The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD) today said a pet dog has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. 

The case involves a German Shepherd dog whose owners live in Pok Fu Lam. This follows an earlier case in which a 17-year-old Pomeranian dog tested weak positive during repeated tests for the virus.

When the German Shepherd's owner was confirmed with COVID-19, it was sent for quarantine with another mixed breed dog from the same residence to the animal keeping facility at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge's Hong Kong Port yesterday.

No positive results were obtained from the mixed breed dog and neither dog has shown any signs of the disease.

The department will continue to closely monitor both dogs and conduct repeated tests on them.

It strongly advises that mammalian pet animals including dogs and cats from households with people confirmed as infected with COVID-19, or close contacts of COVID-19 infected people, should be put under quarantine in AFCD facilities.

The department emphasised that there is currently no evidence pet animals can be a source of COVID-19 for humans or that this virus can cause the disease in dogs.

Pet owners are reminded to maintain good hygiene practices and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets.

The Government today said the first batch of subsidies amounting to $5.6 million under two relief measures for recyclers has been disbursed, while $5.6 million in subsidies had been approved under a management sector support scheme.

The two Recycling Fund measures aim to help the recycling industry cope with the current economic situation and recent operational difficulties arising from the COVID-19 epidemic.

The Advisory Committee on Recycling Fund announced in mid-March to reserve $100 million to launch the One-off Recycling Industry Anti-epidemic Scheme.

The scheme provides timely financial support to help with recyclers’ operational costs for six months. The funding limit for each recycler is $20,000 per month from January 1 to June 30, or $120,000 in total maximum subsidy.

The committee has also allocated additional funds to extend the earlier-launched One-off Rental Support Scheme for another six months, providing a total funding of $200 million to fight the virus and help the recycling industry ride out the difficult times.

The rental support scheme, which benefits street-corner recycling shops and recycling sites, originally ran from October to March. It has been extended for six months until September this year, totalling 12 months.

The monthly rental subsidy for each recycler is capped at $25,000, setting the maximum total rental subsidy at $300,000.

Separately, the Anti-epidemic Support Scheme for Property Management Sector has approved 205 applications involving around $5.6 million in subsidies to benefit more than 1,500 building blocks.

The relevant property management companies and owners’ organisations will receive notifications for subsidy disbursement shortly.

The list of properties for which applications have been approved is available online.

Briefing sessions were held earlier to introduce the scheme to the property management sector and owners’ organisations.

The maximum monthly rental subsidy for each recycler under the One-off Rental Support Scheme will be increased from $25,000 to $37,500, the Environmental Protection Department announced today.

To help the recycling industry cope with the current economic situation and operational difficulties due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Recycling Fund has allocated $50 million in additional funds to raise the scheme’s subsidy level.

The fund has now earmarked up to $250 million in total funding to fight the virus and help the recycling industry ride out difficult times.

On April 15, the Advisory Committee on Recycling Fund agreed to strengthen support under the scheme by increasing the rental assistance from 50% to 75% for the subsidy period from April to September.

The maximum monthly rental subsidy for each recycler will be increased to $37,500, while the maximum total rental subsidy for the 12 months will be increased from $300,000 to $375,000.

The scheme was launched last year to benefit about 500 street-corner recycling shops and 400 recycling sites.

In the face of current economic difficulties, the fund announced in February an extension of the subsidy period from six months to 12 months, lasting until September.     

As of April 9, the scheme has approved 103 applications, involving subsidies of more than $20 million.

The application deadline for the scheme is September 30. Enquiries can be made to 2788 5658 or via email.

Tenants of the EcoPark, country park refreshment kiosks and the Hong Kong Wetland Park will benefit from increased rental concessions for government premises.

To help tenants cope with the economic impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, rental concessions of government premises from April to September will be increased from 50% to 75%.

The Environment Bureau said tenants of the EcoPark, country park refreshment kiosks and the Hong Kong Wetland Park will receive additional rental concessions of about $3.6 million.

Together with the 50% rental concessions provided by the Government from last October to March, these tenants will receive concessions of more than $17 million within 12 months, the bureau said.

Meanwhile, tenants of the Hong Kong Wetland Park will receive a full rental waiver during the park’s closure.

The Government today announced that the Environment Bureau has disbursed about $6.5 million in subsidies to 809 private municipal solid waste collectors by cheque.

Under the Government's latest round of anti-epidemic measures, the bureau launched the Subsidy Scheme for the Refuse Transfer Station Account Holders for Transporting Municipal Solid Waste to provide a one-off relief subsidy of $8,000 to each eligible private municipal solid waste collector.

To provide financial support to the industry as soon as possible, the Environmental Protection Department, following funding approval by the Legislative Council Finance Committee, expedited the subsidy disbursement arrangement by waiving the application procedures.

The cheques have been issued and posted to all eligible private collectors.

Eligible collectors are refuse transfer station account holders who transported municipal solid waste to refuse transfer stations or landfills in the first quarter of the year.

The subsidy will assist them in increasing resources to enhance workers' personal protective equipment and strengthen the disinfection of refuse transport vehicles to curb the risk of virus transmission and maintain environmental hygiene.

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