Lasting Memories

Having fun kayaking in Hoi Ha Wan in Sai Kung

Friends asked me if I had a bucket list to complete before leaving Hong Kong, but I didn't and instead they took me to their favourite places.

One took me on my first kayaking adventure in Hoi Ha Wan, a marine reserve at the north of Sai Kung Peninsula. We went on an overcast weekday to avoid the crowds, but ironically I still got sunburnt on my arms.

The amazing sunset we saw at Devil's Peak

It was practically just us there for most of the day. My friend gave me a quick lesson in how to kayak and we set off to explore the area. It was amazing to see sea creatures underneath us, from small fish and crab to sea urchin and sea cucumber. I did touch a sea cucumber which felt soft and springy. 

But overall it was so nice to be out in nature, with no one else around except us, the water and nature. After we came home I could still hear the whoosh of the water from paddling in my ears hours later.

On another day she took me up to Devil's Peak where we watched a stunning sunset over Hong Kong. Where we stood we could see both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon close together and the sun setting in between. 

Even though we went on a weekday it was popular that day with locals all wanting that perfect Instagram shot. So when we decided to leave, we were pleasantly surprised to find other fantastic views of the sunse with hardly anyone around. 

Looking down on Repulse Bay

Another friend took me to one of her favourite restaurants, Uehara for an omakase lunch. There were only eight diners and the chef gave us interesting dishes, like chopped up firefly squid that had a very intense flavour, scallop topped with ponzu jelly, and various sushi, like ebi, striped jack, sea bream, and otoro.

She also took me hiking from Tai Tam to Stanley. It was a nice easy walk, not too hot as it was mostly shaded by trees. By the end we worked up an appetite and had a quasi Reuben sandwich (no sauerkraut but caramelised onions) each with fries and a Caesar salad. Afterwards we took in the sunset which we couldn't see directly, but a soft pink glow in the sky.

When an acquaintance heard I was leaving he insisted on taking me to Japanese yakitori place Toritama. The last time I was there was when it opened, so it seemed like coming full circle. There were so many different skewers to try, including cock's comb -- literally the comb, five or six of them grilled together. Literally nothing was wasted! 

Chopped firefly squid with a mayonnaise sauce

Eating at this pace as items were being cooked was a great way to have a conversation that was not rushed and enjoyable. We also ate sancho peppers, grilled brussels sprouts, cheese melted on a stick, and soy sauce ice cream for dessert.

Yet another Japanese meal with another acquaintance was had at Nagamoto restaurant, where chef Nagamoto heard I was leaving and one of the courses was presented a boat (as a metaphor for my departure) and wrote in Japanese calligraphy that he wished me well on my journey! 

If that wasn't enough, at the end of our meal my chopsticks were presented back to me in a special wooden case to take back home as a souvenir! 

I also went to Mui Wo twice to catch up with two different friends. One took me on a walk around Pui O which was also a nice change from the urban landscape, where we visited a deserted rundown temple by the water. My other friend finally introduced me to his one and a half year old dog Cookie, a mutt he had fostered as a puppy and later decided to adopt. 

A non government beach at Pui O

Cookie needs a bit more obedience training, but after her initial excitement of seeing her owner, she calmed down and at one point put her front paws on my lap. My friend and his wife were so surprised to see this as Cookie has not done this with any of their other friends. They had to take a photo as evidence.

A colleague also wanted to cook for me before I left, and brought over some homestyle dishes from Wuhan, but luckily the spice level was turned way down for me. One was a chopped chicken stir-fried with peppers and lotus root, the other sliced beef with celtuce. 

More food was supplied by another ex-colleague who brought fried rice, vegetables and a very spicy chicken dish I didn't dare touch! We had a good time reminiscing and talking about our experiences and how this shaped our work.

I also managed to squeeze in time to find the block of flats where my dad grew up in Kowloon. Many decades later it is still there, in very good condition.

But perhaps the most important thing for me was visiting my grandparents' graves.

Cookie was excited to see us!

Last year I had already visited my paternal grandfather's grave and his younger sister, but needed to go see my maternal grandparents in Chai Wan.

The over two years of the pandemic has made my relatives terrified of the virus and even though they are triple jabbed and had promised to take me to the cemetery, they were very scared of venturing out. So I asked them for the addresses of the graves and luckily a friend offered to take me there.

