https://www.scmp.com/rss/510060/feed Latest news and updates about Hong Kong quarantine rules and policies which have been put in place as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Hong Kong government has stipulated that people arriving in Hong Kong must undertake compulsory quarantine in hotels, for up to 21 days in some cases. The city also has designated quarantine camps for people who have been in close contact with confirmed cases. The measures are all part of methods to stem the transmission of Covid-19. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Around the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, former Hong Kong Institution of Engineers president Yuen Pak-leung saw a news report about a 1,000-bed hospital being built in 10 days in the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan. Yuen, who had worked in hospital engineering for more than 40 years, was having dim sum but immediately drew a design on paper for an isolation ward, thinking Hong Kong was also capable of doing something similar to Wuhan. That was in February 2020 and just four months later, Yuen... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3292681/how-hong-kong-hospital-engineer-tackled-mission-impossible-covid-ward?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3292681/how-hong-kong-hospital-engineer-tackled-mission-impossible-covid-ward?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2024 23:30:09 +0000 The site of a temporary Covid-19 hospital built in Hong Kong during the pandemic will be transferred to airport authorities for expansion of the AsiaWorld-Expo exhibition centre. The government on Friday pledged to use the prefabricated isolation wards and equipment from the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre elsewhere as the site in Tung Chung would be released to the Airport Authority. “The medical equipment, ancillary equipment, furniture and consumables in the hospital... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3273952/site-temporary-hong-kong-covid-hospital-be-used-asiaworld-expo-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3273952/site-temporary-hong-kong-covid-hospital-be-used-asiaworld-expo-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Aug 2024 12:23:23 +0000 The Hong Kong government’s decision in 2021 to give up 7.5 million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccines was triggered by safety concerns, a pandemic adviser has revealed in his newly published autobiography. Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, the chair of infectious diseases at the University of Hong Kong’s department of microbiology, also disclosed details of how health authorities were not immediately ready for a lockdown at a public housing block even when experts deemed it necessary to contain... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3269453/safety-concerns-behind-hong-kong-abandoning-astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccines-new-book-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3269453/safety-concerns-behind-hong-kong-abandoning-astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccines-new-book-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2024 04:00:16 +0000 Hong Kong’s health and quarantine measures during the coronavirus pandemic were among the most notoriously stringent in the world. Thankfully, they are history now. However, the isolation rules for imported pet cats and dogs that preceded the health crisis remain just as tough. Authorities should speed up plans to ease restrictions to help combat animal smuggling and to draw more talent and encourage former residents to return. A year after a Post editorial said it was time to loosen the leash... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3266994/hong-kong-must-strike-right-balance-imported-pets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3266994/hong-kong-must-strike-right-balance-imported-pets?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:45:08 +0000 A leading infectious disease expert from Hong Kong has told how his childhood fascination with animals and even astronomy helped him become a top microbiologist, as he looks back on his life in a soon-to-be-released autobiography. My Life in Medicine: A Hong Kong Journey is to be published in mid-July, with the English-language book delving into the life of Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, 67, covering his early years all the way up to his work as a government adviser during the Covid-19... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3266807/hong-kongs-yuen-kwok-yung-shares-his-journey-becoming-top-disease-expert-new-book?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3266807/hong-kongs-yuen-kwok-yung-shares-his-journey-becoming-top-disease-expert-new-book?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jun 2024 01:00:23 +0000 A disused Covid-19 isolation centre on a prime Hong Kong site could get a new lease of life as a base for the creative industries, the development chief said on Wednesday. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho also dismissed earlier claims that HK$3.75 million (US$478,830) a month was being wasted on the upkeep of six isolation centres as she told lawmakers about the government’s plans for the facilities. She said the Kai Tak site, near the city’s former airport, had better... