https://www.scmp.com/rss/511509/feed Tiffany joined the Post in 2021, and covers Hong Kong-mainland relations, public policies and political issues. Prior to joining the Post, she was a reporter at The Washington Post, Ming Pao and HK01. She holds a Master's Degree in International Journalism Studies from the Baptist University of Hong Kong. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com People in Hong Kong with chronic medical conditions are growing anxious at missing their regular check-ups and want the government to restart public services at hospitals designated to handle Covid-19 patients. As the city’s fifth wave of infections rose sharply in February, the Hospital Authority scaled back non-emergency and non-essential services to let public hospitals focus manpower and resources on those with Covid-19. That meant patients with chronic conditions and serious illnesses had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3175356/what-about-us-hong-kongs-non-covid-patients-want?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3175356/what-about-us-hong-kongs-non-covid-patients-want?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Apr 2022 01:30:15 +0000 Hong Kong eased some of its toughest social-distancing measures on Thursday, triggering a “revenge-spending” spree by leisure-starved residents who flooded the streets, flocked to shopping centres, swarmed amusement parks and entertainment venues, and booked out restaurants, which opened for nighttime dining for the first time in more than three months. Health authorities reported a daily Covid-19 infection total well below 700 again, reflecting the improving situation that has prompted... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3174970/coronavirus-hong-kong-spas-gyms-cinemas-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3174970/coronavirus-hong-kong-spas-gyms-cinemas-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Apr 2022 01:07:09 +0000 Hong Kong business operators have been taking bookings and cleaning their premises ahead of the relaxation of Covid-19 social-distancing restrictions, but some operators face teething issues due to insufficient manpower. Some firms said they could only resume business partially after employees changed jobs or left their industries altogether. Under the first phase of the easing that takes effect on Thursday, restaurants can offer dine-in services until 10pm, with up to four people per table,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3174904/coronavirus-hong-kong-influx-bookings-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3174904/coronavirus-hong-kong-influx-bookings-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Apr 2022 11:30:28 +0000 Hong Kong’s catering and retail sectors have reported a double-digit surge in business during the Easter holidays, despite social-distancing curbs reining in some of their growth, according to industry professionals. The boom in business was also fuelled by the government’s distribution of the first half of HK$10,000 (US$1,275) in consumption vouchers earlier this month, with residents snapping up goods such as electronics and premium groceries. Industry professionals estimated that business in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3174692/business-booms-hong-kong-restaurants-and-shopping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3174692/business-booms-hong-kong-restaurants-and-shopping?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Apr 2022 23:00:20 +0000 Thousands of residents flocked to Hong Kong’s outlying destinations and a geopark in Sai Kung, with Sharp Island a hot spot for some fresh air on the final day of the Easter break. Ticket sellers at booths lining Sai Kung’s public pier offering boat tours to nearby islands said about 1,000 visitors had bought passes for Sharp Island each day during the long weekend. About 500 people, some having camped overnight, could be seen at lunchtime on Monday on the island, named after its angular shape.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3174646/tired-indoors-and-nowhere-go-thousands-throng-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3174646/tired-indoors-and-nowhere-go-thousands-throng-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Apr 2022 08:12:32 +0000 After hesitating for months, Hong Kong student Brendan Lee finally made up his mind to get his third jab of a coronavirus vaccine next week so that he could watch a film at the cinema while enjoying his favourite popcorn and soft drinks. “We have no choice but to get fully vaccinated gradually along with the latest policy, if we want to get back to normal life,” the 22-year-old, a film lover, said on Thursday. Fully vaccinated is defined as having three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. His decision... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3174329/coronavirus-hongkongers-mixed-over-requirement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3174329/coronavirus-hongkongers-mixed-over-requirement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Apr 2022 01:00:32 +0000 Hongkongers have vowed to go on a spending spree from April 21 when social-distancing measures against Covid-19 will be relaxed for the first time in more than three months, with businesses already making preparations to lure back customers. Residents were set to splash out after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced on Thursday that the city’s strict social-distancing curbs would be relaxed for many venues after the Easter holidays. Businesses such as gyms, beauty massage... