Home Affairs Secretary Resigns Over Birthday-Gate

Tsui resigned today over attending the January 3 birthday party

The political fallout from the January 3 birthday party of Witman Hung Wai-man has resulted in one senior Hong Kong minister resigning today.

Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai resigned this morning, and in his letter stated he would take responsibility for his actions.

"As one of the principal officials taking the lead in the anti-epidemic fight, I have not set the best example during the recent outbreak," he wrote.

Lam said Tsui behaved in appropriately

"I made the wrong decision to attend a banquet on January 3 and behaved in an inappropriate manner when all efforts should have been devoted to controlling the spread of the virus."

Indeed -- it is his department that enforces all Hong Kong residents to use to the Leave Home Safe app! And days before the party, Tsui's colleagues in the health department had warned Hongkongers not to gather in big groups -- even though the banquet number was well within government guidelines -- it was still not a good idea to be at the event.

Due to contract tracing, when two women were found to be infected with Covid-19, it was uncovered that Tsui and several other officials and lawmakers attended Hung's party, where there were pictures of the birthday boy singing karaoke, and many of them not wearing masks.

While some officials and lawmakers came and went in less than an hour, Tsui was found to have been at the party for two hours -- but worse -- he didn't use the Leave Home Safe app!

Some experts say Hung (left) should resign too

Needless to say Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was mightily disappointed with him, and said so during a press conference Monday afternoon, the day before the Lunar New Year.

"He didn't wear a mask while chatting with others at the party. What he did was disappointing and violated the code for politically appointed officials," she said.

"Tsui was a member of the government's core team tackling the pandemic. He should have had better awareness than other officials on pandemic controls."

Lam added that politically appointed officials should not do anything to embarrass the government or cause negative perceptions among the public.

However, others who attended the party only got verbal warnings: Allen Fung Ying-lun, political assistant to the development secretary had stayed for four hours and didn't even remember if he wore a mask because he was so inebriated. 

Au seems to have escaped punishment...

Another was Vincent Fung Hao-yin, deputy head of Policy Innovation and Coordination Office, who did not comply with the compulsory testing order on the day it was issued, and was an infection risk when he returned to work the next day before going for a test.

Then there is immigration chief Au Ka-wang who also did not scan the contact-tracing app, but Lam seemed satisfied that he spent 15 minutes outside of the Wan Chai restaurant without entering.

Independent Commission Against Corruption chief Simon Peh Yun-lu also got away with punishment too, and Lam claimed he was there "to have official dealings with a private individual".

Uh huh.

So it seems Lam had it in for Tsui from the beginning. The 44-year-old was a rising star in the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, but it seems someone had to take the fall, and perhaps he was the weakest of the high-profile partying bunch.

... and so has ICAC chief Peh

Some experts say the host of the party, Hung himself should also resign from his position as principal liaison officer for Hong Kong at the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority and a city delegate to the National People's Congress because his reputation has been severely damaged.

Who's next? Stay tuned.

Living with Covid Does Not Violate NSL

77 local cases of Covid-19 were detected, many untraceable

Some top Hong Kong infectious disease experts have been hinting publicly that it is time that Hong Kong live with Covid-19, as "zero-Covid" is not attainable in the long run.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu jumped on this, suggesting that the strategy should be viewed as violating the national security law.

Ho suggested living with Covid violated NSL

When he spoke to the media on Saturday, he explained guarding against the importation of cases and the resurgence of domestic infections is a national-level strategy, and anti-pandemic measures are equal to defence and diplomacy.

Therefore, the strategy of "living with Covid" may "breach national defence and disrupt the order of the society," he continued.

However, the government issued a statement on Sunday clarifying that "general remarks and discussion" on the effectiveness of the official zero-Covid strategy were not illegal.

"Hong Kong must cut the transmission chains as quickly as possible, with an aim of achieving dynamic zero infection, otherwise the consequences could be dire," the statement added.

Chuang warned about gathering for CNY

This is the state of the city now -- where anything could be considered violating the national security law and the government has to issue a statement to deny it.

At least that's one thing that's not related to the national security law, but still...