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3259378/disused-hong-kong-covid-19-kai-tak-quarantine-centre-could-be-turned-creative-hub-and-used-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3259378/disused-hong-kong-covid-19-kai-tak-quarantine-centre-could-be-turned-creative-hub-and-used-other?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2024 14:52:38 +0000 Hong Kong lawmakers have accused the government of wasting public money after it was revealed about HK$3.75 million is being spent each month to maintain six community isolation facilities unused since the coronavirus pandemic. The legislators on Tuesday urged authorities to make better use of the sites by turning some of them over for other purposes as soon as possible. According to a Development Bureau paper submitted to the Legislative Council’s Special Finance Committee on Monday, all... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3259193/hong-kong-lawmakers-slam-hk375-million-monthly-bill-6-covid-isolation-facilities-standby?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3259193/hong-kong-lawmakers-slam-hk375-million-monthly-bill-6-covid-isolation-facilities-standby?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2024 08:56:19 +0000 A university study has found that the closure of venues such as party rooms and game centres in Hong Kong over the Covid-19 pandemic had not helped cut drug abuse. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) department of emergency medicine also warned that the use of hallucinogenic ketamine rose, despite a drop in the use of other drugs during coronavirus restrictions. The research team suggested the findings were reflected in the number of illegal drug users seeking help at accident... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3248294/hong-kong-researchers-find-ketamine-use-rose-during-covid-19-restrictions-despite-drop-consumption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3248294/hong-kong-researchers-find-ketamine-use-rose-during-covid-19-restrictions-despite-drop-consumption?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:00:10 +0000 Attractions with stronger appeal for experience-hungry travellers are being rolled out, raising hopes that Hong Kong can reinvigorate its tourism hub status. It is good to see the sector and authorities opening doors for visitors and locals to enjoy novel interactions with what the city has to offer beyond the shopping and dining focus before the Covid-19 pandemic. One new approach is a sightseeing bus route on Lantau, Hong Kong’s largest island. Since last week, coaches have been linking... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3244286/new-route-visitors-experience-real-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3244286/new-route-visitors-experience-real-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2023 22:30:18 +0000 A makeshift hospital built for Covid-19 patients will further expand its services by providing endoscopy procedures, sleep tests and microbiology screening to help reduce the burden on Hong Kong’s stretched public sector. Patients referred from public hospitals will be able to receive endoscopy and sleep tests at the facility located in the Lok Ma Chau Loop near the border with mainland China from October 31. A microbiology laboratory has also been in operation to screen for multi-drug resistant... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3238805/makeshift-hong-kong-covid-19-hospital-offer-more-services-authority-targets-pressure-points-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3238805/makeshift-hong-kong-covid-19-hospital-offer-more-services-authority-targets-pressure-points-public?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Oct 2023 23:30:26 +0000 Expats, the Amazon Prime Video TV series starring Nicole Kidman and shot in Hong Kong during the Covid-19 pandemic, just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8. TIFF debuted the series’ penultimate episode “Central”, which follows the narratives of two Filipina domestic workers linked to the expat community. It covers a time when the local political movement is at a point of no return. Meanwhile, a typhoon hits the city. Based on Janice Y.K. Lee’s internationally... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/entertainment-news/article/3233866/what-know-about-nicole-kidmans-tv-show-hong-kong-expats-amazon-prime-series-debut-tiff-and-book-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/entertainment-news/article/3233866/what-know-about-nicole-kidmans-tv-show-hong-kong-expats-amazon-prime-series-debut-tiff-and-book-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Sep 2023 00:00:10 +0000 It may be time to loosen the leash on pet imports to Hong Kong, where eased quarantine policies could help counter animal smuggling and help draw more global talent needed for post-pandemic recovery. The city’s isolation rules are the toughest in the world, matched only by Guam and Hawaii. Currently, a four-month import quarantine is required for dogs and cats arriving from places where rabies is not under effective control. The rules have undoubtedly served an important purpose in fighting an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3226261/time-loosen-leash-pet-imports-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3226261/time-loosen-leash-pet-imports-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2023 23:30:09 +0000 Twenty-five years after the last flight took off from Kai Tak, the area is again generating the noisiest sound bite in town. The arguments against locating 10,700 “light public housing” units at the Olympic Avenue plot are many and varied. Local residents have protested against the lack of public consultation, the potential delays in opening the city’s second central business district, the obstruction of views from other low-level residential buildings in surrounding complexes, the significant... