Professional Teachers' Union Under Attack

Teachers protested against the extradition bill in August 2019

 

This morning Chinese state media like Xinhua and People's Daily launched a blistering attack on the Professional Teachers' Union, describing the pro-democracy group as a tumour that must be rooted out.

They blamed the union for events during the 2019 anti-government protests, saying some teachers and students participated in violent and illegal activities, and that it didn't play its part to educate and stop them.

The PTU advocates for better quality education

Xinhua also said in its commentary that the union had participated in filibustering in the Legislative Council, encouraged class boycotts and supported what they called rioters and teachers who are poisoning students' minds.

The articles were published after the PTU dropped its association with the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, which used to organize the annual June 4 candlelight vigils, and has been accused by pro-Beijing figures of violating the national security law.

However, Xinhua said union's exit was merely a "trick to evade accountability" and added the PTU was "long-hidden dirt in the education system", having engaged in anti-China and anti-Hong Kong activities.

Xinhua said the Hong Kong government "should get rid of the union", calling the task "an unshirkable responsibility".

People's Daily added the PTU had nothing to do with education or professionalism and that it was a malignant tumour that needed to be eradicated.

PTU was founded by Szeto Wah in 1973

The union was founded in 1973 by the late pro-democracy politician Szeto Wah. Its mission is to be politically liberal, socially activist, and defend the legal rights of teachers. It focuses on improving education quality by promoting teachers' professionalism and advocating education policies.

Soon after, the PTU issued a statement to respond to the state media attacks, saying it had always opposed Hong Kong independence and had cared about the country's development ever since the union's establishment. It also refused the outlets' accusations that it was "inciting kids to break the law", during the 2019 protests, saying it cared about students' safety and never invited them to participate in any demonstration.

The union added it would continue to listen and communicate with different sectors, and keep up its education work.

But that defense argument wasn't enough and the Hong Kong Education Bureau severed its ties with the union, and stripped it of its status as a professional group. 

The PTU, which has 95,000 members, expressed disappointment and regret over the decision on Saturday, saying it would be a loss to the whole education sector.

Days ago PTU withdrew from the alliance

A government source hinted the move to cut ties with the union was in the works and believed the PTU withdrawing from the alliance was a bid to relieve some pressure, but it was obviously not enough.

As a result of cutting its ties with the PTU, the bureau will no longer regard the union as a professional body, and will neither engage in any formal or informal meetings with it, nor take its opinions on matters pertaining to the sector. 

In addition, the bureau will temporarily stop looking into any cases referred by the union, and will review its advisory bodies and other groups with an eye to removing members who represented the PTU.

The union said it handled over 3,000 complaints and inquiries from members every year, and that the bureau's decision failed to take into account teachers' interests and welfare.

"The union has a positive impact on safeguarding workers' rights and bettering policies. Even though we have different views, if the bureau decides to cut ties with the union, it will be a loss to the whole industry," it said.

Education Bureau cut ties with the union today

Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong's sole delegate to China's National People's Congress, said the central government had disliked the union for some time for its participation in political affairs. 

"Instead of serving as an educational professional body, it's been more like a political group throughout the years," Tam said. "It does not matter whether the union is historical, it's more of whether it's an opposition force."

This should be a warning to other professional bodies in Hong Kong -- dissenting voices will not be tolerated.

Hong Kong's Second Silver, and a 9-Year Sentence

Haughey with her second silver medal in the 100m free final

 

This morning Hongkongers were on a high as they watched swimmer Siobhan Haughey win a silver medal in the women's 100m freestyle. The 23-year-old clinched double silver in the span of a few days, Hong Kong's third medal of the Tokyo 2020 Games. 

But by the afternoon the mood became sombre with the news that Leon Tong Ying-kit, 24, the first person to be convicted of terrorism and secession under the national security law, was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Haughey set a new Asian record at 52.27 seconds

The government-appointed panel of judges sentenced the former restaurant worker to 6.5 years for the secession crime, and eight years for terrorism, with 5.5 years of the latter term to run concurrently with the first. He was also barred from driving for 10 years.