In the meantime Hong Kong recorded 81 new cases -- first time in double digits in a week -- 77 of which are local. There are 70 preliminary positive cases.

"Although the number of daily cases is declining, the proportion of untraceable cases has increased," said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection's communicable disease branch.

"The transmission chains in the community remain unclear; we do not know what some of the transmission paths were."

Govt says living with Covid not illegal

She also asked that families be careful when gathering for the Lunar New Year festivities, especially around seniors who may not have been vaccinated yet. "If they get infected, there may be complications," Chuang said.

You don't say!

June 4 Remembrances Wiped Out at HKU

Workers board up the bridge where a slogan is on the pavement

Following the dismantling of the Pillar of Shame just over a month ago, the University of Hong Kong continues to dismantle all remembrances of Tiananmen Square from the campus, as workers blocked off part of a bridge where students paint calligraphic commemorations of the 1989 crackdown every year.

On Swire Bridge the slogan says: "Souls of martyrs shall forever linger despite the brutal massacre; Spark of democracy shall forever glow for the demise of evils".

Students used to repaint the characters annually

But today nine construction workers wearing helmets and masks (to make them less identifiable) erected a metal partition in the morning to cordon off the part of the pavement on Swire Bridge where the commemorative messages were written.

The bridge is located off its namesake Swire Hall, a student dormitory.

Every year up until last June 11, 2021, representatives from HKU's student union have painted messages on the bridge's pavement to mark the anniversary of June 4, 1989.

In response to media inquiries about blocking off the bridge, a university spokesman said HKU "regularly conducts maintenance works at various locations and facilities", including the bridge.

Not like this before...

The slogan was a reminder of June 4, 1989

Jason Wong Ching-hin, an elected council representative for undergraduates at HKU, said the move was regrettable, saying that students and teachers have been repainting the pavement for the past 20 years to remind people about the history.

"The move by the university is incompatible with its role to uphold freedom of speech," he said, adding that he feared the university might no longer allow discussions on the crackdown and other sensitive topics in the future.

Along with repainting the pavement, students would annually clean the Pillar of Shame sculpture. 

As university officials in Hong Kong drag the institutions closer to Beijing's preferences, the further they move from freedoms of speech, expression, information and press. 

What would Sun say about HK?

Every time I walk past Dr Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park and see his statue in the middle of the grassy area, I wonder what he would think of Hong Kong now.

In 1887 he had studied at the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese -- the forerunner of HKU -- and wondered what he would think about his alma mater's latest actions...

How to Push Unvaccinated to get Jab

Crowded areas may need vaccine passport to get in, like MTR

The Hong Kong government is finally -- FINALLY considering having residents use a vaccine passport to do their daily necessities, from taking public transport to entering shopping malls in a bid to boost the vaccination rate in the city.

There were 115 cases recorded today of which 111 were locally transmitted while four were imported. Of the local cases, six were untraceable. About 80 people have tested preliminary positive which will show up in tomorrow's case numbers.

With a sixth straight day of triple digit case numbers, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has set the vaccination target at 90 percent. Currently 79.1 percent of the population has had at least one dose.

Transport workers worry of chaos using passport

However there will be fears of transportation chaos if people must show their vaccination records before getting on a bus, minibus, taxi or MTR. Can you imagine the long lines and short tempers? It would be an absolute nightmare for public transport workers having to bear the brunt of the frustration.

But this might have to be done in order to push people to get the jab. It is forceful, but vaccination is the only way out of this pandemic. Refusing to get the jab not only puts the unvaccinated person in jeopardy in terms of their health, but also impacts others around them, though they don't think of it that way at all.

Others say their doctors have advised them against getting it, not wanting to be responsible for side effects, especially those with chronic illnesses, or the elderly. That really doesn't help the rest of us. We have to think in terms of the greater good.

Already in several North American cities people have to show their vaccination records in order to eat in a restaurant, work out in the gym or attend a concert. 

Leave Home Safe app used more often now

Today a friend opened his bar and I had time before 6pm (when bars and restaurants close) to take a quick peek. At the door I not only scanned the Leave Home Safe app, but also had to show my vaccination record, which threw me back, but I complied. 