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3210317/whats-point-temporary-housing-if-it-still-takes-years-and-millions-build?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3210317/whats-point-temporary-housing-if-it-still-takes-years-and-millions-build?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Feb 2023 23:15:09 +0000 Hong Kong’s newest overland link to mainland China has already attracted curious residents a day before it opens to the public. Heung Yuen Wai in the New Territories, used by trucks only since 2020, will now handle passenger traffic as well from Monday. The checkpoint will begin operations the same day all border crossings are expected to reopen after nearly all remaining mainland travel restrictions were lifted. The HK$33.7 billion crossing is the seventh land-based control point on the border... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3209174/hong-kongs-newest-border-crossing-mainland-china-open-passenger-traffic-monday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3209174/hong-kongs-newest-border-crossing-mainland-china-open-passenger-traffic-monday?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Feb 2023 14:13:15 +0000 Hong Kong health staff battling the Covid-19 fourth wave were swamped around the time an elderly woman with chronic illnesses died alone at home before a quarantine space could be found for her, an inquest heard on Wednesday. Dr Albert Au Ka-wing, a principal medical and health officer at the Centre for Health Protection, told the Coroner’s Court that the expansion of a task force designed to tackle the pandemic could not keep up with the surge in cases as the fourth wave hammered the city in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3208756/death-hong-kong-woman-forced-wait-covid-19-quarantine-spot-came-health-staff-overloaded-fourth-wave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3208756/death-hong-kong-woman-forced-wait-covid-19-quarantine-spot-came-health-staff-overloaded-fourth-wave?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Feb 2023 12:24:56 +0000 Hundreds of Covid-19 patients will be allowed to leave isolation facilities in Hong Kong from Monday, as one of the last remaining pandemic control measures comes to end after more than three years. The city’s other main anti-epidemic measures – mandatory tests for travellers and a quota for mainland China border crossings – could also be dropped soon, Tam Yiu-chung, the city’s sole delegate to the country’s top legislative body, said on Sunday. Authorities will continue to use the Penny’s Bay... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3208374/coronavirus-patients-hong-kong-isolation-facilities-set-leave-mandatory-stays-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3208374/coronavirus-patients-hong-kong-isolation-facilities-set-leave-mandatory-stays-end?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jan 2023 13:32:08 +0000 Hong Kong’s exit from zero tolerance of Covid-19 has been one of starts and stops. The end is in sight, after the scrapping of mandatory isolation of those who test positive for the coronavirus from January 30. Isolation of infected people along with the quarantine of travellers, abandoned in September, once formed twin pillars of a scientific response to the pandemic. But they had long set Hong Kong apart from a world that had moved on, except for the rest of China. Now even the mainland has... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207465/end-hong-kong-isolation-does-not-mean-goodbye-vaccines-and-masks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207465/end-hong-kong-isolation-does-not-mean-goodbye-vaccines-and-masks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jan 2023 22:30:07 +0000 Seven Hong Kong quarantine facilities built in a rush by the government on sprawling sites and providing more than 40,000 beds are currently unoccupied, the Post has learned. Only two facilities – at Kai Tak and Penny’s Bay – are still being used. Lawmakers and healthcare sector stakeholders have urged the government to come up with alternative plans for the idle facilities which sit on over 72 hectares (177 acres), an area large enough for about 86 football fields. In a city notorious for its... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3206868/covid-white-elephants-hong-kong-isolation-facilities-40000-beds-left-empty-quarantine-numbers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3206868/covid-white-elephants-hong-kong-isolation-facilities-40000-beds-left-empty-quarantine-numbers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jan 2023 02:30:08 +0000 This story has been made freely available. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Key points: Daily quota for three land crossings set at 35,000 for Lok Ma Chau spur line, 10,000 for Shenzhen Bay and 5,000 for Man Kam To Visitors heading north via land crossings, except mainland residents living in Hong Kong, must first register online before departure More than 250,000 people in Hong Kong have so far signed up Travellers need to produce a negative PCR test taken... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3205656/coronavirus-hong-kong-reveal-details-border-reopening-mainland-china-230pm-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3205656/coronavirus-hong-kong-reveal-details-border-reopening-mainland-china-230pm-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jan 2023 06:26:21 +0000 Hong Kong is pinning its hopes on reopening the border with the mainland, and understandably so. Three years of pandemic have disrupted cross-border business and social activities and dealt a heavy blow to the economy. This is why the government is pushing ahead with the plan earlier than expected, despite ongoing outbreaks on both sides in recent days. The unsettling circumstances have made preparation for the reopening all the more challenging. Officials have sensibly opted for a quota system... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3205480/no-room-error-reopening-hong-kongs-border-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3205480/no-room-error-reopening-hong-kongs-border-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jan 2023 22:15:15 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan Just like that, another year has come and gone. 2022 has passed in the blink of an eye and it’s almost time to ring in the new year. And what a year it’s been! For sports fans, the Fifa World Cup was a highlight, with a projected five billion people globally watching some part of the month-long tournament. The most popular sporting event on the planet saw a host of records broken – from the most goals scored in the tournament, to Lionel Messi breaking 10 World Cup records, including being the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3204860/let-2023-be-year-which-hong-kongs-fortunes-turn-around?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3204860/let-2023-be-year-which-hong-kongs-fortunes-turn-around?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2022 00:15:08 +0000 Having fought Covid-19 with the toughest measures in the world for three years, there is no better way for Hong Kong to ring in the new year than to scrap most of its restrictions. To many who have been longing for life to return to normal, the latest moves – the most significant yet since the onslaught of the crisis – are long overdue. It remains to be seen whether such steps, which follow the abrupt change of strategy on the mainland, spell final victory over the contagion, but it seems too... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3204991/caution-best-route-take-reopening-border-draws-near?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3204991/caution-best-route-take-reopening-border-draws-near?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Dec 2022 22:45:08 +0000 It is time to “hand over responsibility and power” to Hongkongers in the fight against Covid-19, the city’s health minister has said while insisting residents have become more familiar with the coronavirus. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Thursday sought to reassure the city amid latest changes that marked Hong Kong’s most drastic round of eased pandemic curbs. Lo said infections would not overwhelm the healthcare system and that the lifting of quarantine for close contacts would release... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3204914/coronavirus-time-hand-over-responsibility-and-power-hongkongers-fight-against-covid-health-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3204914/coronavirus-time-hand-over-responsibility-and-power-hongkongers-fight-against-covid-health-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Dec 2022 06:52:32 +0000 Hong Kong on Wednesday announced its most drastic easing of travel curbs and Covid-19 policies since the pandemic emerged nearly three years ago, exempting inbound passengers from post-arrival tests, dropping the vaccine pass scheme and all social-distancing measures. The move came on the back of Beijing’s announcement two days earlier to scrap mandatory quarantine for arrivals and reopen China’s borders from next month. The Post unpacks what travellers can expect when visiting Hong Kong. Hong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3204846/welcome-hong-kong-citys-latest-drastic-easing-covid-curbs-heres-what-you-need-know-if-youre-finally?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3204846/welcome-hong-kong-citys-latest-drastic-easing-covid-curbs-heres-what-you-need-know-if-youre-finally?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Dec 2022 12:39:25 +0000 Hong Kong’s tourism sector has struggled to secure more manpower and coaches ahead of a proposed full reopening of the mainland Chinese border next month and needs government subsidies to recover from almost three years of Covid-19 travel curbs, industry leaders have said. Ricky Tse Kam-ting, founding president of the Hong Kong Inbound Tour Operators Association, on Monday said his own business before the pandemic had focused on trips for Southeast Asian tourists and maintained more than 100... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3204606/hong-kongs-travel-sector-struggling-shortage-staff-coaches-ahead-planned-border-reopening-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3204606/hong-kongs-travel-sector-struggling-shortage-staff-coaches-ahead-planned-border-reopening-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Dec 2022 10:55:27 +0000 International and Asian businesses will refocus on Hong Kong, as recent the recent easing of Covid-19 restrictions and expected reopening of the border with mainland China help the city retain its international financial hub status, according to Swire Properties and Hongkong Land, two of the largest commercial landlords in the city. “Assisted by the easing of border and social-distancing restrictions, we expect international and Asian financial and professional services businesses to refocus... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3203613/swire-properties-hongkong-land-say-businesses-will-refocus-hong-kong-covid-19-curbs-end-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3203613/swire-properties-hongkong-land-say-businesses-will-refocus-hong-kong-covid-19-curbs-end-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Dec 2022 01:30:12 +0000 Hongkongers, alongside Taiwan and overseas travellers, can choose to isolate at their homes or hotels in Macau for five days instead of at centralised isolation facilities starting from Saturday as the casino hub further eases its Covid-19 curbs. Scholars from Macau on Friday expressed confidence the latest relaxations to its pandemic control regime would provide a boost to its economy. Travellers will still need to obtain a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result in the 48 hours before... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203556/macau-eases-covid-19-rules-allows-home-quarantine-arrivals-including-those-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203556/macau-eases-covid-19-rules-allows-home-quarantine-arrivals-including-those-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Dec 2022 07:40:25 +0000 Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu’s move to lift almost all travel restrictions for incoming arrivals was undertaken without going through the city’s key decision-making body and top health experts, the Post has learned. He acted as soon as Beijing gave him the green light, sources said, in explaining the sudden shift towards the new “0+0” entry regime for arrivals announced on Tuesday. Lee made the announcement and later health minister Lo Chung-mau and officials unveiled details of how... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203335/coronavirus-why-did-hong-kong-suddenly-decide-introduce-00-scheme-after-weeks-touting-need-gradual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203335/coronavirus-why-did-hong-kong-suddenly-decide-introduce-00-scheme-after-weeks-touting-need-gradual?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Dec 2022 02:30:11 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong on Tuesday announced the biggest easing of its Covid-19 regime since the pandemic hit almost three years ago, including allowing arrivals who test negative free movement and an end to the use of the “Leave Home Safe” risk-exposure app. Moving from a much-criticised “0+3” Covid-19 entry rule – where inbound travellers had to undergo three days of... https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/explainers-faqs/article/3203294/ultimate-guide-dos-and-donts-new-covid-19-regime-after-hong-kong-moves-its-lowest-precaution-level?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/explainers-faqs/article/3203294/ultimate-guide-dos-and-donts-new-covid-19-regime-after-hong-kong-moves-its-lowest-precaution-level?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2022 11:00:23 +0000 Hong Kong residents, businesspeople and visitors all have high hopes that the long-awaited lifting of the city’s travel restrictions and the end of medical supervision rules for arrivals will help put the bounce back in the economy. But business leaders and economists said it could take more than a year for the city to recover its shine after the border with mainland China fully reopened. The introduction of the “0+0” arrangement was welcomed as a breath of fresh air for a city stifled by three... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203194/hong-kongs-latest-00-covid-policy-long-awaited-change-how-soon-will-it-see-results?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203194/hong-kongs-latest-00-covid-policy-long-awaited-change-how-soon-will-it-see-results?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2022 00:00:10 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Key points: From Wednesday, no more amber health code for arrivals, who can roam freely in the city if they test negative Residents will not be required to use the risk-exposure ‘Leave Home Safe’ app in all premises, but proof of vaccination will be required for entry to designated venues Compulsory PCR tests issued to residential buildings will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203077/coronavirus-hong-kong-lifts-all-restrictions-arrivals-city-ends-03-regime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203077/coronavirus-hong-kong-lifts-all-restrictions-arrivals-city-ends-03-regime?