Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Alice Lau said in the evening that 470 retail outlets have been closed down following the announcement. They include 260 stalls in 64 markets and 209 fresh food stores.

Immediately after the culling of the live poultry, officials will disinfect the retail outlets, she said.

She recognized there is "room for improvement" in the prevention of avian flu.

"We are going to discuss with the trade to better manage avian flu in markets," she said.

As to compensation for the trade, she said the law requires the government to give chicken traders HK$30 per chicken.

Assistant Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Thomas Sit said no chicken died from the virus probably because all chickens have been vaccinated, and that the quantity of the virus was relatively small.

According to the gene sequencing, there is no mutation of the virus, he added.

He urged members of the public to avoid direct contact with live chickens, and clean themselves thoroughly after touching chicken feces.

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Excise Tam Yiu-keung said there has not been any evidence that suggests chickens at the Shum Shui Po market were smuggled.

At the same time, Controller of the Centre for Health Protection Thomas Tsang said no symptoms of avian flu were found in the some 20 workers at the market.

"We will step up surveillance for human cases of avian flu virus infection," he added.

On a radio program yesterday, Secretary for Food and Health York Chow called for the trade's cooperation in preventing chicken smuggling.

"Some people in the trade might have seen their chickens get sick or die and kept quiet about it all along," he said. "But for us to trace the source of the virus, cooperation from the trade is much needed."

(HK Edition 06/12/2008 page1)