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Following is the transcript of remarks (English portion) by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at a media session at the airport upon his return from Hefei, Anhui this morning (April 27):
Reporter: Can you say a few words about Swine Flu and the preparations for it?
Chief Executive: We do not know much about this virus, but a few facts are confronting us. First of all, we know this seems to be human transmission. And there are cases established in North America, including United States and Canada, and there are reported cases elsewhere as well. The second fact is Mexico is a popular tourist destination with thousands of tourists going in and out of Mexico on any one day. They include Hong Kong and Mainland tourists. Hong Kong, of course, is a cosmopolitan city. We do not easily close our borders, and it is quite possible people carrying this virus during the hibernation period may come into Hong Kong. So we have to be well prepared for cases appearing in Hong Kong.
Reporter: What preparations are we making?
Chief Executive: All these have been detailed by the Secretary (for Food and Health) yesterday, and we are going to regularly report to Hong Kong people how this thing is evolving, particularly various preventive measures we are taking.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Monday, April 27, 2009
Issued at HKT 12:36
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