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Dec 2022 02:49:12 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong has further eased its quarantine and isolation measures following mainland China’s major shift away from its zero-Covid policy, but a continuing surge in daily infections is keeping the city from lifting social-distancing rules over the coming holiday season. From Friday, residents and arrivals infected with Covid-19 will be allowed to leave... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3202486/coronavirus-hong-kong-ease-isolation-rules-infected-travellers-release-fifth-day-instead-seventh?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3202486/coronavirus-hong-kong-ease-isolation-rules-infected-travellers-release-fifth-day-instead-seventh?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Dec 2022 03:14:49 +0000 Beijing’s long-awaited easing of coronavirus precautions has sparked hopes that Hong Kong may soon be able to fully reopen its border with mainland China, as well as do away with traveller entry restrictions, the city’s business leaders and health experts have said. Commerce sector lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, also a member of the key decision-making body the Executive Council, appealed to the government on Wednesday to restart discussions on reopening the city’s border with the mainland,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3202444/coronavirus-mainland-chinas-easing-should-spur-hong-kong-ask-border-reopening-business-leaders-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3202444/coronavirus-mainland-chinas-easing-should-spur-hong-kong-ask-border-reopening-business-leaders-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Dec 2022 13:43:21 +0000 Two former Cathay Pacific Airways flight attendants on Thursday were each sentenced to eight weeks in jail for breaching Covid-19 quarantine rules in Hong Kong while infected with the highly contagious Omicron variant. They were thought to be responsible last year for sparking one of the earliest clusters in the city’s fifth and most severe wave of infections. Wong Yoon-loong and Nilsson Lau Kok-wang, both 45, were initially jailed for nine weeks. But the court gave each of them a discount of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3201635/2-former-cathay-pacific-flight-attendants-each-jailed-8-weeks-breaching-hong-kongs-covid-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3201635/2-former-cathay-pacific-flight-attendants-each-jailed-8-weeks-breaching-hong-kongs-covid-quarantine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2022 04:00:57 +0000 With daily coronavirus infections recently edging uncomfortably to more than 9,000, the government’s decision to maintain the existing health restrictions does not come as a surprise. While vigilance must prevail to help curb the outbreak, the city should not shy away from further opening up as appropriate. Striking a good balance remains the key. The health authorities have sensibly resisted tightening measures despite more disturbing developments. The city logged 54,266 new infections over the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201059/balanced-approach-required-rise-covid-infections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201059/balanced-approach-required-rise-covid-infections?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Nov 2022 22:15:11 +0000 Hong Kong has just embarked on an unprecedented self-promotion drive to relaunch itself on the world stage. That is not to say the city’s strategic location and free economy no longer have intrinsic appeal to international finance and trade, but nearly three years of isolation by strict Covid controls, on top of social unrest and the imposition of a national security law, have taken a toll on perceptions of its future. It cannot be taken for granted. A reflection of that is to be found in the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3200475/world-gets-message-hong-kongs-advantages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3200475/world-gets-message-hong-kongs-advantages?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Nov 2022 23:45:08 +0000 Hong Kong businesses could reap the benefits of Beijing’s latest easing of Covid-19 arrival curbs if the Shenzhen quarantine quota for cross-border travellers from the financial hub is raised from the current 1,000, according to a government adviser. Executive councillor Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung pushed for an alignment in policies on Saturday after mainland China cut its week-long hotel quarantine for inbound travellers to five days. Lam and others also urged authorities to allow business owners and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3199344/hongkongers-thrilled-beijings-reduction-hotel-quarantine-arrivals-businesses-and-families-want-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3199344/hongkongers-thrilled-beijings-reduction-hotel-quarantine-arrivals-businesses-and-families-want-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Nov 2022 00:00:14 +0000 Nearly three years into the pandemic, the coronavirus continues to lurk in different parts of the world. But unlike the nonchalant approach adopted by some overseas authorities, the Hong Kong government is not only locked in a tough battle against the pathogen, but also fighting an opinion war over its stringent measures that have been increasingly questioned by the Covid-fatigued community. Amid mounting calls to scrap more restrictions, the latest relaxations may sound underwhelming. Take the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199369/slow-pace-recovery-quick-upset-many?