"The defendant was not a lone protester quietly carrying a flag bearing the slogan amongst a sea of protesters," read the 15-page judgment delivered at the Court of First Instance. "He deliberately challenged a number of police check lines in order to attract as much attention to the secessionist message on the flag as possible and to leave a great impact and a strong impression on people."

There was a flag mounted on the back of Tong's motorcycle with the slogan, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times".

The panel believed Tong acted alone and did not have a specific plan to separate Hong Kong from the mainland.

Tong riding his motorcycle on July 1, 2020

However the judges believed the defendant committed a terrorist act when he ran into three police officers -- a symbol of law and order -- and intimidating members of the public, especially those with opposing views, by that action.

"What the defendant did was calculated and deliberate acts which created a very dangerous situation for the road users and which indeed caused injuries to three police officers," the judgment read. But they agreed the injuries suffered by the officers were not "serious" as alleged by the prosecution, and so the starting point for sentencing for the charge should be between three and 10 years in jail. The maximum penalty for terrorism under the national security law is life imprisonment.

Thomas Kellogg is the executive director of the Georgetown Centre for Asian Law and describes the sentence as "harsh".

"People can only shape their behaviour after the initial lines of what the national security law covers have been drawn," he said, adding it did not bode well for the 47 opposition activists who were earlier charged with subversion for their part in the unofficial primary election last year. 

Tong has been sentenced to nine years in prison

Kellogg also said it was unfortunate that judges had ruled that the acts to incite secession were of a "serious nature". "If Tong's act of carrying the banner is serious, what acts... are not serious? I worry that the court has essentially expanded the serious nature provision to cover almost all acts of inciting secession," he said.  

Meanwhile Nathan Law Kwun-chung, who is now based in the UK, said the sentence was "outrageous", and raised concerns about free speech.

"The sentencing guideline is unclear, and it gives the judge the power to determine whether a slogan can be seen as 'capable of' inciting secession. This is an extremely low threshold to lock an individual in jail for years," he said.

Today was literally a high and a low...

Adopted Chinese Baby a Gold Medal Swimmer

Maggie MacNeil with her gold medal in the 100 butterfly

 

A few days ago China was in a tizzy when an adopted Chinese girl won Canada's first gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Games in the women's 100 butterfly. She beat out China's Zhang Yufei by 0.05 seconds.

Maggie MacNeil is 21 years old and according to Chinese state media, she was abandoned by her biological parents in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province in February 2000. A year later she and her younger sister were adopted from a local orphanage by Susan MacNeil and Edward MacNeil and taken back to their hometown of London, Ontario.

MacNeil beat Zhang of China by 0.05 seconds

She began swimming in 2008 and became a sensation in the University of Michigan where she trains with Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey.

When Chinese netizens found out about MacNeil's origins there was a torrent of comments online.

"Imagine had she not been brought up from the orphanage, or had she not been deserted by her biological parents, what would she be now? The adoption changed her life orbit completely as she was given such quality care and training."

Another said: "She might have dropped out of school to support a younger brother had she stayed in China."

China is now trying to encourage young families to have three children in a bid to boost the country's population numbers, but not many are interested in fulfilling this patriotic duty, particularly young career-minded women.

She began swimming at the age of eight

It is also an extreme response following decades of the one-child policy since 1980. As a result many families preferred to have boys than girls, resulting in many female babies being abandoned, much like MacNeil and her sister.

China launched its international adoption program in 1991 and it is estimated some 110,000 children from China has been adopted, mostly to the United States. According to the US Department of State, of the 82,456 children that Americans adopted from China between 1999 and 2020, 82.14 percent were females.

Some netizens felt that though MacNeil was born in China, she did not bring glory to the motherland.

"Her victory only proves how ethnicity does not matter in sports, as Asians clinched gold and silver in such an epic match," said one.

"She helms the citizenship of Canada, and all the credit should go to those who raised and trained her well in Canada," another said.

China's Zhang, MacNeil and Australian McKeon

"I feel ashamed to see media attention that MacNeil was born in China," a netizen said. "What is more worthy of being mentioned may be that we gave her up 20 years ago."

