The Labour Department (LD) announced today (March 5) that after a staff member had earlier preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19, his co-living family member also preliminarily tested positive.
           
     The family member, also a staff member of the LD, works in the Labour Inspection Division on the 10th floor of Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices which is the adjacent office on the same floor of the staff member preliminarily confirmed with infection earlier. She last went to the office on March 4. She had no contact with members of the public in her daily work, and had been wearing surgical masks and properly maintaining social distancing with other people while performing duties. Her body temperature was normal during temperature screening at work.

     The LD has arranged to fully clean and sterilise the workplace of the staff member concerned, including the common areas, in accordance with the guidelines of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP). The Labour Inspection Division and Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board (MECAB) on the same floor will be closed for 14 days in accordance with the CHP's advice. All staff working on the same floor have to undertake COVID-19 tests and work from home until the test results are available. The service counters of the MECAB, the Labour Relations Division (Kowloon West Branch Office), the Employees' Compensation Division, the Occupational Medicine Unit (Kowloon), and the Operations Division (Kowloon Region) of the Occupational Safety Service on the same floor have suspended services until further notice. Members of the public who have made prior service appointments with these offices will be informed of the alternative arrangements individually.

     The LD is highly concerned about the recent cases and will maintain close liaison with the CHP in its anti-epidemic work. It will continue to implement various disease prevention measures, and remind all staff to stay vigilant in regard to personal hygiene at all times. If they feel unwell, they should seek medical advice immediately and inform the department.

Ends/Friday, March 5, 2021
Issued at HKT 20:40

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