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3174320/revenge-spending-hongkongers-prepare-shopping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3174320/revenge-spending-hongkongers-prepare-shopping?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Apr 2022 13:43:45 +0000 More than 90 per cent of Hongkongers living in subdivided flats have said they were still being overcharged for water by their landlords, according to a poll by two concern groups, only nine months after a law was passed to prevent such practices. The study, which was jointly conducted by the Tsuen Wan Old District Tenants Action and the Caritas Community Centre in Tsuen Wan, was released at a press conference on Monday. The poll surveyed 243 people living in subdivided flats and other subpar... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3173874/hongkongers-living-subpar-housing-continue-pay-inflated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3173874/hongkongers-living-subpar-housing-continue-pay-inflated?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Apr 2022 10:38:57 +0000 When Bobsy Gaia decided to close his third restaurant in Hong Kong’s Central early in January, he was taken to court by his landlord for falling behind on his rent. By that point, the pioneer of vegetarian dining had given up hope on finding a way out of his troubles. “I would have stubbornly continued to serve the community, even though we were losing money at an alarming rate,” he said. Gaia shut down all his restaurants in January after running out of cash as Hong Kong’s latest round of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3173779/coronavirus-hong-kong-starved-customers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3173779/coronavirus-hong-kong-starved-customers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Apr 2022 02:00:32 +0000 The government should offer elderly residents of care homes the BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 instead of the one made by Sinovac so as to better protect them, a patients’ concern group in Hong Kong has suggested. The Patients and Healthcare Professionals Rights Association on Sunday said people who received two jabs of the German-made BioNTech within the span of 21 days had more effective protection against the virus in a shorter span of time than those who received three doses of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3173777/coronavirus-hong-kong-give-elderly-care-homes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3173777/coronavirus-hong-kong-give-elderly-care-homes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Apr 2022 16:01:36 +0000 Two months after Hong Kong introduced a vaccine pass for entry to shopping malls, restaurants and other public premises, residents are mostly ignoring the rules and getting away with it. People are not stopped if they do not use their “Leave Home Safe” smartphone app to scan QR codes to register their entry to these premises. Student Tony Lai, 22, said having to scan different QR codes at the lobby of a shopping centre and at shops and the food court was just too much of a bother and that was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3173701/hong-kong-vaccine-pass-most-ignore-rules-and-get?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3173701/hong-kong-vaccine-pass-most-ignore-rules-and-get?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Apr 2022 12:00:23 +0000 The families of some Hong Kong Covid-19 patients who died want the government to ensure that medical help goes to those who need it most, so that more lives can be saved in the city’s ongoing fifth wave of infections. They said their family members died after remaining at home because they found long queues of sick people waiting to be admitted to hospitals and did not receive timely treatment. They urged the health authorities to give priority to admitting the most vulnerable patients,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3172847/my-father-might-have-lived-families-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3172847/my-father-might-have-lived-families-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Apr 2022 11:00:25 +0000 Hong Kong retail sales plunged 14.6 per cent in February, the sharpest rate in 19 months under stringent social-distancing curbs amid the city’s fifth wave of Covid-19, with an industry leader predicting a “bleak” outlook for businesses and a looming closure of shops. The year-on-year decline to HK$25.2 billion (US$3.2 billion) in sales showed the effects of tightened anti-epidemic measures put in place to cope with a rapidly worsening health crisis, a government spokesman said on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3172613/hong-kong-retail-sales-plunge-146-cent-february?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3172613/hong-kong-retail-sales-plunge-146-cent-february?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Mar 2022 10:20:36 +0000 A biotech company has launched a digital platform to allow Covid-19 patients self-isolating at home in Hong Kong to check their viral load through photos of their rapid test kits. The service, developed using artificial intelligence, has been provided for free for the first 200,000 Hong Kong resident users since Sunday under the sponsorship of charity fund Philip K.H. Wong Foundation. Subsequent users will have to pay HK$50. The Antigen Rapid Test Quantitative System, or the “ART-Quant System”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3172306/coronavirus-biotech-firm-develops-platform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3172306/coronavirus-biotech-firm-develops-platform?