As the situation in Bahrain continues to deteriorate, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced Saturday that it has decided to raise the outbound travel alert for the country to red.

The government said in a release that Hong Kong residents intending to visit Bahrain should adjust their travel plans and avoid non-essential travel. Those already in Bahrain should attend to their safety and avoid protests and large gathering of people.

The release also reminded Hong Kong residents the number of a 24-hour hotline of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit if they are in need.

Hong Kong's three-sign outbound travel alert system covers 60 countries and regions which are the most popular travel destinations for local people, using amber, red and black to differentiate between different levels of risk.