CS Eric Chan on mosquito-control measures and black rain responses
發佈日期: 2025-08-09 20:02
TVB News
The city has recorded five imported cases of chikungunya fever so far this year. Authorities have stepped up mosquito control near the patients' residences and in areas with a higher mosquito infestation index.
Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan said he was confident that the city can keep a lid on the chikungunya fever outbreak.
Friday saw a confirmed case of chikungunya fever, involving a 66-year-old woman residing at Shek Lei (1) Estate in Kwai Chung.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) sent multiple officers donning protective clothing to the residential complex in the morning to spray insecticide into drains and flowerbeds.
As for another possible case, the patient lives around Sai Wan Ho Street, where mosquito control measures were undertaken.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department unveiled the first batch of gravidtrap index and density index of Asian tiger mosquitoes for August, covering 13 districts.
Three districts logged an increase -- Tsim Sha Tsui East, Sha Tin East and So Kwun Wat, with the index in So Kwun Wat reaching 16.4 percent.
Under the government's new arrangements, the FEHD will step up mosquito control in areas where the index is between 10 and 20 percent -- tightened from the previous threshold of 20 percent or above.
This resident at So Kwun Wat says the mosquito infestation in the area is serious with frequent bites while they wait for buses.
Tuen Mun District Councillor Fung Pui-yin notes that mosquito control efforts should not rely solely on the FEHD because different places are under the management of different authorities. So collective campaigns are necessary across all stakeholders, Fung says.
Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan, meanwhile, says authorities will strengthen mosquito control at border points and he is confident that the outbreak can be contained.
Chan also commented on the black rainstorm warning issued on Tuesday. That day's single-day rainfall has shattered August records and brought flooding to multiple districts.
Many workers still headed to work under the adverse weather conditions. Eric Chan says employers would be held liable if they insist workers report for duty under such unsafe or unreasonable circumstances.
He says a Typhoon No. 8 Warning or black rainstorm warning already entails extreme weather.
If, after such warnings, the city is still unsuitable for work -- because of transport disruptions, flooding or road blockages -- the government will cite "extreme conditions" as a remedy.
He adds that a citywide power outage will also constitute an "extreme condition."
Eric Chan says the Extreme Weather Steering Committee, which he chairs, did not meet at the time over Tuesday's situation.
Instead, the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre was put into operation automatically and was instructed by director-level officials straight away.