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Mar 2022 13:23:26 +0000 More than 50 struggling Hong Kong residents including members of ethnic minority communities and former offenders are appealing to the government to include them in a HK$10,000 e-voucher scheme. The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO), which is behind the appeal, said the rigid rules over the handout went against the spirit of providing financial aid to residents facing hardship amid the city’s fifth coronavirus wave. “To some people, the consumption vouchers are a lifesaver,” SoCO... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171974/coronavirus-hong-kongs-ethnic-minority-communities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171974/coronavirus-hong-kongs-ethnic-minority-communities?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Mar 2022 02:00:22 +0000 Hundreds of residents braved the rain on Saturday to queue up for hours outside various Swatch stores in Hong Kong hoping to be among the first to get their hands on newly launched Bioceramic MoonSwatch watches, with some looking to resell them at a higher price. Long queues and large crowds were seen outside three Swatch outlets each in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui since early on Saturday, after the firm announced it would sell the unlimited MoonSwatch collection at HK$2,100... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3171981/over-moon-hongkongers-swept-moonswatch-mania-hundreds-queue-get?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3171981/over-moon-hongkongers-swept-moonswatch-mania-hundreds-queue-get?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Mar 2022 12:27:50 +0000 Hongkongers looking to take advantage of eased travel curbs to return to the city have found themselves scrambling to secure hotel rooms for quarantine, with some premises fully booked until August, the Post has found. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Monday revealed that existing control measures – which are some of the world’s most stringent – would be lifted early next month. Officials and medical experts had cited projection models in concluding that the city’s latest and worst... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3171454/coronavirus-hong-kong-residents-stuck-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3171454/coronavirus-hong-kong-residents-stuck-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Mar 2022 14:14:32 +0000 Hong Kong businesses have tentatively welcomed the government’s new road map for easing stringent anti-pandemic measures, though bar owners – among those hardest-hit by temporary shutdowns – have expressed scepticism that they will be allowed to reopen as planned given what they called authorities’ “frequent flip-flopping”. Following the announcement of the new road map on Monday, the city’s battered catering industry also called on the government to lift all restrictions on restaurants in May,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171260/hong-kong-social-distancing-businesses-tentatively?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171260/hong-kong-social-distancing-businesses-tentatively?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Mar 2022 09:30:26 +0000 Hong Kong announced on Friday two sets of relief schemes to help ease the heavy economic burden on the city’s workforce caused by stringent social-distancing measures amid a fifth wave of coronavirus infections. The Employment Support Scheme (ESS) will be relaunched so that the government can hand out wage subsidies to affected small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The government will also directly provide subsidies through the Temporary Unemployment Relief scheme to those who have lost... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171095/coronavirus-what-are-hong-kong-financial-relief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3171095/coronavirus-what-are-hong-kong-financial-relief?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Mar 2022 04:30:28 +0000 Some elderly Covid-19 patients at Hong Kong’s government-run AsiaWorld-Expo isolation facility have been deprived of showers for more than 20 days amid a staffing shortfall, with a nurse describing residents there as “abandoned” in a “living hell”. Conditions at the ward on Lantau Island are reportedly so dire, that not only have family members vented their frustration at how their loved ones are being treated, but senior medical staff who work there have also publicly taken the government to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170870/coronavirus-abandoned-and-living-hell-staff?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170870/coronavirus-abandoned-and-living-hell-staff?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Mar 2022 06:15:18 +0000 The popular ritual of “villain hitting” to repel bad luck has been halted for the first time in decades under a Hong Kong flyover, with police officers guarding the area to stop people gathering on Saturday amid a raging fifth wave of Covid-19 infections. The government announced on Thursday that the chairman of Wan Chai District Council and the District Office had reached a consensus with major ritual performers that they would suspend business underneath the Canal Road Flyover to avoid crowds... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3169396/hong-kongs-villain-hitters-shut-shop-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3169396/hong-kongs-villain-hitters-shut-shop-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Mar 2022 12:20:43 +0000 Hotel employees in Hong Kong have been offered a salary boost to join front-of-house operations at venues being used to quarantine coronavirus patients, while more than 200 travel sector workers have applied for positions at government-run isolation facilities. In response to the surge in Covid-19 cases, local authorities have secured 20,000 hotel rooms to act as quarantine units and hired at least 1,000 retired officers from the disciplined services to manage sites under the community isolation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3169155/coronavirus-hong-kong-hotel-employees-offered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3169155/coronavirus-hong-kong-hotel-employees-offered?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Mar 2022 23:00:32 +0000 Hong Kong authorities on Friday sought to bring in “experienced and skilled” butchers from mainland China after an outbreak at the city’s two slaughterhouses resulted in operations being suspended and dwindling supplies. To ensure a continuous supply of fresh food and livestock, the government said it was coordinating with industries and mainland authorities to deliver the goods through rail from Lo Wu after opening three cross-border sea freight routes. According to a statement from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168465/coronavirus-hong-kong-could-bring-mainland-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168465/coronavirus-hong-kong-could-bring-mainland-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Feb 2022 13:56:39 +0000 Tiny government-subsidised flats as small as 186 sq ft have drawn the interest of aspiring homeowners in Hong Kong after applications launched on Friday, with some saying it was better to buy small than own nothing in the world’s most expensive property market. The shoebox homes, located at the site of the former airport at Kai Tak, are among the 8,926 flats of various sizes offered as part of this year’s Home Ownership Scheme, targeting lower to middle-income households. The Housing Authority... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168405/aspiring-hong-kong-homeowners-rush-sign-chance-buy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168405/aspiring-hong-kong-homeowners-rush-sign-chance-buy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Feb 2022 09:45:50 +0000 Hong Kong residents infected with Covid-19 and stuck in their homes for over two weeks have been left feeling anxious and frustrated by the government’s handling of rising case numbers. Based on government statistics, the Post calculated that about 60,000 confirmed cases had been stuck at home as of Thursday. Five untreated patients told the Post on Thursday that they had lost faith in the government during their prolonged wait for help from health authorities. Lau Ling, a 27-year-old care... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168299/coronavirus-hong-kong-infected-residents-trapped?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3168299/coronavirus-hong-kong-infected-residents-trapped?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Feb 2022 23:00:19 +0000 The launch of the government’s vaccine pass scheme has proved to be yet another blow to Hong Kong’s already struggling restaurants, with one industry representative reporting an immediate drop in revenue and patrons being turned away for failing to comply with the new rules. Ray Chui Man-wai, chairman of Kam Kee Holdings, which operates 44 restaurants, said his group’s business was already down by 40 per cent following the scheme’s introduction on Thursday morning, blaming the vaccine pass and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168089/hong-kong-businesses-race-prepare-vaccine-pass?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168089/hong-kong-businesses-race-prepare-vaccine-pass?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Feb 2022 23:00:14 +0000 Hong Kong’s finance chief has rolled out a raft of measures and sweeteners, from consumption vouchers to loan guarantees, aimed at boosting public confidence and keeping small businesses afloat in a city grappling with a Covid-19 crisis. The Post speaks to residents and business owners, who say that despite the relief package, the road ahead remains uncertain until the city is out of the pandemic woods. ‘I really need the extra cash’ Cheng Wai-lok, 49, who runs a Japanese restaurant in Jordan,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168132/how-do-hongkongers-feel-about-citys-newly-unveiled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168132/how-do-hongkongers-feel-about-citys-newly-unveiled?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Feb 2022 13:32:06 +0000 Hong Kong businesses expressed anger over the government’s decision to extend stringent social-distancing measures until April, instead of the usual two weeks, in a bid to contain surging Covid-19 infections, warning the move will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Business chambers warned on Tuesday that the curbs, along with a lengthened ban on flights from nine countries, would not only deal a blow to the city’s reputation as a global financial centre, but also trigger a wave of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168010/coronavirus-hong-kong-companies-edge-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3168010/coronavirus-hong-kong-companies-edge-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Feb 2022 00:00:37 +0000 Suspected Covid-19 patients forced to wait outside Hong Kong’s public hospitals in the cold for hours for admission were being moved indoors on Friday, with officials pledging to get it done within the day and the city’s leader conceding the situation was “unacceptable”. While some patients finally got into the warmth inside hospitals, the Post was told some had to stay in corridors or even bathrooms until a bed was vacated for them. Medical workers said they were worn out physically and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167510/coronavirus-hong-kong-housing-patients-forced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167510/coronavirus-hong-kong-housing-patients-forced?