Ouch.

Nevertheless, MacNeil is taking the controversy in stride.

"I was born in China and I was adopted when I was really young, and that's as far as my Chinese heritage goes," she said in a post-race press conference. "I'm Canadian and I've always been Canadian, so that's just a very small part of my journey to where I am today. It's kind of irrelevant when it comes to swimming."

 

Hong Kong's First Medal in Swimming

Haughey clinches silver in HK's first ever medal in swimming

 

This morning Hong Kong was collectively holding its breath as local swimmer Siobhan Haughey swam the women's 200m freestyle final.

She burst out of the pack early on and led the race until the last 50 metres she was edged out by Australian Ariarne Titmus. 

Haughey (left) led most of the race in 200 free

The 23-year-old Haughey, half Hong Kong Chinese and half Irish also set the new Asian record at 1.53.92 and a silver medal -- making this Olympic games the best ever showing for the city.

"I hope Cheung Ka-long and my performances this Olympics can motivate fellow Hong Kong athletes competing in the games, they can do it. And also the athletes watching at home in Hong Kong -- keep training, because it will be your turn soon," she said in a post-race interview.

"I hope everyone can continue to support Hong Kong athletes. The competitions may be over in a few minutes' time, with a lucky few being able to enjoy the 'glory moments', but what people cannot see are the effort and hard work committed by them," she stressed.

She also thanked her coaches and parents for their support which allowed her to achieve what she could today.

This evening she cruised into the semi-finals of the women's 100 freestyle setting another Asian record at 52.70 and will compete in the final tomorrow morning.

Ng wore a plain black T-shirt in his first match

However, badminton Olympic hopeful Angus Ng Ka-long was knocked out today after being beaten by Guatemalan shuttler Kevin Cordon.

Ng got into a lot of controversy after his first match a few days ago when he wore a black Lululemon T-shirt that met Olympic regulations, but did not have a bauhinia emblem on it critics felt this associated Ng with the 2019 protests when the protesters wore black clothes.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Nicholas Muk wrote on social media that Ng should withdraw from the games if he did not want to represent Hong Kong. 

After his match, Ng took to Instagram to explain he currently did not have a sponsor and so he was now a free agent and felt comfortable wearing this T-shirt.

Eventually the Hong Kong Badminton Association took the blame for the incident and sorted out Ng's uniform for the next match. 

Criticism caused Ng to change shirts... and lose?

But it seems the damage was done and Ng is now out of the Olympics.

Muk finally said he felt sorry for using "slightly strong words" on Facebook, but did not apologize to the 27-year-old Ng for possibly affecting his performance today.

While the T-shirt debacle was a distraction, it can really ruin an athlete's focus and self-confidence. Muk of the DAB may be trying to win brownie points with Beijing, but really, this is not the time or place to do such a thing. 

Hong Kong athletes need all the support they can get, and condemning them for their outfits is the last thing they want to hear.

 

First Case Convicted under National Security Law

Tong on his motorcycle with the slogan on the flag

 

As Edgar Cheung Ka-long, the 24-year-old is walking on air relishing his gold medal performance yesterday in the Tokyo 2020 Games, another 24-year-old is contemplating the possibility of life in prison.

Three judges appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive found Leon Tong Ying-kit guilty of inciting separatism by displaying a flag on his motorcycle that said: "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" as he rode up and down the streets during a July 1 rally last year in Wan Chai.

Tong crashed into three police officers July 1

The judges also ruled the former waiter caused great harm to society by inflicting grave injuries on three police officers who tried to block him after he ignored repeated warnings to stop.

Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping said they were satisfied the slogan was capable of inciting others to commit secession.

"When the defendant displayed the slogan in the manner he did, he intended to communicate the secessionist meaning of the slogan to others and he intended to incite others to commit secession by separating the [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region] from the [People's Republic of China]," Toh said.

The three judges also found Tong's failure to stop at the police check lines, eventually crashing into three officers, was "a deliberate challenge mounted against the police, a symbol of Hong Kong's law and order".