Everyone else was maskless and having a good time with the loud dance music, while I kept my mask on practically the whole time (15 minutes). I wondered if this was the future of Hong Kong post-Covid, that as long as everyone showed their proof of vaccination people could party...

Nevertheless, Chinese University public health professor Kwok Kin-on thinks pushing people to get vaccinated in order to use public transport and enter supermarkets is too extreme, and that the vaccine passport should be introduced gradually to avoid the public rejecting the scheme.

"If we can achieve our goal of boosting the vaccination rate without taking extreme measures, then it will not be necessary [to include all major public places]," Kwok said, adding that the requirement for vaccine passports at restaurants from February 24 could push many people to get their first jab.

In Vancouver must show vaccine record to eat out

One would think, but my relatives still refuse to get it, fearing the side effects it could cause. They claim they don't have to eat in restaurants, but that would mean forever. They don't seem to get that Covid is here for the long term and we have to adapt to it whether we like it or not.

Meanwhile the rest of us who are vaccinated and boosted are tired and want to move onto the next level. Why should people who have been jabbed have to wait for the rest to catch up? There should be advantages to having been inoculated, but so far the government doesn't seem to think they need to be rewarded (which is a serious blunder on its part).

Restaurants and hotels will be struggling for the next few months, waiting for Omicron to settle down, and also for everyone else to get vaccinated. Again the government squandered precious time to get people vaccinated, but hopefully with the current fifth wave nearing its peak that residents will be concerned about their own health to finally -- FINALLY get the jab.

Lam Drops Hotel Quarantine to 14 Days

Lam announces hotel quarantines will be reduced to 14 days

Today Hong Kong recorded a record 164 Covid-19 cases, the most logged in a single day since the pandemic began in January 2020. There is now a new cluster in Wong Tai Sin.

It was not surprising then that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced that social-distancing measures would continue until February 17, while in-person classes will be suspended until February 21.

One bright spot was that travellers coming back to Hong Kong would only need to do hotel quarantine for two weeks and then one week at home starting from February 5. 

A record number of 164 cases logged today

The decision to shorten the quarantine period came after persistent complaints from travellers and companies paying high quarantine costs for employees.

Currently Hong Kong residents who return to Hong Kong must undergo quarantine for 21 days in designated hotels, while those arriving from countries with serious Covid issues like the United States must first quarantine for four days at Penny's Bay before completing the rest of the quarantine in a hotel.

Finally today a tycoon spoke out about the tough measures the government has implemented in a bid to have a "zero-Covid" goal, saying the restrictions were seriously impacting businesses. 

Ronnie Chan, chairman of Hang Lung Properties has read reports that the Omicron variant is much like the influenza, and should be treated as such.

"It seems Omicron is going in the direction of becoming flu-like. It is possible to consider how the policy needs to progress. There may be a need to study the possibility of a change," he said on Thursday.

Chan said the current zero-Covid policy would make sense if the virus caused a high percentage of deaths. He said an approach based on building herd immunity would be "fine" if the current wave of infections does prove similar to influenza.

Chan calls for easing of social-distancing 

Hang Lung is the first Hong Kong developer to openly call for a change in Covid-19 policy.

Chan said the city is "in a difficult situation". It is "stuck in the middle", between the need for people to cross the border with mainland China freely, and the desire to align with other countries.

"Of course, Hong Kong is a big international city. So we need to align with the world," he said. "The fact that the staff of big companies [have not been] able to return to Hong Kong without [undergoing a quarantine of] three weeks, is extremely difficult to accept in terms of commercial sense."

When will other tycoons start voicing their opinions as well? Surely they are tired of being stuck in their mansions on The Peak and want a chance of scenery like the rest of us?

Seems that Lam did listen to him and shorten the hotel quarantine time, but it is still 21 days for no specific scientific reason, when Omicron can be detected within the first few days.

In any event, the 15 days of Chinese New Year are completely cancelled, and Valentine's Day too.

The Year of the Tiger will not be off to a roaring start... will we have better news after the Winter Olympics are over?

One can only hope.

