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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

HK probes 1.4k COVID-19 cases

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 1,407 additional COVID-19 cases, of which 13 are imported and the rest are locally infected.   Among the new cases, 698 were detected by nucleic acid tests while 709 were identified via rapid antigen tests.   More than 1.17 million people have contracted the virus since the onset of the fifth wave of the epidemic, involving 8,614 deaths.     This afternoon, the Government made restriction-testing declarations to cover Hei Lai House of Wah Lai Estate in Kwai Chung and Shui Fung House of Tin Shui (II) Estate in Tin Shui Wai, citing the viral load in sewage, information of relevant positive cases and other circumstantial factors.   People in the restricted areas must undergo compulsory testing before the specified deadline.   For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government’s dedicated webpage.
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