The defence had countered the collision was accidental, and that the slogan was ambiguous, and did not necessarily carry a political message.

Defence council Grossman said it was an accident

However the judges only needed to find the slogan was capable of inciting secession and not definitively without a reasonable doubt to convict Tong.

On Thursday the court will hear mitigation, during which defence council Clive Grossman, SC, will present "quite a lot of letters from people" who will plead leniency on his client's behalf.

Nevertheless, as this is the first test case of the national security law, the prosecution will be looking for a heavy sentence to set a precedent and warning to all.

No doubt this conviction will accelerate people's desire to leave Hong Kong, though Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor claims not to care...

Hong Kong's Golden Win

Cheung admiring his medal on the podium

 

Hong Kong is celebrating its first medal of the Tokyo 2020 Games tonight with fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-long clinching gold in the men's individual foil. It's a massive morale booster not only for the Hong Kong team but for the city as well, with people cheering in sports bars and in shopping malls watching the win.

The 24-year-old beat defending Olympic champion Italian Daniele Garozzo to make the podium finish.

"I beat an Olympic champion to become an Olympic champion! Before the draw was made, I knew I might meet him. I joked then with my coach that if I could beat an Olympic champion, I should call myself an Olympic champion," Cheung said.

Cheung beat Garozzo to win gold in fencing

He has done just that with Hong Kong's second gold medal, 25 years after Lee Lai-shan won gold in windsurfing in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. Hong Kong has two other medals,  a silver for Li Ching and Ko Lai-chak in the men's table tennis doubles in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and track cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze's bronze in the keirin at the 2012 London Games.

Coming into the competition Hong Kong media covering the event said Cheung looked calm and composed, but after it was over he admitted that he was nervous all day and in each competition. His coach, Greg Koenig said that when he first started working with Cheung, he knew he would be an Olympic champion in three years but he did not expect it to happen so fast.  

Lee Lai-shan with Hong Kong's first gold in 1996

Cheung's win will definitely be a boost for fencing in Hong Kong. His advice for younger fencers: "If you work hard and not give up, being an Olympic champion is not just a dream." 

Windsurfing queen Lee is also very pleased with the young fencer, saying: "I said when I won gold in Atlanta that 'Hong Kong athletes are not rubbish', and Edgar has proved that. Not only him but we have so many athletes who work so hard and are top 10 or top 20 in the world and this is something to be proud of."

Along with his gold medal, he will collect HK$5 million cash and surely sponsorships will come knocking at his door.  

For Hong Kong this is an amazing celebration after over two tough years with the anti-government protests and now Covid-19. 

Bronze medallist Lee going for gold in Tokyo

Finally something we can all get behind.

Moving the Goal Posts to Immunity

Surge in vaccinations bookings still doesn't reach 90 percent

 

The goal posts keep changing when it comes reaching herd immunity in Hong Kong which is becoming more and more frustrating.

For the longest time we were told it was 70 per cent and currently the city is at 29.9 percent fully vaccinated, 40.5 percent with at least one jab. Yes, a ways to go...

Yuen says more people need to get the jab

But now microbiologist and government advisor Yuen Kwok-yung now says we need 90 percent herd immunity before we can relax social-distancing measures.

"It is not safe even if you reach a vaccination rate of 70 percent, because that means you have 30 percent of the population not yet inoculated, that's over 2 million people, there could still be major outbreaks," Yuen warned.

He noted there had recently been imported cases slipping into the community, but that Hong Kong had been able to avoid a new major outbreak due to face mask wearing, hand hygiene, and improved contact tracing capabilities.

Despite Hongkongers diligent about masks and all that, it's still not enough for Dr Yuen. A colleague says she's gotten her two jabs to do her bit to help Hong Kong get back on its feet. What about everyone else?

Elderly can walk in for vaccination

Needless to say patience is beginning to wear thin and even more so now with the need to get to 90 percent immunity...

Making a Clay Lotus

My lotus flower with the petals supported by tissues

 

Earlier this week I had a chance to get crafty and learn how to make a lotus flower out of clay.