Fifth Wave Persists in Kwai Chung

100 local Covid-19 cases were logged in Hong Kong today

It is disheartening to see another triple-digit count of Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong today, 100 new cases related to the Kwai Chung housing estate. So far 334 cases are related to 12 of the 16 housing blocks here. 

Residents there are concerned that some may have become infected just from waiting in line to get tested or being in the elevators, let alone all the rubbish left strewn around.

It seems the situation there is also mishandled, or is the system overwhelmed and not enough staff?

Testing continues in Kwai Chung housing estate

A resident tested preliminary positive on Tuesday morning and she and her infected youngest son still hadn't been sent to the hospital by 3pm on Wednesday -- 35 hours after receiving an SMS message with the results.

The two had already developed symptoms like coughing and a fever, she could only take painkillers to relieve her symptoms, while her husband and two older sons were not infected. She and her youngest son are isolating in a bedroom, but they still have to share the bathroom with the rest of the family, so she was worried about transmitting the virus to them.

"Officials gave me multiple calls at 5pm [on Tuesday] and told me I will be sent to hospital and my husband and sons to Penny's Bay... But we still do not know when we can leave our home," she said. "They said they were arranging it for us, and said it was manpower issues."

There were concerns of poor waste management

Not a good excuse when Omicron is so contagious... and Hong Kong is insistent on its "zero-Covid" policy.

Meanwhile there are concerns that China may not open the border with Hong Kong until 2024 which has shocked a lot of people. 

However, it has been proven that Sinovac vaccines only have a 51 percent efficacy in preventing symptomatic disease, and its effectiveness wanes after six months. Meanwhile a University of Hong Kong study has found Pfizer BioNTech has nearly 10 times the average level of antibodies compared to Sinovac, 

But China doesn't want to buy proven mRNA vaccines from overseas and is developing its own and then will vaccinate its population -- again before even considering lifting its border restrictions.

By 2024 what will Hong Kong be like? Can it even financially survive to that point without any foreign tourists and businesspeople and investment coming in?

Earlier we were hearing November 2022, but another two years of this will be too much for many people to bear.

China is developing its own mRNA vaccines

A friend has poured HK$13 million of his own money into a bar that he will open this Friday during social-distancing restrictions. He has renovated a space complete with a stage, special lighting and of course a good sound system.

But he can only open it till 6pm.

How is he ever going to make back his HK$13 million?

Lam Wants us to be Empathetic

Lam takes off her mask before speaking to the media

Poor Carrie.

She desperately wants Hongkongers to understand her feelings.

We're all going through a very tough time now, with the coronavirus pandemic going into its third year, there are strict social-distancing measures in place, intense lockdowns happening in a Kwai Chung housing estate where residents there heckled her and spewed profanities at her, and there's all these former lawmakers and activists in jail, some remanded in custody, three major news outlets shut down, and countless small businesses having to shutter for financial reasons.

Lam wants people to feel her emotions

And yet Carrie wants people to know how she feels.

The question had to be asked sooner or later. At several press conferences, Lam has chosen to take off her mask when health experts have warned people to wear a mask -- or even two to keep the Omicron variant at bay. Other speakers attending the event all wear masks except her.

Finally a reporter asked her why she did this and this was her reply:

"The people of Hong Kong have to hear very clearly from the chief executive and what messages she is conveying to the public. The people of Hong Kong may even have to feel my emotions," Lam said on Tuesday.

"Now I am very sombre, because I am very worried," she said, arguing a mask would not allow the public "to see for themselves" what she was feeling.

"I am the chief executive of the special administrative region; people need to understand and feel my feelings. 

Yuen is bold enough to wear ducky masks

"I want the people of Hong Kong to understand exactly the situation that Hong Kong is in, and put in their effort to support this important fight against Omicron," she said. "This is nothing personal. This is really performing my duty as the chief executive."

Dr Yuen Kwok-yung, who has advised people to wear up to two masks, and that leaders should set an example, declined to comment on Lam's remarks, and so has Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection.

Maybe they know better how Lam feels?

