https://www.scmp.com/rss/511361/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The abrupt return of tough anti-pandemic restrictions amid a local Omicron outbreak has been met with shock and dismay by affected industries, with the beleaguered catering sector in particular crying foul, predicting losses of up to HK$8 billion (US$1.03 billion) as a result. The revival of strict social-distancing rules will see dine-in service in restaurants end at 6pm, reduced caps on the number of patrons eateries can seat and the closure of 15 types of businesses – including fitness... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3162276/everything-will-go-back-zero-hong-kong-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3162276/everything-will-go-back-zero-hong-kong-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jan 2022 00:00:19 +0000 Some multinational firms in Hong Kong will continue to cover the quarantine costs of employees with overseas families in hopes of retaining talent in a city with possibly the most stringent Covid-19 entry restrictions in the world. Restaurant groups and investment banks interviewed by the Post said they forked out millions of dollars on quarantine costs in 2021 so their staff could visit their families. That financial burden is now expected to spill into the new year after Secretary for Food and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3161794/anxious-retain-talent-hong-kong-multinationals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3161794/anxious-retain-talent-hong-kong-multinationals?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jan 2022 09:15:35 +0000 Tens of thousands of revellers gathered on both sides of Hong Kong’s famed Victoria Harbour to ring in the new year, with many hoping for an end to the coronavirus pandemic and a return to normality in 2022. A new Covid-19 scare involving two community infections carrying the highly transmissive Omicron variant did not dampen the mood, with residents eager to join large-scale year-end celebrations in West Kowloon and Central after two years of cancellations. Despite health minister Sophia Chan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3161761/tens-thousands-gather-hong-kong-new-years-eve-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3161761/tens-thousands-gather-hong-kong-new-years-eve-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Dec 2021 13:57:45 +0000 Hundreds of local and foreign aircrew confined at a Hong Kong government quarantine facility have received gifts and necessities to ease the pain of spending Christmas alone. Resilience Deliveries, a “crew for crew” organisation made up of volunteers and charitable groups, sent packages with Christmas decorations, handwritten cards and treats to crew members in Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre on Tuesday. Archana Perinchery, who founded the organisation in November, told the Post on Thursday that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3160865/coronavirus-hong-kong-aircrew-quarantined-pennys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3160865/coronavirus-hong-kong-aircrew-quarantined-pennys?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Dec 2021 01:30:10 +0000 Hong Kong has retained its title as the world’s most expensive city for expats to live in for the second year running, with the firm behind the rankings attributing the result to rising inflation. Trailing Hong Kong in the cost-of-living survey, released by the research data firm ECA International on Wednesday, were runners-up Geneva, Tokyo and New York, while Shanghai and Guangzhou were the highest-ranked mainland Chinese cities, coming in ninth and 10th, respectively. ECA calculated its own... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3159864/hong-kong-retains-title-worlds-most-expensive-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3159864/hong-kong-retains-title-worlds-most-expensive-city?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Dec 2021 14:23:39 +0000 Hong Kong’s green groups are alarmed by the large amount of plastic tossed out by hotels where arrivals undergo compulsory quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic. They want authorities, hotels and even quarantined guests themselves to cut the use of plastic water bottles, disposable utensils, tableware and toiletries, and try to do more to recycle. But some medical experts cautioned against sending items from quarantine hotel rooms into the community, citing the risk of spreading the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3159356/green-quarantine-hong-kong-hotels-under-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3159356/green-quarantine-hong-kong-hotels-under-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Dec 2021 02:00:18 +0000 Hong Kong’s restaurant industry has warned takings could nosedive by 20 per cent if a Covid-19 vaccine passport plan goes ahead, while some residents say they will wait to see the scheme’s impact before deciding whether to get inoculated. The Post has learned that the requirement for at least two-thirds of diners in a restaurant to have received a minimum of one vaccine shot could be introduced as early as next month. Exemptions will only be given to people aged 12 or below and those with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3158687/coronavirus-hong-kong-restaurants-fear-revenues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3158687/coronavirus-hong-kong-restaurants-fear-revenues?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Dec 2021 16:07:17 +0000