Hong Kong Health, Welfare and Food Bureau announced Saturday that Hong Kong will impose an additional rest day for all the shops and stalls that sell livestock Monday, in an effort to reduce the bird flu spreading opportunities.
A spokesman for the bureau said as the purchase of live chickens greatly increased during the lunar new year period, an additional livestock shops rest day for cleaning is badly needed.
The livestock shops and stalls are also asked to have a thorough cleaning and sanitizing during door-close day.
The bureau asked the shop and stall owners to slaughter all the livestock before Monday and owners are also forbidden to move the livestock to other places.
Any shop or stall owners act against the announcement will have their business licenses canceled or suspended.
The bureau will send personnel to patrol the streets Monday.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government have already taken more measures to maintain chicken farms' biosecurity and implement more strict hygienic practices in markets, in an effort to curb the bird flu.
Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Yeoh Eng-kiong said earlier that it is also an important task to build an effective monitoring system.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department promised that the department is ready to provide loans for farmers with financial problems in curbing the bird flu.
(eastday.com February 9, 2003)