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Feb 2022 04:50:45 +0000 Confusions arose on Thursday over whether Hong Kong cross-border truck drivers were still exempted from compulsory quarantine in mainland China after the city’s transport chief said Guangdong provincial authorities had agreed to ease some Covid-19 restrictions. Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan told lawmakers on Thursday that Guangdong had a day earlier reduced the entry ban on truck drivers who lived in areas with Covid-19 cases from 21 to 14 days. Chan said truck drivers of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3167467/coronavirus-hong-kong-cross-border-truck-drivers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3167467/coronavirus-hong-kong-cross-border-truck-drivers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Feb 2022 16:01:54 +0000 Styrofoam boxes used to bring vegetables over the border have piled up on Hong Kong streets after mainland Chinese authorities refused to take them back due to the city’s worsening Covid-19 crisis, according to truck drivers. The containers are a staple of the fresh food trade and usually hauled back to the mainland wholesale markets where they are used again. But some drivers told the Post on Wednesday that surging infections had made the market operators wary about contracting the virus from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167311/walls-styrofoam-boxes-pile-across-hong-kong-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167311/walls-styrofoam-boxes-pile-across-hong-kong-after?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Feb 2022 13:41:41 +0000 Covid-19 vaccinations for children have risen sharply amid Hong Kong’s worsening fifth wave of coronavirus cases, with bookings boosted by an earlier government decision to lower the eligibility age for Sinovac shots to three years from Tuesday. Family doctors and paediatric experts have reported a surge in vaccinations for children, with one medical professional suggesting the recent coronavirus-related death of a four-year-old boy could have been a contributing factor. Paediatrician Dr Alvin... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167132/hong-kong-doctors-report-rapid-uptake-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167132/hong-kong-doctors-report-rapid-uptake-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Feb 2022 10:40:47 +0000 Hong Kong residents stuck at home for a week after testing positive for the coronavirus have complained about the government’s lack of response to their plight, saying they are still waiting for medical treatment. A 26-year-old logistics clerk, who only gave his surname as Lee, said on Friday he was still waiting at home for further instructions from health authorities, a week after testing positive. Lee’s parents took care of him at the flat they shared in Wong Tai Sin. Their son’s fever came... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166746/no-excuse-ignore-us-say-hong-kong-residents-still?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166746/no-excuse-ignore-us-say-hong-kong-residents-still?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Feb 2022 12:11:57 +0000 Hong Kong’s ban on cross-household gatherings has left small businesses operating in private places wondering if they will be caught out by the latest round of social-distancing curbs, while security guards working at residential properties say they are confused about their role in enforcement. Frontline police officers, meanwhile, have been told to step up action against those who breach the two-person public gathering limit and the mask mandate. The tightened restrictions, which reduced the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3166589/coronavirus-hong-kong-course-operators-security-guards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3166589/coronavirus-hong-kong-course-operators-security-guards?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Feb 2022 23:00:15 +0000 Hongkongers braved long queues, with some even taking the day off, as they scrambled to get haircuts on Wednesday before salons were forced to close for two weeks under newly tightened social-distancing measures. Queues first spotted outside barber shops in MTR stations on Tuesday evening – after the temporary closure was first announced – reappeared on Wednesday as the city braced for yet another record-breaking daily caseload amid a ballooning coronavirus outbreak fuelled by the highly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3166360/just-making-cut-hongkongers-seeking-1-last-haircut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3166360/just-making-cut-hongkongers-seeking-1-last-haircut?