Leo Wong is a clay sculptor and his day job as a landscape architect so he has a lot of time to observe flowers in nature.

Wong showing us how to make petals

He taught a few of us how to make a lotus flower in a few steps (and with his help)! And he explained the difference between lotus and water lily is that the entire lotus flower is edible, while the latter is not.

First Wong told us to roll some clay into a ball, and then press it down with the palm of our hand and then roll it out until it was a few millimetres thick. 

Then using a leaf-shaped cookie cutter we cut the shape out of the clay and then placed it in a silicon mold that instantly created some lines on the petals.

The pointy end is the top of the lotus petal and we curled that part together and then made the petal more round, as those closer to the middle are more rounded than those at the outer edge.

We added "glue" or wet clay on the lily pad-shaped clay and placed each of the petals on it, slightly apart from each other. 

When that was done, it was time to do the next layer, the smaller petals placed in between the first layer. 

To finish it off, Wong put a yellow clay-shaped middle of the lotus flower in our lotus flower and added little hairs around it as decoration. He made them by pushing clay through a sieve.

The first layer of petals glued onto the lily pad

Wong explained our lotus flowers needed about a week to completely dry, after which point the clay would be thinner and then it would be glazed then fired.

Lots of fun and can't wait to see what it looks like when it's done in time for Mid-Autumn Festival!

 

Finally Getting on the Vaccine Bandwagon

People lining up for jab at the community vaccination centre

 

Some of my friends finally got their first vaccine jabs recently. One backed out and had to reschedule, another had nightmares the nurse would not inject him with the vaccine but with an air bubble instead. 

A record 70,570 people got inoculated today

It turned out to be unfounded and both are doing well so far and will get their second jab in the next two weeks.

It seems more and more people are FINALLY getting on the bandwagon. Today was a record day in the number of people getting the jab at 70,570.

More people are choosing the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine over Sinovac because of its higher counter of antibodies, though there are still others who would prefer getting the Chinese-made vaccine in their arm even though many places don't recognize it as a good enough vaccine.

The rush may also be because the community vaccination centres will close in two months.

There is a surge in bookings to get jabs finally

Officials predict by October 70 percent of Hong Kong's population will be vaccinated with at least one dose. 

People are finally understanding that really there is no other way out of this pandemic except by getting vaccinated...

Perhaps better late than never?

Picture of the Day: Flowering Tree

There's a tree at Chater Garden that has fern-like leaves

 

I often pass by Chater Garden across from the Bank of China headquarters, and there is a lovely old tree there in the public space.

The red flowers are orchid-shaped

Its flowers are now blooming and they are a brilliant red with flowers that seem similar to orchids and have fern-like leaves.

So pretty!

Fallout Two Years After 7.21

Commuters in Yuen Long station were attacked two years ago

 

It's hard to believe it's been two years since the horrific attacks on commuters in Yuen Long by men in white T-shirts armed with long wooden sticks and metal rods. What has happened since then?

Last month five people were convicted in the attacks and will be sentenced tomorrow, another man was acquitted on the lack of evidence. That is only a tiny fraction of the people involved in the incident that left 45 people injured and shocked Hongkongers who watched it unfold in real time.

Ho livestreamed the attack, was later arrested

The brave journalist Gwyneth Ho of Stand News who kept live streaming the incident as she was being attacked became a politician in the hopes of running in the Legislative Council elections in 2019 that were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

But in January she was arrested along with 52 others for organizing and participating in the pro-democracy primaries last July. Ho was released on bail.

Another now former pro-democracy lawmaker, Lam Cheuk-ting, who rushed to the scene and was injured himself, was arrested for the same charge.

Lam was also arrested earlier this year

RTHK did an extensive investigation into the Yuen Long attacks, but one of its producers, Bao Choy Yuk-ling, was arrested and convicted for "submitting misinformation" when she requested ownership information of some of the vehicles used by the white-shirted men.  

While she was fined HK$6,000 for two violations of the Road Traffic Ordinance, Choy is appealing the decision because she feels she has done nothing wrong.