Omicron Weighs Down on HK

More testing unveiled another 98 local positive cases

The Omicron wave is wearing down on Hong Kong with another 109 new cases confirmed today, 98 of them local. There is another 100 preliminary positive cases for tomorrow.

Most of the infections have come from Yat Kwai and Ying Kwai houses, the housing estate in Kwai Chung, and now there is the possibility of another cluster forming in Wong Tai Sin, that may be linked to an infected hamster.

Meanwhile a friend who lives in Pui O told me tonight that her daughter's classmate who lives near them had tested positive, and several of the pupils and their families have been sent to Penny's Bay to quarantine. 

CHP warns of possible cluster in Wong Tai Sin

My friend and her husband are already thinking if they need to quarantine, what kinds of items they would bring. Her daughter suggested clothes, while my friend thought a power strip would be more useful...

She said Omicron has suddenly become more real for them. No kidding.

Hope she and her family don't get roped into Penny's Bay. It would be a drag having to spend Chinese New Year there...

Speaking of quarantine, there's a quirky story from China hailing a pilot for being the modern Lei Feng, the Mao-era soldier who symbolised selfless giving, modesty, and dedication, that resulted in the Communist Party using him for propaganda purposes.

Today there's China Southern Airlines A380 pilot Ma Jian, and his employer last week proclaimed him the "King of Quarantine". He earned the honour after spending a whopping 189 days in quarantine in 2021 -- 52 percent of the calendar year, so he could deliver "thousands of passengers and supplies around the world."

Pilot Ma Jian spent 189 days in quarantine

So Ma is considered a hero for spending more than half the year sitting around in hotel rooms to pass the time?

Doesn't seem half as productive as a Chinese man surnamed Yue who was trying to look for his 19-year-old son who went missing in 2020. 

The 43-year-old Yue quit his job as a fishing boat sailor and searched for his son in northern China. While he was doing that he picked up all kinds of part time work to support his wife and younger son, as well as pay for his elderly parents' medical bills.

It turns out Yue worked day and night. In Beijing he worked at construction sites, restaurants, office buildings, residential compounds, a trash collection point, and a shopping mall. Over the span of two weeks, he did 31 gigs, including many overnight ones, and only ate out once.

How do we know all this? Because he contracted Covid-19 and his detailed itinerary was revealed publicly in a bid to do contact tracing.

The posting of his itinerary reminded many middle-class people how difficult life is for migrant workers and how poorly they are treated in terms of work conditions and pay.

The 43-year-old toiled day and night. This month, in Beijing, he worked at construction sites, restaurants, office buildings, residential compounds, a trash collection point, and a shopping mall. Over the course of two weeks, he did 31 gigs, including many overnight ones, and only ate out once

More Omicron Cases in Triple Digits

Over 100 new cases were uncovered at Kwai Chung estate

Hong Kong is definitely in the midst of its fifth wave with a record 140 new cases, the most number of cases in a single day in 18 months. In addition more than 100 people have tested preliminary positive.

One hundred and twenty-five cases are related to the Kwai Chung housing estate where some 37,000 residents were under lockdown. Two of the five housing blocks, Yat Kwai House and Ying Kwai House have the most serious infections, while of the other three, one had two positive cases, and the other two one each, ending their overnight lockdowns.

Residents heckled Lam, with Lee and Chan

Last night during her press conference, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor warned that the outbreak at the estate was "exponential", but Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee seemed to contradict her. 

"Although the numbers are still increasing, we still have not seen a so-called exponential [rise]," Chan said. "Right now we think our different levels of compulsory testing are effective."

Speaking of Lam, she made a quick visit to the housing estate today with her deputy John Lee Ka-chiu, and housing secretary Frank Chan Fan, but residents there heckled her, some yelling profanities, telling her to "stop putting on a show", while others sarcastically told her not to come as "you will be locked down for five days".

They were angry at meals delivered late and rubbish not being collected because of fears of infections on their floors, but also personal protective equipment lying in a heap that wasn't disposed of either.

Garbage not collected one one floor

Probably wasn't a good day for Lam today.

Meanwhile microbiologist Professor Yuen Kwok-yung warned:

"It's obvious that the fifth wave is escalating... It may take around two to three months to calm down," he told a television program. "We have to see if our existing measures are effective enough and hope there can be relatively fewer infections during the outbreak."