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Feb 2022 06:42:31 +0000 Hong Kong’s public hospitals are being overwhelmed with asymptomatic coronavirus cases, with medical workers showing “signs of exhaustion” and some new patients waiting in outdoor holding areas for up to 16 hours before being admitted, union chiefs have warned. Residents have also rushed to buy up rapid antigen test kits, with those receiving positive results flocking to hospitals rather than staying at home to await official instructions, adding even more pressure to the system. Until recently,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166250/hong-kong-hospitals-overwhelmed-asymptomatic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166250/hong-kong-hospitals-overwhelmed-asymptomatic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Feb 2022 09:30:10 +0000 Vegetable prices in Hong Kong could remain high over the coming days, as tighter testing requirements in response to Covid-19 cases among cross-border truck drivers have caused supply chain disruptions. On Monday morning, two truck drivers coming from mainland China’s Man Kam To control point tested positive for Covid-19, according to Chan Dik-sau, chairman of the Container Transportation Employees General Union. Another two were also reported to be infected on Friday and over the weekend. As of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3166152/vegetable-prices-hong-kong-continue-rise-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3166152/vegetable-prices-hong-kong-continue-rise-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Feb 2022 13:39:06 +0000 An alarming surge of Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong set a daily record of more than 600 cases on Monday, as authorities announced they would have to start sending patients with mild or no symptoms to the government’s quarantine camp to free up hospital beds while allowing close contacts of carriers to self-isolate at home. Warning that the Omicron-fuelled fifth wave of the pandemic was spiralling out of control, officials laid out plans to begin sending infected people to Penny’s Bay from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166061/we-must-stay-home-hong-kong-expecting-614?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3166061/we-must-stay-home-hong-kong-expecting-614?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Feb 2022 03:16:24 +0000 Four people were sent to hospital on Saturday after an early morning fire gutted a flat in Hong Kong. The blaze broke out shortly before 2am at Kwong Ming Court in Tseung Kwan O, resulting in about 220 residents fleeing the building before rescue services arrived. Firefighters used a water jet on the flames and deployed a rescue team equipped with breathing apparatus. It took about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Affected residents were then allowed to return to their homes. “An initial... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3165954/4-sent-hospital-after-early-morning-fire-break-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3165954/4-sent-hospital-after-early-morning-fire-break-out?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Feb 2022 12:47:51 +0000 There was no prosperous start to the Year of the Tiger for Hong Kong businesses as strict social-distancing rules and a surge in Covid-19 infections dampened the festive mood, keeping people at home. With 387 cases recorded over the first three days of Lunar New Year, dozens of housing estates, restaurants and shopping centres were hit with compulsory testing orders. On Friday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor described the current fifth wave of infections as “the worst in the past two... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3165919/coronavirus-bleak-lunar-new-year-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3165919/coronavirus-bleak-lunar-new-year-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Feb 2022 04:00:21 +0000 Hong Kong customs seized HK$4.3 million (US$552,000) worth of smuggled diesel oil and goods vehicles at two border control points as part of a special operation last month, the agency revealed on Thursday. Eight male drivers, aged between 31 and 53, were arrested during the operation which ran between January 12 and January 31. Customs officers intercepted seven vehicles at the Lok Ma Chau border crossing and one at Shenzhen Bay Control Point. The eight trucks and 9,700 litres of suspected... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3165714/8-arrested-hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk43-million-worth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3165714/8-arrested-hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk43-million-worth?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Feb 2022 10:26:14 +0000 The government must tackle gaps in its Covid-19 strategy, stockpile more medicine and better allocate resources or run the risk of Hong Kong being overwhelmed by a new expected wave of infections, health experts have warned, as the daily number of confirmed and suspected cases approached record highs. The ability of authorities to carry out contact tracing urgently needed to be expanded as clusters continued to mushroom across the city and more test kits should be distributed in the community,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165655/coronavirus-no-hope-stamping-out-fifth-wave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165655/coronavirus-no-hope-stamping-out-fifth-wave?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Feb 2022 04:05:00 +0000 Hongkongers are giving less money amid muted Lunar New Year celebrations due to the fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic as people have been reducing social interactions over the festive holiday. Security guard, Leung Ling-po, 58, said he had less lai see – red paper packets filled with “lucky money” – this year as residents in his block tried to minimise physical contact given the latest outbreak. He received around HK$1,000 (US$128) during Lunar New Year from the block of flats of around 70... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3165615/year-tiger-bites-lai-see-hong-kong-people-give-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3165615/year-tiger-bites-lai-see-hong-kong-people-give-out?