It was a very hot day and it was a sweaty ordeal walking around in the heat trying to find my maternal grandmother's grave. We were in the right section, but I could not find her and despaired, but not before we walked further up the terraced hill and finally found her. 

As for my grandfather's grave I completely forgot how far apart they were -- we had to take a taxi to get there, and soon after we arrived we were able to locate him. 

The block of flats where my dad grew up

I placed flowers on the grave, bowed to him and felt relieved that this mission completed, and that I could now go home.

Police Continue to Punish Businesses

Char siu pork ribs on the far right, pork shoulder on far left

Late this afternoon I met up with a restaurateur who insisted that I try his latest creation -- char siu pork ribs for an early dinner before his eatery closes at 6pm.

And they are delicious -- why hasn't anyone else thought of this before? Why just use the pork shoulder to make char siu when the ribs are just as good?

We asked him if he was excited to finally have dinner service back on April 21, but he shook his head.

Police in casual clothes out to fine people in TST

Then he told us that he was upset to find that his two restaurants (next door to each other) were recently fined when the police descended on them and checked everyone's LeaveHomeSafe app to see if they had scanned the restaurants' QR codes.

It turns out one diner did not scan the LeaveHomeSafe app, and both restaurants -- which are under one license -- are banned from operating for the next two weeks.

Now he has lost the opportunity to not only make money back from months of just serving lunch, and what is he going to do with kitchen and wait staff having nothing to do for two weeks. 

So please -- everyone -- scan your LeaveHomeSafe app in restaurants and other establishments if you want to support these businesses! A fine is a minor financial hit compared to being banned from running a business for two weeks.

In addition, anyone who has been out of work for 30 days can apply for HK$10,000 compensation from the government, but since hairdressers were out of work for 28 days, they are not eligible for this money. 

So basically the government looks like it is helping people, but when looking at the fine print, it really doesn't.

Use your LHS app when supporting a business!

The same goes for the police raking in some HK$90 million from fines, some from jumping in the bushes to ambush runners on trails who aren't wearing masks, to making domestic helpers pay HK$5,000 -- more than their monthly salary -- for being in what may look like groups of more than two.

There is talk that the sixth wave could come in a few months -- how much more financial punishment can people take?

While the restaurateur I saw today has accepted the financial hit of the punishment, he found out he is not the only one who was caught with not every guest scanning the LeaveHomeSafe app. 

After over two years of being hit hard by the pandemic, how are businesses in Hong Kong supposed to get back on their feet again when they are constantly being knocked down?

HK to Fiinally Relax Some Measures April 21

Restaurants are excited to have dinner service next week

Finally the news everyone was waiting for -- DINNER IS BACK ON!

Today Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor confirmed that social-distancing measures will be further relaxed on April 21, with dinner available until 10pm and four to a table, while gyms, beauty salons, religious venues and cinemas will be reopened. The ban on no more than two households meeting together will be lifted too.

However, swimming pools, beaches and barbecue sites will have to wait for the next phase together with bars and pubs...

Lam proudly showing she's got her fourth jab

Interestingly anyone seeing a movie in the cinema or be employed there will also have to be triple jabbed.

"At this point in time and into the near term, Hong Kong is much, much better prepared to handle another wave," Lam said during the daily press conference. "Nobody wants a sixth wave, but if a sixth wave hits us, we are now much, much better prepared, she said, pointing to the sufficient treatment facilities, quarantine centres and ample supply of Covid vaccines.

"With this greater capacity, it will be very, very unreasonable and perhaps unacceptable to the majority of Hong Kong people to continue to close all these premises and allow people no chance to lead a normal life."

Interesting she says this now after howls of complaints and multinational companies fleeing Hong Kong, but perhaps she can now that she's leaving office.

Anyone interested in living in isolation cells?

And yes there are plentiful quarantine -- or rather isolation units, shipping container units converted into cells that Chinese state media like to call "mobile hospital units", when in fact they are just a bare room with four beds. Toilets and showers are elsewhere...

This is what the next phase of Covid-19 will look like in Hong Kong. Any takers?

Was the Three-Day Test Successful?

Lam says social media was checked if people did RAT tests

For the past three days, some of the 7.3 million Hong Kong residents have tested themselves using the government's distributed rapid antigen tests to see if they have Covid-19.

But of course it's voluntary, so not everyone did the exercise, and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor admitted so.

