The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department has declared February 20 the next poultry rest day. Market stalls and fresh provision shops selling live poultry must suspend business for thorough cleaning and disinfection.

To reduce the risk of avian influenza, the rest day has been advanced to the third day of the Lunar New Year so that cleaning can be done immediately after festive days.

Poultry retailers must observe rest-day conditions and ensure that all live poultry remaining in their stalls or shops are slaughtered before the rest day. Stall owners and licensees must not remove any unsold live poultry from their premises to avoid slaughtering them before the start of the rest day.

The department will inspect poultry outlets on the rest day. Failure to comply with the rest-day conditions will lead to immediate cancellation of fresh-provision shop licences or termination of market-stall tenancies.