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Feb 2022 13:54:49 +0000 More than 100 hamsters were dumped by Hong Kong pet owners after the government announced a cull as a precaution against animal-to-human transmission of the coronavirus. Animal welfare volunteers said dozens of hamsters had been left to die in the streets, and they were scrambling to rescue those abandoned in various public areas. Numerous messages and photographs were posted on social media, showing the small furry mammals left in parks, bushes and garbage collection points. Although the cull... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165589/coronavirus-hong-kong-hamster-owners-dump-pets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165589/coronavirus-hong-kong-hamster-owners-dump-pets?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Feb 2022 11:30:14 +0000 A 13-year-old boy suffering from a cardiovascular disease has successfully undergone a heart transplant, which his father described as a “new chapter” at the start of Lunar New Year for the teenager after a half-year battle for his life at a Hong Kong hospital. The young patient was in stable condition at an intensive care unit after the eight-hour surgery on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman from Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. Identified only by his nickname “Fung”, the boy was diagnosed with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165594/heart-transplant-gives-teenager-new-chance-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165594/heart-transplant-gives-teenager-new-chance-life?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Feb 2022 10:00:51 +0000 More than 60 per cent of young people in Hong Kong do not seek help when they feel stressed or have negative emotions despite the coronavirus pandemic adding to their pressures, a survey has found, with weak awareness of available services seen as the cause. KELY Support Group, a local charity that focuses on young people’s well being, polled about 1,300 people aged 14 to 24 about their mental health status between September and October last year. The results, released on Friday, found more than... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165200/coronavirus-more-60-cent-hong-kongs-young-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3165200/coronavirus-more-60-cent-hong-kongs-young-people?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jan 2022 15:06:11 +0000 More than 100 residents at a Hong Kong public housing estate locked down for days due to an Omicron outbreak have complained they have been laid off, suffered pay cuts or were forced to take unpaid leave. Two of the 16 towers at Kwai Chung Estate in Kwai Tsing district have been subject to a seven-day lockdown, while a third has been sealed off for five days after a handful of cases were discovered last week. About 35,000 people live in the complex, where the number of infections exceeded 370 by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3165007/omicron-residents-locked-down-hong-kong-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3165007/omicron-residents-locked-down-hong-kong-public?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jan 2022 15:00:10 +0000 An established liquid egg manufacturer in Hong Kong has received a government grant of HK$14.9 million (US$1.9 million) to set up a smart production line in Tai Po as part of one of the city’s largest re-industrialisation projects. The Innovation and Technology Commission said on Tuesday it provided the financial aid to Luen Tai Hong so that the company could upgrade its production capacity and efficiency as part of the city’s efforts to boost Hong Kong-manufactured products through... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3164707/liquid-egg-manufacturer-granted-hk149-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3164707/liquid-egg-manufacturer-granted-hk149-million?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:39:11 +0000 Complaints about poor communication, improper hygiene and shoddy testing arrangements at locked down blocks in a Hong Kong public housing estate continued to mount on Monday, with some residents voicing fears of getting infected. They were among 35,000 people from households in the coronavirus-hit Kwai Chung Estate, an area at the centre of an Omicron outbreak in the city. Of the 16 blocks in the area, two were placed under a five-day lockdown on Friday and Saturday. About 210 infections have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3164586/omicron-whole-thing-messy-complaints-mount-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3164586/omicron-whole-thing-messy-complaints-mount-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jan 2022 14:24:56 +0000 Hong Kong health experts have urged quarantine hotels to pump more fresh air into high-risk corridors and enhance ventilation in guest rooms to minimise the risk of spreading Covid-19 in the wake of a cluster caused by cross-infections. “For quarantine hotels, the more ventilation facilities they have for more air changes, the better,” said government pandemic adviser and Chinese University Professor David Hui Shu-cheong. Hui said that while hotels were not designed for disease control like... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3164409/coronavirus-hong-kong-virus-experts-urge-quarantine-hotels-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3164409/coronavirus-hong-kong-virus-experts-urge-quarantine-hotels-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jan 2022 04:00:28 +0000