The government-issued rapid antigen test

"Anecdotal evidence suggest that many have [done the RAT test]. We have been asking around, we surfed the Facebook of different groups and social media, and so on," she said.

"But naturally in a city like Hong Kong, I am sure there will be people who do not respond to the government's appeal."

Well... if you say it's voluntary and no need to report test results if they are negative, then what is the point?

It makes no sense.

Here were the numbers of positive cases from RAT tests:

Today: 1,033

Yesterday: 1,638

Friday: 1,265

The start of the line to vote in Kennedy Town

Nevertheless, she said the three-day exercise had no bearing on the government preparing to relax social-distancing measures from April 21, which would include allowing dinner for up to four people per table until 10pm, opening up gyms and entertainment venues.

"By now it's quite clear that we are trending down... By and large, unless there's an exponential surge, otherwise we will continue to implement the relaxation. But the relaxation will be gradual, it will take three stages over three months in order to remove most of the social distancing measures we have put in. But apparently, it will have no particular relevance to the RAT exercise," Lam said.

It's great to see Hong Kong tax dollars being spent for public health...

Meanwhile today was the start of voting for the Philippine elections and today on our walk along Victoria Road in Kennedy Town we saw thousands of domestic helpers lined up waiting to cast their ballots.

The end stretched to U of Chicago HK campus

The voting booths are at the Banyanihan Kennedy Town Centre which is at 55 Victoria Road, and the line snaked all the way up to 168 Victoria Road, around a 15-minute walk! It was shocking to see so many people having to wait in line for possibly hours and police were helpless to try to enforce social-distancing measures.

But at least these Filipinas can cast their votes in this election that will take one month to complete...

Despite Fifth Wave, Grave Sweeping Continues

Many ignored government warnings and went grave sweeping

Today is Ching Ming Festival, or grave sweeping and also a gorgeous day. 

The government and health officials had warned people not to go today, but many who adhere to tradition continued the practice.

A friend and I walked from Wan Chai to Kennedy Town and up Victoria Road, where we saw packed buses and lots of people clutching flowers to pay their respects to loved ones. 

There were fewer people at cemeteries today

The police were on hand to control the crowds, helping them cross the street periodically. While there were less people in general, it was still a sizeable number in the hundreds.

Health officials are concerned there could be an uptick in the number of Covid-19 cases following not only Ching Ming, but also the upcoming Easter holiday too.

Today there was a slight rise in the total number of cases today at 3,238, though the number of deaths has decreased to 87, with 81 newly reported, and six backlogged.

The other victims of the fifth wave are restaurants. 

I just found out that American restaurant Red Lobster shut its doors in Causeway Bay. It had only opened three years ago. 

Red Lobster was another victim of Covid-19

The owner said Covid-19 and the dining restrictions made it untenable to keep going and in the end the company sustained too much loss to keep going.

He thinks that those with deep pockets and can survive will live to see a rebound in 2023.

For many that's a long way off when living day by day.

Other restaurants have been taken down too, like Duck and Waffle that I had no idea had disappeared until I walked through IFC Mall and the space was completely empty. Others include Mana! and La Rotisserie, Silencio, Poem, and Second Draft (but for rent reasons).

The other day I wandered to Shun Tak, where people used to go catch ferries to go to Macau. The departure floor is completely eerie, with the floor covered, and every single shop space that used to sell ferry tickets or arrange hotel rooms or junkets are all shut down. 

Shun Tak departure hall is completely empty

When the pandemic eases, reopening Hong Kong and telling the world the city is open for business will be the hardest task for the next chief executive. The Hong Kong Tourism Board also had formidable challenge in promoting the city that has changed so drastically after the 2019 protests and the implementation of the national security law two years ago.

But hey -- let's not worry about that now, and instead focus on getting those Covid-19 numbers down...

Finally, Some Loosening of Restrictions

Lam delivered some good news to Hong Kong residents today

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has finally loosened some restrictions, but social-distancing measures are still in place until at least April 21.

Those stuck abroad in the nine countries that were banned for months, including Canada, the United States, Australia, India, Nepal, and Britain, can finally come back direct from April 1. In addition travellers coming to Hong Kong will need to show a PCR test no more than 48 hours before boarding. When they arrive and test negative, they can quarantine in a hotel for one week if their PCR tests are negative on the fifth day, and RAT tests are negative on day six and seven.