The RTHK documentary, 7.21: Who Owns the Truth? won a human rights prize and journalism nods, but public broadcaster refused to accept the awards and even tried to withdraw the application beforehand.

Choy does not believe she did anything wrong

But on that same evening in Western district, another attack was happening at the liaison office. Protesters defaced the Chinese emblem with black paint and it was then that state media began reporting on the anti-government protests and described the participants as rioters.

This incident may have set in motion the beginning of plans to implement the national security law less than a year later.

Now two years later, after Apple Daily shut down, laid off its staff and turned off the lights, the former executive editor was taken away by police, along with three others who reported to police following their bail conditions. They are expected to be charged under the national security law.

Lam Man-chung was arrested today

Eight in total have been have been arrested since last month, including two editorial writers, while Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was arrested last year for violating the national security law.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association said it was shocked and puzzled by the latest arrest, describing freedom of the press as the "cornerstone of an international city".

"The association urges the government not to keep arresting journalists in the name of national security in a bid to create white terror in the field," it said.

What will happen a year from now?

 

RTHK Becomes Mainlandized, as Lam Promises Rosy Future

RTHK staff must abide by the one-China policy on Taiwan

 

Radio Television Hong Kong is becoming like Chinese state media with rules imposed on how it will report on Taiwan.

In a circular distributed today to staff at the government broadcaster, they are not allowed to use "inappropriate" terms such as "Taiwan's president" or "Taiwan's government" in all radio, television and online content, to comply with the one-China principle.

Taiwan cannot be described as a country

"Inappropriate terminology such as 'country', 'Republic of China', 'ROC'... must not be used when referring to Taiwan. Under no circumstances should Taiwan be referred to as a sovereign state or perceived as one," it said.

The circular instructed staff to refer to "the most senior leader of Taiwan" as 'Taiwan leader' rather than 'Taiwan president', and 'Taiwan authorities' should be used rather than 'Taiwan government'.

An RTHK spokesman reiterated that as a public broadcaster and a government department, its programmes and content it releases must all abide by the one-China principle.

This circular may have come about after Federation of Trade Union lawmaker Luk Chung-hung inquired in the Legislative Council last week why RTHK used the word "president" to refer to the island's leader. Luk submitted a written question to Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah in Legco, suggesting the broadcaster may have breached the one-China principle.

Tsai now "Taiwan leader" not "Taiwan president"

Yau did not indicate that any policy change was in the works, but only said that all along the government has handled Taiwan-related matters in accordance with the Basic Law, the one-China principle, and the central government's policies towards the island. 

He added that RTHK would "continue to abide by the charter, duly meet its obligations as a public broadcaster, and uphold the highest professional standards of journalism."

When will RTHK describe Taiwan as a "renegade province", and will other media outlets will get this memo as well?

Meanwhile the reports of tens of thousands of people leaving Hong Kong for the UK has unfazed Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

In today's media briefing, Lam said the government did not hold an official position on the matter, but said: "Every now and then in the history of Hong Kong, there are such emigration trends.

Lam pitching Greater Bay Area back in 2018

"But if you really ask me to say something to those who are seeking to emigrate or have already emigrated, I would tell them Hong Kong has a prosperous future."

She pointed out Hong Kong's role in the Greater Bay Area, which will link the city along with Macau and nine cities in Guangdong together in a bid to become an economic and business powerhouse.

"For those who feel a sense of belonging to Hong Kong and are willing to toil away here, this is the best time. But if they choose to leave, this is a personal decision."

"Toil" is an interesting choice of word...

 

Pandemic Woes Continue

Interesting vaccination loopholes pop up as incidents happen

 A few months ago it was discovered that people in Hong Kong signed up to get vaccinated in one place but showed up at another (and got a different vaccine).

This man went to the wrong centre and wrong jab

Now there's a case of a 30-year-old Singaporean man who was inoculated with the Moderna vaccine in his home state, came back to Hong Kong where he works and got two BioNTech jabs so that he could have a local record of being vaccinated in order to go to bars.

