Torrential Rain Halts Schools, Courts And Jabs

Torrential rain on Monday morning prompted the authorities to close schools, suspend coronavirus jabs, and postpone court hearings, as the Hong Kong Observatory issued its first Black Rainstorm Warning Signal of the year.

The stock market was also closed for the morning session.

The observatory said more than 70 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in many places and rainfall exceeded 150 millimetres over Hong Kong Island West, Lantau and Lamma.

“The thundery activities were rather active this morning, more than 3,000 strokes of cloud to ground lightening were recorded within Hong Kong,” said senior scientific officer Lin Ping-wah.

“Because of seriously flooded roads and inclement weather conditions, you are advised to take shelter and stay there,” he added, warning that heavy rain would still affect the territory for some time.

The black warning signal was replaced by the lower red warning at 11.05am, which was in turn replaced by the amber warning, the lowest of the three signals, at 11.45am. The amber warning was cancelled at 12.30pm.

The judiciary said all court and tribunal hearings were adjourned for the day.

Meanwhile, community vaccination centres for Covid-19 jabs stayed open but suspended vaccination services.

Officials said the centres would resume services as soon as possible after the black warning signal was cancelled.

Morning schools and whole-day schools were closed for the day, but authorities said schools should keep their premises open and implement contingency measures to look after any students who turned up, adding that parents did not need to pick up their children from schools immediately.

The Social Welfare Department also advised the public not to take their children or family members to care centres, training centres or workshops.

However, it stressed that these centres would stay open during their normal operating hours for those families who couldn't make alternative arrangements.

The Transport Department said at one point all lanes bound for Tuen Mun of the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kuk Tunnel Road were closed to traffic.

At the bus stop in the Cross Harbour Tunnel, a worker who gave her surname as Ng, criticised the observatory, saying it should have issued the black warning earlier if it knew rainfall was going to be so heavy.

Another man, surnamed Ng, said since he was already on his way to work he would continue his journey anyway.

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