HK residents in nine countries can return April 1

Also Lam said universal testing was indefinitely postponed for now until the fifth wave was under control and needed to flush out the rest of the infections. She cited how tens of thousands of staff would be needed to be mobilised for this operation, something that would be difficult to accomplish well in Hong Kong's environment.

If the number of cases go down further this month, then social-distancing measures will be further relaxed in three phases. The first would be having four people to a table in a restaurant and dining until 10pm, while gyms, beauty parlours and religious venues would reopen along with museums and sports venues run by the government.

Then at a later date, phase two would entail bars, pubs, karaoke lounges, swimming pools and public beaches can reopen, restaurants could have up to eight people per table and open until midnight.

From April 21, people can eat four to a table

In the third phase, all restrictions would be lifted on restaurants and bars, and opening hours extended.

Remember the students currently on their "summer break"? That all ends on April 19 when face-to-face classes resume. Lam also encouraged students to get their jabs.

No sooner had she made the announcement on lifting the ban on the nine countries did Hong Kong residents overseas start trying to book for tickets. Airlines and hotels were hearing the announcement at the same time and were probably scrambling to establish schedules, rooms and prices.

It was also announced yesterday that people need to get their booster by May 31 instead of the end of June in order to be able to enter many public places, such as restaurants, shopping malls, government offices, universities, hospitals and hair salons to get people vaccinated.

Children are encouraged to get vaccinated

Interesting to see what unvaccinated people have to say about pushing up deadlines. They will be further shut out of daily life in Hong Kong while the rest of us are moving on.

Also interesting was that Lam insists the government is not adopting the strategy of "living with the virus", but perhaps she has been given a directive that it's time to loosen up a bit for the sake of the economy...

Get Jabbed or Risk Serious Covid Infection, Says Expert

Yuen warns everyone needs to get vaccinated against Covid-19

Infectious disease expert Dr Yuen Kwok-yung believes some 2.5 million people have been infected with Covid-19 since the fifth wave began in late December and projects the caseload will drop to under 1,000 a day in the coming weeks.

The government advisor on the pandemic warned "eradication of the coronavirus will not happen," and urged those who still hadn't gotten jabbed to do so. 

Yuen even went so far as to suggest elderly people should get the German-made BioNTech vaccine rather than the Chinese-made Sinovac one, as the former is more effective at neutralising the Omicron variant, though he agreed everyone should have the freedom to choose which jab to take.

Most vulnerable are elderly not yet jabbed

Finally a medical expert has come out to recommend one over the other, even though the government says both are effective...

He also said the city needs a 95 percent vaccination rate in order to prepare for the next wave of infections.

"The eradication of the coronavirus will not happen. The virus will be with us, and there may be another mutant in the future," Yuen said, noting the city's so-called vaccine pass should also be expanded to cover public transport.

Now it is used to get into shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and hair salons.

While Yuen even called for the easing of restrictions in restaurants and having places like gyms reopened, and flights to Hong Kong resumed, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor would not entertain these suggestions, hinting the city needs to reach "dynamic zero-Covid"...

Who knows? Maybe she will change her mind tomorrow on Monday when she will release the outcome of the "interim review" of social-distancing measures and border control measures.

Yuen suggests vaccine passport for public transit

Today the number of cases dropped further to 14,145, though the death toll is still high at 205, and another 41 backlogged. Hong Kong now has a total of 5,896 deaths since the start of the pandemic, the vast majority of them in the fifth wave.

The authorities cannot vaccinate the elderly fast enough, and on top of it Lam refuses to mandate all seniors must be jabbed... 

And with that kind of decision, it's going to take a while for the fifth wave to be under control...

Lam's Concessions Too Little, Too Late

Lam said today that people's tolerance is fading 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor continues to be behind the ball -- waaaaayyy behind.

Today in her daily press conference she conceded that Hong Kong residents have had enough with the government's social-distancing measures -- some of the most toughest in the world -- and perhaps it was time to review the and relax some of them.

Business leaders like Zeman pleaded with Lam

"I'm working [on] it day and night to find the optimal solution for Hong Kong," Lam said, referring to a plan for the city to reopen to the outside world. 

"The time has come, not because the number of cases has come down significantly -- they are actually now at a high-level plateau -- but I have a very strong feeling that people's tolerance is fading. I have a very good [feeling] that some of our financial institutions are losing patience about the isolated status of Hong Kong."