He suggested people can open the windows in their flats to get more air ventilation and wear two layers of masks. My aunt tried to follow that advice and nearly suffocated after five minutes from not being able to breathe...

Yuen added the chances of lifting social-distancing measures by February 4 were very slim.

"You don't need to be an expert to confirm this; everyone can see it's obvious that it is impossible to open up by day four [February 4]. There are already more than 100 cases discovered."

Yuen says wave will take 2-3 months to drop

Interestingly he reiterated that Hong Kong's "zero-Covid" strategy was not sustainable, as it was just meant to buy time for residents to get vaccinated so the city could open up and start living with the virus.

With that stance contrary to Beijing and Hong Kong, we wonder how much longer he will still be advising the government...

Omicron Cluster Expands Exponentially

Some 35,000 people will be tested for the next five days

This evening some 35,000 people in a housing estate in Kwai Chung are being tested for Omicron after an exponential surge in cases. This afternoon 130 cases were recorded and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held a press conference at 6pm to outline what measures would be taken.

As ever she dominated the press conference, detailing the situation when it could easily have been the Secretary for Food and Health. But no, Lam wanted to show not only she knew every detail of the situation, but also how the government was going to go about dealing with the issue at hand.

Lam says HK is not living with the virus

In any event, four housing blocks in the same estate will be in lockdown for five days, with meals provided, though not tonight because it was too short a notice for the catering company. And yet no one is allowed to go out to get groceries either.

Last night 2,700 people were under lockdown at Yat Kwai House, where the cluster started, and now 96 cases so far have been recorded there.

Four other nearby housing blocks are under lockdown from today: Chin Kwai House and Hiu Kwai House, which recorded preliminary positive cases, as well as Yuk Kwai House and Nga Kwai House.

As a result of the current situation, Lam said the chances of social-distancing measures lifted by February 4 were very slim.

Sigh, but expected. The current outbreak has made many people worried and cautious, which means not going to restaurants and eating home cooking again (or takeaway).

Vaccination rates for elderly still pathetically low

Despite the rapid spread of Omicron in the community, Lam said the government would not give up on its "dynamic zero-infection" strategy.

"Hong Kong does not possess the prerequisites [to live with the virus]," she said. "We still want to open the border, not only with the mainland, but also the rest of the world. Secondly, our vaccination rate is not yet ideal."

Now who's fault is that? 

The government squandered six months to get more people, particularly the elderly vaccinated, and yet it did nothing. 

While vaccination rates are going up, particularly for first jabs, it's good to see, but are these people getting it so that they can eat in a restaurant later? The authorities are looking into implementing the vaccine passport in order to go into shops, restaurants, gyms and so on.

Many places already do this and it's about time Hong Kong did this too. There. needs to be privileges with being vaccinated. Now's the time to do it.

5-day lockdown for Kwai Chung estate residents

Meanwhile it is irritating to see pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao saying that if Hong Kong loses its fight against Covid-19 it could threaten national safety.

As if China doesn't have enough cases to look after... At least Hong Kong is being more open and transparent about it...

China-style Lockdown in Hong Kong

Chan announced the lockdown measures this evening

China's severe lockdown practices have come to Hong Kong in a bid to keep its zero-Covid strategy. Will we see people in hazmat suits bolting down people's homes a la Wuhan next?

Tonight, some 2,700 residents in Yat Kwai House, a housing block in Kwai Chung Estate will be stuck in home quarantine for the next five days to prevent the possible spread of Omicron. There were 20 positive cases found in this residential area.

The housing block will be locked down for 5 days

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee made the announcement this evening at at 6pm press conference -- when there's a late press conference on a Friday evening it's not going to be good news.

"We understand with this operation, people might feel there is some inconvenience such as not being able to go to work," Chan said. 

"We really appeal to employers if they have employees caught in this operation that, I hope, they will treat this in a more open and understanding manner so they won't deduct people's salary and things like that.

"The most important aim is really to identify or detect cases within the building, and secondly we want to stop the transmission chain from going further, therefore this is for the common good."

