus upon nucleic acid testing. He is isolated for treatment and is currently in stable condition.
The patient stayed outside Hong Kong from October 1 to December 16. As he spent the whole incubation period outside Hong Kong, the case was classified as an imported case.
An epidemiological investigation revealed that the boy has not yet reached the age to receive the first dose of the measles vaccine. His parents are household contacts and also his travel collaterals. They had not received measles vaccination. The patient's mother presented a fever on December 18. The CHP is arranging testing for her.
Apart from seeking medical attention, the patient mainly stayed at home during the communicable period. The CHP is reaching out contacts who visited the private clinic during the same period on December 19, to identify if high risk persons were involved. The CHP will assess if they had immunity against measles and will arrange vaccinations for contacts who are non-immune. The CHP will continue to put the relevant contacts under medical surveillance. Management of relevant private clinic was requested to report to the CHP if any persons develop measles symptoms for follow up.
The CHP's investigation is ongoing.
"Measles remain as an endemic infection in many places around the world. The number of measles cases in some overseas countries has been increasing recently. The outbreaks in North America (including the United States and Canada), Europe and Southeast Asia areas (including Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines) are ongoing due to the relatively low vaccination rate. Furthermore, an increasing number of measles cases have also been recorded in Japan and Australia this year. Overseas cases mainly affected people who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. This shows the importance of maintaining a high vaccination rate and herd immunity within the community. For those who plan to travel to areas with measles transmission, they should check their vaccination records and medical history as early as possible. If they have not been diagnosed with measles through laboratory tests and have never received two doses of measles vaccine or are not sure if they have received a measles vaccine, they should consult a doctor at least two weeks prior to their trip for vaccination. Pregnant women and women preparing for pregnancy who are non-immune to measles as well as children aged under one year who are not due for the first dose of Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) combined vaccine under theHong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, are advised not to travel to places with outbreaks of measles," the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui, said.
"The incubation period of measles (i.e. the time from infection to onset of illness) is seven to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes. If travellers returning from places with high incidence or outbreak of measles develop symptoms of measles (e.g. fever and rash), they should seek medical advice immediately and avoid contact with non-immune persons, especially pregnant women and infants under one year old. They should also report their symptoms and prior travel history to the healthcare workers so that appropriate infection control measures can be implemented at the healthcare facilities to prevent any potential spread," Dr Tsui added.
"Under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, the overall immunisation coverage in Hong Kong has been maintained at a very high level through the immunisation services provided by the DH's Maternal and Child Health Centres and School Immunisation Teams. As evidenced by the findings on vaccination coverage of primary school students and the territory-wide immunisation surveys conducted regularly by the DH, the two-dose measles vaccination coverage has remained consistently high, well above 95 per cent, and the local seroprevalence rates of measles virus antibodies reflect that most people in Hong Kong are immune to measles. However, Hong Kong, as a city with a high volume of international travel, still faces the potential risk of importation of the measles virus and its further spread in the local community. Hence, a small number of people who have not completed a measles vaccination (such as non-local-born people including new immigrants, foreign domestic helpers, overseas employees and people coming to Hong Kong for further studies) are still at risk of being infected and spreading measles to other people who do not have immunity against measles, such as children under 1 year old who have not yet received the first dose of the measles vaccine," he continued.
People born before 1967 could be considered to have acquired immunity to measles through natural infection, as measles was endemic in many parts of the world and in Hong Kong at that time. People born in or after 1967 who have not yet completed the two doses of measles vaccination or whose measles vaccination history is unknown, should consult their family doctors as soon as possible to complete the vaccination and ensure adequate protection against measles.
Besides being vaccinated against measles, members of the public should take the following measures to prevent infection:
Maintain good personal and environmental hygiene;
Maintain good indoor ventilation;
Keep hands clean and wash hands properly;
Wash hands when they are dirtied by respiratory secretions, such as after sneezing;
Cover the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and mouth discharge properly;
Clean used toys and furniture properly; and
Persons with measles should be kept out of school till four days from the appearance of a rash to prevent the spread of the infection to non-immune persons in school.
For more information on measles, the public may visit the CHP'smeasles thematic page. Members of the public who are going to travel can visit the website of the DH'sTravel Health Servicefor news of measles outbreaks outside Hong Kong.
Source: AI-found images