Really? After numerous heads of chambers of commerce, diplomats, and business leaders of multinational companies have pleaded for over two years with Lam to be more realistic about keeping borders open to keep the flow of business coming into Hong Kong, she finally realises they are leaving or have already left.

Many of them have had enough of the restrictions, that make it impossible to travel in and out of Hong Kong to do business without having to do quarantine weeks on end, flights being cancelled and social-distancing measures. And as a result a number of companies have moved or are moving to Singapore, soon to replace Hong Kong as Asia's hub.

Over 50,000 people left from March 1-15

In February 71,354 people left, a record since the start of the fifth wave in late December, while in the first half of March 50,505 people left, many of them trying to avoid the mass testing lockdown, or leaving permanently.

On top of that are local residents departing their hometowns for good, terrified of the national security law and national education, and looking to raise their families elsewhere.

So what is Lam doing to stem the flow?

As early as Sunday she will announce if the mass testing will still go ahead or not, along with the possible relaxation of quarantine requirements from 14 days to seven.

Why this sudden turn around when all along Lam has been pushing for zero-Covid?

Has Beijing finally realised that it is impossible to stamp out the virus completely and is using Hong Kong as a test case to live with the virus -- with Chinese characteristics?

Landmark shopping mall at noon yesterday

We are waiting with baited breath -- everyone from restaurant and bar owners, operators of gyms, sports coaches, beauty salons, mahjong parlours, to art and museum institutions, movie theatres, performing arts groups, and the tens of thousands of workers who have lost their jobs during this pandemic.

Hong Kong is dying and it's time for common sense and science to prevail.

Lam's Doomsday Message

Unmasked Lam announced the need for universal testing

Today is February 22, 2022, or 22022022.

The next time this date comes around will be in 200 years.

For us in Hong Kong it is a horrific date, the one where Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor told the city's residents this evening that everyone will undergo mass testing in March without a lockdown, that schools will go on "summer" break from early March for six weeks, social-distancing measures will continue till at least April 20, and flight bans from nine countries will be extended to that date as well.

Testing will be called according to HKID

And at the end of her hour long speech she said that we should all have hope.

What hope is there left?

It's a dark tunnel that seems to have no end.

Universal testing seems to entail testing 7.5 million people in three rounds of testing. People will be called out to be tested according to their HKID card number. After they are swabbed, the residents' specimens will be sent to Shenzhen to be tested. 

When a reporter asked about the legalities of this as it involves people's DNA, Lam replied that her administration should not be bound by the law when it comes to fighting Covid-19.

"In this wartime environment, this emergency, we cannot let existing laws stop us from doing something we should do. This is not the mentality for fighting a war," she said.

"I trust you have seen many war movies. In war there is no sense in talking about procedure."

Rapid antigen tests will be handed out to people

Those who test positive will be sent to isolation facilities, though at current projections, that could mean hundreds of thousands of people. Where are they all going to be housed?

So far there are about 20,000 hotel rooms, housing estates and gymnasiums (with zero privacy). There needs to be ten times that at least.

And she didn't even address the urgent matter of not enough healthcare staff to deal with all the serious cases. Doctors and nurses are not only burned out, but 873 of them so far have become infected themselves. 

Lam also reiterated her goal that 90 percent of the population would get at least one jab. How is she going to make that happen without vaccine mandates? When people go for universal testing, the authorities cannot make those who are not yet jabbed to do so. 

In fact her latest measures will make people refuse to cooperate even more. It's all stick and no carrot. 

Medical staff are burned out and getting infected

Upon hearing Lam's latest pronouncements, many people were left despondent, some, according to my friend YTSL posted pictures of the hard liquor they were drinking this evening. Others announced it was time to leave Hong Kong.

With school now in "summer break" during the coldest days of 2022, this will give families a reason to leave the city perhaps temporarily, but most probably permanently. Everyone's patience has pretty much worn out now. 

Restaurants have to maintain strict social-distancing by only serving breakfast and lunch, though most people are too scared to eat out, no one is in the mood to dine out anyway. Shopping malls are dead by 8pm. Lam and her administration have singlehandedly decimated the local economy because of their inability to prepare for the severity of this fifth wave, and tomorrow is the budget speech! How lovely!

If we are in a wartime, then Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po had better be prudent with taxpayer money. People need hope because it's not coming from Lam.

 

Covid Could Harm Your Penis and Other Horrible News

A study of Covid-infected hamsters yielded interesting results

There might be another way to entice people -- particularly men -- to get vaccinated.

