The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (January 20) visited single elderly persons and shops in Kwai Tsing District in the morning, and toured the Lunar New Year Fair at Victoria Park in the afternoon to extend festive greetings to citizens.

     In the morning, Mr Lee, accompanied by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, and the Director of Home Affairs, Mrs Alice Cheung, first visited single elderly tenants in Cheung Hang Estate, Tsing Yi, to learn about their living conditions and express warm wishes and care for them. Mr Lee distributed gift packs filled with new year blessings to the elderly persons and put up spring couplets for them, wishing them a healthy Year of the Rabbit.

     Mr Lee said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government spares no effort in improving elderly services with due emphasis on both quality and quantity, and adheres to the policy objective of promoting "ageing in place as the core, with institutional care as back-up". 

     He put forward in the Policy Address the regularisation of the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly in the third quarter this year as well as enhancement of the Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme by allowing the shared use of vouchers between spouses and increasing the annual voucher by $500 to promote the use of primary healthcare services, with a view to responding to the needs of the elderly for healthcare services and improving the standard of services.

     Mr Lee then visited the wet market of Cheung Hang Estate and chatted with different vendors and local citizens to learn more about the market situation as Hong Kong gradually returns to normalcy.

     Accompanied by the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, and the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Ms Irene Young, Mr Lee visited the Lunar New Year Fair at Victoria Park in the afternoon. He chatted with operators of new year flower stalls and members of the public to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Lunar New Year Fair this year.

     Mr Lee said, "The Government continuously relaxes anti-epidemic measures to promote the gradual resumption to normalcy of Hong Kong society while managing relevant risks. The Lunar New Year fairs, which were cancelled in the past two years, have come back this year, and members of the public could enjoy gathering and doing new year shopping at the flower markets with their families and friends again. As various events will be resumed in Hong Kong this year, society will regain the impetus for economic growth. I wish all sectors of the community every success and prosperity in the Year of the Rabbit."

Ends/Friday, January 20, 2023
Issued at HKT 19:24

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