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Apr exports value down 13%

The value of Hong Kong's total exports decreased to $338.3 billion in April, down 13% on the same month last year, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.   The value of imports of goods decreased 11.9% to $374.9 billion for the same period.   A trade deficit of $36.6 billion, or 9.8% of the value of imports, was recorded in April.   Comparing the three-month period ending April with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of exports rose 15.4%, while that of imports increased 10.7%.   The Government noted that the value of merchandise exports declined further from a year earlier in April. Exports to the Mainland, the US and the European Union all shrank and exports to other major Asian markets recorded decreases of varying degrees.   Looking ahead, it added that the weakness in the advanced economies will continue to weigh on Hong Kong's export performance, though the expected faster recovery of the Mainland economy should

Over 1k cases in restricted areas

The Government today announced that 1,063 preliminary positive COVID-19 cases were found in the compulsory testing exercises for the restricted areas covering eight buildings in Yuen Long, Kowloon City and Aberdeen.   It made restriction-testing declarations yesterday for Shin Yung, Shin Oi and Shin Leung houses of Long Shin Estate in Yuen Long, where about 2,580 people were tested and 264 preliminary positive cases were identified.   For Lok Ching, Hong Ching and Yan Ching houses of Kai Ching Estate in Kowloon City, which were also covered by the declarations, around 4,950 people got tested and 744 preliminary positive cases were detected.   At Hoi Chun and Hoi Chu courts of Aberdeen Centre, 55 out of about 700 people tested preliminarily positive for the virus.   There were also 102 indeterminate cases in the restricted areas, the Government added.
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