Hong Kong authorities have warned they may prosecute the man for his "extremely selfish and irresponsible" behaviour.

Health experts also believe getting four jabs is excessive and could have harmed his health. The incident also revealed a loophole that healthcare workers at the vaccination centre did not ask if he was inoculated overseas. 

Are you ready for pandemic traveling to Europe?

But why would anyone think to ask that question when the vast majority of people have not left Hong Kong in over a year and a half?

There were also concerns that those to administered the jab to him would be in trouble for wasting vaccine resources. This is also excessive, considering there are more than enough vaccines going around since many people still don't want the jab.

It's a curious case and crazy desperation on the Singaporean's part to have a drink in a bar.

Meanwhile there are some people who are so desperate to travel now that a small tour group has flown to Europe with a tour guide. They all did the requisite antibody test and will be in hotel quarantine when they arrive back in Hong Kong.

A small Hong Kong tour group flew to Europe

"It's the first tour package we have had since late February last year when the coronavirus pandemic spread, and borders closed everywhere," said Miramar Travel general manager Alex Lee Chun-ting.

He said the company received more than 30 inquiries over the past few days on arranging private travel plans.

"After being stuck in Hong Kong for more than a year, many avid travellers are itching to get out," Lee said. "But now they're looking for experiences away from city centres, they want to stay in boutique hotels instead of chain hotels, and they also want to be closer to nature."

Tours advertised on the Miramar Travel website are priced from HK$12,000 to HK$23,500 (US$1,545-US$3,035) -- about 30 percent more than usual and visiting Germany, Italy and the UK.

Travelers are interested in being closer to nature

However Dr Leung Chi-chiu, a respiratory medicine specialist, urged Hongkongers to avoid leisure travel as the Delta variant had spread across Europe, Britain the United States and Southeast Asia, warning returnees may bring the mutation into Hong Kong.

"Based on how the Delta variant has spread, we can't determine the countries which adopted a 'live with the virus' approach have been successful at this point," he said.

Indeed.

Herd Immunity Still not Enough, says Top Epidemiologist

The government needs to focus on vaccinating elderly people

It is utterly depressing to read one of Hong Kong's top epidemiologists on the pandemic says Hong Kong's Covid-19 situation will not become "normal" until at least mid-2022 despite vaccinations picking up the pace in the last few weeks.

Gabriel Leung, dean of the University of Hong Kong's faculty of medicine, said even though there are projections of inoculating 70 percent of the population by October, more needed to be done to focus on helping the elderly get the jab.

Currently only 5 percent of the elderly who needed institutionalized care had been vaccinated so far.

Leung says new normal not until mid-2022

"We have to remember that half of the 200 Covid-19-related deaths in Hong Kong happened in elderly homes," Leung said, and that it was important to vaccinate vulnerable groups particularly from the Delta variant.

He explained that a carrier of the Delta variant could infect four to five people. An average person infected with the Alpha variant, in comparison, could infect just 2.5 people, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

For Leung, the test to decide when the city could return to normal was not to achieve high vaccination rates among the working population, but among vulnerable groups.

He accused the health authorities of pursuing the wrong vaccination strategy in care homes, and Leung believed the initial government guidelines on vaccination for elderly people with high blood pressure was "overcautious" and confusing.

Leung says jab strategy for elderly was confusing

As a result this caused many elderly people to avoid taking the jab out of concern for the potential side effects, when in fact, Leung said, they should be the first ones to be vaccinated because their underlying conditions would make a Covid-19 infection more deadly.

Currently 2 million people in Hong Kong are fully vaccinated, and 2.8 million with at least one dose. Only 3.9 million more to go...

Nevertheless the resumption of quarantine-free travel with the mainland remains out of reach.

Leung believed the mainland authorities were thinking "10 steps ahead" given the fast spread of new variants. He said the mainland government would only consider relaxing border controls after getting its own vulnerable groups fully vaccinated.

"Hong Kong is the southern gate of the country, and China's overriding strategy is still elimination of the virus," Leung said. "Before it can vaccinate enough of its population, it will not open its borders to us or anyone."

Depressing, right?