ENG-1982 — Page 145

100

HEALTH

In line with recent anti-smoking measures, all enclosed places of public entertainment, including cinemas, theatres, concert halls and auditoria, are required under new licensing conditions to designate at least 50 per cent of each type of seating as a non-smoking area. People smoking in such areas are liable to prosecution.

Food premises are now required to obtain a fire safety certificate before a licence is issued. This new measure applies to restaurants, food factories, bakeries and factory canteens.

The central licensing section is responsible for dealing with applications for licences other than hawker licences. They are issued under the Public health and Urban Services Ordinance, the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance and the Dutiable Commodities (Liquor) Regulations.

The food section of the Urban Services Department continued its two-pronged activities during the year to ensure that food and food products for sale, whether imported or locally produced, were hygienic and safe for human-consumption. This covers law enforcement, with regular monitoring of standards of hygiene and systematic sampling of food products for chemical and microbiological analysis. It also covers research and development through liaison with the World Health Organisation and other international bodies to keep Hong Kong abreast of international developments in food science and toxicological evaluation to benefit and protect local food traders and consumers.

District and regional pest control staff carried out measures to prevent and control rodents, mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, fleas and other pests. The measures employed include environmental improvements, public health educational campaigns, the destruction of breeding places, the use of pesticides and law enforcement.

In 1982, the health education section organised a number of educational campaigns on environmental and food hygiene. In addition, talks, courses and film shows were given to food service personnel, school children, voluntary welfare agencies, building caretakers and Vietnamese refugees. Contests and competitions were held in schools to promote health education and a mobile broadcast was arranged to give basic health education to Filipina maids and new immigrants from China.

Markets

In the urban areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, the Urban Council runs 52 public markets with more than 5 900 stalls. The trade is almost exclusively the retail sale of fresh foodstuffs such as meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and fruit, as well as various types of general merchandise such as haberdashery and household goods. The commodities available in public markets have diversified over the years as increasing numbers of on-street hawkers have been accommodated in new market buildings. A cooked food centre is now a standard facility in modern market complexes.

Many existing public markets are still in old buildings and it is the policy of the council to re-develop these markets into modern multi-purpose market complexes with other facilities such as games halls, rest gardens, libraries and auditoria for the performing arts. During 1982, five new markets - at Centre Street, Southorn Playground, Sai Wan Ho and Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island, and Cheung Sha Wan in Kowloon – were completed. The Aberdeen complex, the most modern market complex in Hong Kong, houses 345 stalls and provides recreational, cultural, library, restaurant and office facilities under one roof. The number of new stalls provided during the year came to 1 101.

In the New Territories, the government runs 33 public markets outside public housing estates with accommodation for more than 2 900 stallholders. Four new markets were completed during the year, giving an additional 1 150 stalls.