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3199369/slow-pace-recovery-quick-upset-many?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 23:15:11 +0000 The final siren has sounded. The beer jugs have been collected. And the stadium has returned to the eerie silence that has, sadly, epitomised the venue for the last few years. The Hong Kong Sevens ended on a high note and injected a much-needed spirit of hope and optimism back into the community – probably the only event that could have done that, restrictions and all. But what next? As we look forward to a solid events calendar over the next few months, here are seven lessons from the Sevens... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198742/seven-lessons-sevens-rugby-success-hong-kong-reopens-events?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198742/seven-lessons-sevens-rugby-success-hong-kong-reopens-events?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Nov 2022 00:15:11 +0000 Group tour visitors coming to Hong Kong will soon be able to enter designated tourist attractions including restaurants, theme parks and museums while undergoing their three-day medical surveillance in a further easing of remaining Covid-19 restrictions. As the city gears up for a return to normality, 35 out of about 510 local primary schools have also applied to resume full-day classes from December 1, the first time since August 2020 that primary pupils will attend whole-day sessions in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3198787/coronavirus-travellers-coming-hong-kong-group-trips-will-soon-be-allowed-restaurants-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3198787/coronavirus-travellers-coming-hong-kong-group-trips-will-soon-be-allowed-restaurants-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 14:22:46 +0000 A decision by Hong Kong health authorities to stop taking nasal swab samples for Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests could allow more imported cases to enter the community, but does not pose a risk to the local pandemic situation, medical experts have said. But respiratory medicine expert Dr Leung Chi-chiu on Monday said he found it “problematic” for the city’s government to opt for a less sensitive method when it had spent a huge amount of resources on PCR testing. Authorities... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3198710/coronavirus-hong-kong-authorities-move-stop-nasal-swabs-pcr-tests-does-not-pose-risk-residents-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3198710/coronavirus-hong-kong-authorities-move-stop-nasal-swabs-pcr-tests-does-not-pose-risk-residents-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 07:43:42 +0000 The descent of bankers into Hong Kong last week for the widely anticipated Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit was quite the spectacle. Some 200 bankers, finance executives and fund managers from more than 20 countries, together with our city’s leaders, were seen at the summit events maskless – chatting, eating and thoroughly enjoying themselves. It was a sight that needed some getting used to. In true Hong Kong can-do spirit, the summit’s organisers, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198408/if-bankers-can-get-special-00-travel-treatment-let-rest-hong-kong-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198408/if-bankers-can-get-special-00-travel-treatment-let-rest-hong-kong-too?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:15:07 +0000 Officials hailed the return of the rugby Sevens as “a resounding success” on Sunday, as the city’s leader joined tens of thousands of fans at a packed Hong Kong Stadium to watch Australia’s thrilling last-gasp win. After more than three years away, the tournament lived up to its reputation as Hong Kong’s landmark sporting event, and the tears on the faces of the Australian players spoke volumes about what it meant to them. Calling it “one of the most popular sporting events in Asia”, Chief... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3198650/hong-kong-officials-hail-return-rugby-sevens-resounding-success-australia-defy-odds-secure-last-gasp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3198650/hong-kong-officials-hail-return-rugby-sevens-resounding-success-australia-defy-odds-secure-last-gasp?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Nov 2022 15:35:56 +0000 A group of South African tourists was invited to watch Sunday’s game for the Hong Kong Sevens from the organisers’ box after they were earlier prohibited from entering the stadium due to the city’s Covid-19 entry curbs. The Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) extended the offer to the four visitors after the group had completed the three-day medical surveillance period required for inbound arrivals under the city’s “0+3” travel scheme. “At this stage, we’re only having fun. They [the Hong Kong Rugby... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3198615/hong-kong-sevens-south-african-tourists-barred-watching-tournament-due-hong-kongs-covid-travel-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3198615/hong-kong-sevens-south-african-tourists-barred-watching-tournament-due-hong-kongs-covid-travel-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Nov 2022 07:36:57 +0000 “It’s the economy, stupid” was a slogan devised by James Carville for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992. The words were framed and hung on the wall of the campaign office as a reminder to stay on message. It worked. Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush. All ministers in the Hong Kong administration would do well to put the sign up on their walls too. They each have plans to improve different aspects of life in our city. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu spelled out the main points in his... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198336/super-connector-hong-kong-its-all-about-economy-so-covid-19-rules-have-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3198336/super-connector-hong-kong-its-all-about-economy-so-covid-19-rules-have-go?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Nov 2022 05:30:12 +0000 Hong Kong and Singapore are competing to attract industry leaders to their respective flagship fintech mega events this week, marking the first such clash since they launched in 2016, with some participants saying they planned to go to both. More than 20,000 participants and more than 500 firms are expected to join Hong Kong’s FinTech Week, which started on Monday, while attendees from more than 110 countries and 2,000 organisations will take part in the FinTech Festival in Singapore from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3197918/tale-two-cities-hong-kong-singapore-go-head-head-attract-industry-leaders-fintech-mega-events?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3197918/tale-two-cities-hong-kong-singapore-go-head-head-attract-industry-leaders-fintech-mega-events?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Oct 2022 14:12:01 +0000 Hong Thai Travel Services, one of Hong Kong’s oldest and largest travel agencies, will shut down after its profits took a nosedive during the Covid-19 pandemic, its parent company has announced. In a statement released on Friday, Caissa Tosun Development said its board of directors agreed in a meeting the day before that Hong Thai should be wound up, adding the pandemic had undercut its business in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province. “Its profitability has plummeted. The agency has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3197622/coronavirus-hong-kong-top-travel-agency-shut-down-permanently-pandemic-takes-toll-profits-debt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3197622/coronavirus-hong-kong-top-travel-agency-shut-down-permanently-pandemic-takes-toll-profits-debt?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Oct 2022 09:45:55 +0000 Hong Thai Travel Services, one of the city’s oldest and largest travel agencies, has temporarily closed all its branches to minimise operating costs until Hong Kong fully reopens its borders to mainland China and the rest of the world. In a statement on Wednesday, the company said operating over the past two years was like entering a “dark tunnel” that had no way out in sight, with its tour guides and other employees earning no income and being forced to turn to other industries for work or take... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3197336/coronavirus-hong-thai-travel-temporarily-closes-down-branches-until-hong-kong-lifts-all-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3197336/coronavirus-hong-thai-travel-temporarily-closes-down-branches-until-hong-kong-lifts-all-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Oct 2022 12:00:12 +0000 Primary schools in Hong Kong can resume full-day classes if at least 70 per cent of students are double-vaccinated against Covid-19, while a 90 per cent, triple-jab requirement for similar secondary sessions has been eased to two doses. Education authorities on Tuesday announced the relaxed measures would take effect for secondary schools on November 1 and December 1 for primary ones. Students at both levels will need to have taken their second jab more than two weeks before the respective rules... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3197225/coronavirus-hong-kong-allow-full-day-classes-primary-schools-if-70-cent-students-double-jabbed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3197225/coronavirus-hong-kong-allow-full-day-classes-primary-schools-if-70-cent-students-double-jabbed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Oct 2022 12:09:13 +0000 Major business chambers in Hong Kong have reported an increase in membership as more people either return to the city or explore local opportunities for growth following the relaxation of Covid-19 travel curbs, striking a note of optimism over the city’s push to re-engage with the wider world. But the heads of the American, European and Australian chambers of commerce cautioned on Monday that the government needed to target a wide array of global talent to revive the city’s fortunes and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3197097/major-business-groups-hong-kong-report-membership-boost-companies-return-branch-out-following-easing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3197097/major-business-groups-hong-kong-report-membership-boost-companies-return-branch-out-following-easing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Oct 2022 14:08:40 +0000