While Chan explained it was not necessary to evacuate residents because the outbreak was due to environmental contamination, not building structural issues, the main reason is because Penny's Bay quarantine camp is full.

The last time the government ordered a lockdown lasting more than 24 hours was last January, when residents in 70 blocks in Jordan could not go out for 48 hours.

People must be tested each of the five days

Residents of Yat Kwai House will have to be tested everyday for five days, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided for them. Anyone who fails to comply will be subjected to a HK$5,000 fine, and further violations could lead to a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a HK$25,000 fine.

Earlier it was reported a Pakistani woman who stayed in a quarantine hotel for 21 day became positive a few days after she came out, and already infected others. One of them was her unvaccinated husband, who went to Yat Kwai House to pick up recycling items from waste bins and infected a cleaner there. The cleaner had spread the virus across 13 floors affecting 12 households, as well as building staff.

The cleaner had had two doses of Sinovac.

Meanwhile, animal activists are trying to save as many hamsters as they can, intercepting people surrendering their rodent pets, explaining to them they legally do not have to do that. Some video footage has shown people giving their pets to these activists, who promise to look after their pets without exchanging any contact information.

Some activists protect hamsters as resistance

Some of these activists were interviewed by the media today. And while they asked to be anonymous and turned their backs to the camera while being interviewed, they also requested their voices to be altered too.

This is the state of Hong Kong now, as resisting giving up hamsters is seen as an act of dissent against the government. Even hamsters are seen as symbols of resistance...

Tonight two more pet shops have hamsters testing positive for Covid-19, I Love Rabbit in Causeway Bay and Tai Po. People who visited these shops must get tested, while staff members will have to undergo quarantine. Will another culling take place?

Omicron Infections Worrying

Sorry little fella, you need to go... some 2,000 hamsters culled

Hamster-geddon has been the talk of the town today, as we watched news coverage of people giving up their rodent pets to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to test them for Covid-19, and regardless if they are negative or positive, they are "humanely handled", but we all know what that means...

One father interviewed outside the AFCD said it was not fair, having to get rid of the animal when it was a living thing, and having to explain to his children that the hamster had to be destroyed because of the pandemic. But at the same time he said for the safety of the family the hamster had to go.

A mother said her children had been talking about getting a small pet for a while and then they finally got the hamster on the weekend, but now she was taking it to be culled.

AFCD asked people to surrender their hamsters

But others reported in other news articles have refused to hand over the animals, saying they would rather die than surrender their hamsters. Some saw this as an act of resistance against the government, and others even organised a system to take in hamsters as fosters; it reminded some of when strangers would taken in protesters for their safety back in 2019.

It has even gotten to the point where death threats have been sent to infectious disease experts like Dr David Hui Shu-cheong, and Dr Yuen Kwok-yung, but he brushed off the ominous messages, as he'd received them before...

In any event, seeing headlines like "Killing Hamsters Drives Hong Kong to New Low in Meeting China's Zero-Covid Dream", and "Hong Kong hamster massacre: Residents resist 'zero-Covid' city's pet project" give a horrific impression of the city, especially when no other animal-to-human transmission has been found around the world for the past two years.

While experts are still trying to find out if it was animal-to-human transmission or the other way around, Yuen believes the hamsters that came from the Netherlands, were most probably infected while in the warehouse in Tai Po, which is why he still thinks the cull was necessary.

Can you get infected with a mask on? Possibly

Today there is a report that one could possibly be infected with the Omicron virus just by passing by an infected person -- and everyone is wearing masks.

This is the plausible explanation of how a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher tested positive after passing by two infected people while walking in an MTR tunnel at a Mei Foo exit.

CCTV footage and her Octopus card transaction history showed she went through a tunnel exit at almost the same time -- just nine seconds apart -- as the two infected people last Friday. All three wore masks, and the teacher did not have contact with the pair.

Hui says this shows that the Omicron variant is four to eight times more transmissible than the Delta variant.

"If the index [patient] was near the kindergarten teacher, the wind direction could carry droplets [containing virus] to the teacher," he said. "Although a surgical mask could protect you from large droplets, it could still reach your eyes or leak in when you rub your eyes and nose."

He added that short-range airborne transmission could also occur if they stayed at a close distance, through gaps at the sides of the masks. He suggested residents wear glasses, plain spectacles, or face shields on top of face masks for extra protection.

Hui says Omicron droplets can get into the eyes

Oh no. Here we go again with people going over the top with a face shield on top of masks and those goggles usually worn in laboratories.

We are so exhausted by the whole pandemic and now we are told to be even more paranoid. 

"When is this going to end?" people keep asking openly, and there's no definitive answer.

Now that Omicron can possibly be caught so easily, restaurants are definitely going to see a drop in dine-in business, and who wants to even eat with a friend anymore?

It's all too much to bear. The impending Year of the Tiger is not looking good...

Michelin Shines Stars in HK

Some of the chefs who received or retained one Michelin star

Just as Hong Kong is going through tough social-distancing measures that include not allowing restaurants to open beyond 6pm, the Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau 2022 was announced this afternoon.

9 new restaurants gained one star today

There was a lot of anticipation of who would get the coveted star because there were several restaurants that opened this year, but sadly not all of them were recognised.

However, it is worth noting that nine new restaurants in the red guide received one star, and two were awarded two stars; no new three-star restaurants were named, though one dropped out.

I heard from one chef that three stars are only given when inspectors from outside the region have visited the restaurant to ensure it does deserve the top recognition, and since Hong Kong has had such severe travel and quarantine requirements that it has been nearly impossible for overseas inspectors to come here and also Macau.

Two restaurants moved up to two stars

Maybe that's why more restaurants were given one star, such as Singaporean-influenced Whey, South American inspired Mono, the popular Indian restaurant Chaat in Rosewood Hong Kong, and Ningbo restaurant Yong Fu. Interesting to note that Seventh Son was finally recognised when it has always produced top quality Cantonese cuisine and classic dishes that are rarely found in other restaurants.

Nevertheless it was fun to talk to chefs who had just received their accolades and they sounded so excited on the phone. For many of them it is a dream come true to win a star, and even more so when it is their own restaurant.

In a video broadcast during the ceremony, chef Manav Tuli of Chaat had tears in his eyes, so thrilled and so thankful to his team for all their hard work. He recalled that when they started after dinner service they still had to mop the floors. 

Restaurants here didn't change, one dropped

Octavium and Yan Toh Heen were both elevated in the two-star category. Bjoern Alexander of Octavium was so shocked that he said, "What the f***!" as soon as he was told the news in another video. He immediately hugged his co-chef Roland Schueller who looked happy but unfazed by all the fuss.

When Amber won a Green star for sustainability, chef Richard Ekkebus was caught completely off guard so it was a very nice surprise for him and his team to win the award. He said it was their fault for not communicating clearly to Michelin what their sustainability efforts were last year so they made it a priority to tell them exactly what they were doing. 

So it's not just about what's on the plate, but also how restaurants and chefs get their messages across.

But what happened to the restaurants we thought should have been in there? Estro for starters, a refined contemporary Neapolitan restaurant, but perhaps it opened too late in October (or maybe the inspectors couldn't get a seat), and same could be said for Rex Wine & Grill where guests can only get reservations if they know the chef or manager. What about Margo which opened in July? Perhaps chef Mario Paecke is just finding his feet now and will get a nod next year? We are also hoping the same for Batard.

Nevertheless in general everyone who was included in the guide was grateful to still be in there. Many cited the tough two to three years Hong Kong has had, and being able to survive and keep their stars is a massive achievement in itself which is true. 

Ekkebus in blue mask so excited with Green star

And now they are in yet another tough situation, trying to extend opening hours until 6pm and offer takeaway, it's long hours for the staff, who usually get a break in the afternoon, but now must work straight through. The bright spot is having the evenings off, but those are hours they could have made more money...

Everyone hopes the measures will be lifted by February 4, but now with hamster-geddon, with some 2,000 of the rodents being culled, and two new clusters that are emerging, it may be a while yet before restaurants can get back to regularly serving customers again...