If they don't and catch Covid-19, their sperm count could drop.

That's according to research from the University of Hong Kong, that says the coronavirus could damage testicles, lower sex drive, and affect fertility in men.

The findings were released on Sunday by ProfessorYuen Kwok-yung and his HKU team, based on a study on testicular and hormonal changes in hamsters infected with the virus.

Yuen led the study by HKU researchers

The fact that Yuen even has time to conduct this study while being busy inspecting the airflow and ventilation of buildings whenever there's an infection is quite impressive... and how did they even come up with this hypothesis?!

Nevertheless, it was found that infected hamsters suffered a sharp drop in sperm count and serum testosterone four to seven days after infection.

The rodents also developed chronic testicular atrophy, resulting in a decrease in the size and weight of the testicles. Again aren't those quite small to start with?!

Both Omicron and Delta variants caused similar effects.

At least this is a bit of light-hearted news after days of depressing news and more to come.

Today 6,067 infected cases were recorded, only 12 of which were imported. The Centre for Health Protection has now given up on releasing preliminary positive cases as they did not reflect the true number, but also because they are completely overwhelmed.

Hong Kong officials are throwing their weight behind battling "the enemy", as Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu says the city is in "full-on war mode" he wrote in his blog.

Lee says Hong Kong is in "full-on war mode"

"Now is the most critical time during the two years of anti-pandemic efforts. The SAR government is in a full-on war mode and will follow the important instruction of President Xi Jinping to stabilise the epidemic as an overriding priority, mobilising all forces and resources, taking all necessary steps to protect Hong Kong people's lives and health and ensure Hong Kong's social stability."

So it is under the guise of the pandemic that Hong Kong will follow instructions from Beijing because it is very evident that Hong Kong people cannot govern Hong Kong.

Meanwhile his colleague Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee warned in a radio program that social-distancing measures would be further tightened, but didn't go into details.

What does this mean? People can't even be in groups of two?

Chan says more restrictions to come

It seems the government is intent on making us the most miserable people on earth. We can't eat in a restaurant after 6pm, can't get haircuts or exercise in a gym, watch a movie, attend a concert, go swimming, go to a church/synagogue/mosque service, borrow a book from the library, and attend a wedding or funeral.

And Chan says it's going to get worse?

It's going to be a long, long spring.

Hong Kong Continues to be in Tatters

Many interpret Xi's message as a rebuke, others say it's support

There was a lot of chatter about General Party Secretary Xi Jinping's directive to the Hong Kong government to put the current fifth wave under control to prevent social instability. While many interpreted his message to be a rebuke, others tried to spin it as encouragement towards the local authorities.

Regardless it was another day of mounting cases -- 6,116 today, and another 6,300 preliminary. There were also 24 deaths in the past 24 hours.

What has Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor done today?

The iclub Ma Tau Wai Hotel in Tokwawan

She managed to procure 20,000 hotel rooms -- double the number she asked for to house close contacts of coronavirus patients, and infected people with mild symptoms.

The hotels are scattered all over town and it was recommended not to use those that are attached to shopping malls to avoid further transmission of the virus. The first batch of hotels are located in areas such as Tsuen Wan, Fortress Hill, and Tokwawan.

Meanwhile some 300 taxi drivers have been recruited to ferry patients who have tested positive to clinics for treatment. The drivers will get masks and gowns as well as goggles, but it might be hard to see the road clearly wearing those all day...

This evening my colleagues and I received an email from our company saying someone this afternoon tested positive for the virus, which meant the office would be deep-cleaned all weekend.

While those who were in the office these few days could get self-tested, the Centre for Health Protection did not deem them as "close contacts" and so testing was not mandatory. This just shows how different the policy is from two years ago, when anyone who was near the infected person had to go into quarantine camp for two weeks despite testing negative.

Luk Yu Tea House is temporarily closed

After a few appointments in Central this afternoon I went to visit a few shops and was disappointed to find they were shut. The pandemic had made it unfeasible for them to open now, including one that has just opened last week.

Many restaurants have either temporarily closed -- including the iconic Luk Yu Tea House -- or have drastically scaled back their days and hours of operation in a bid to survive. 

A hotel restaurant I visited earlier today said they were supposed to have 50 diners, but 10 cancelled because they were scared of dining out.

I suggested they spread the tables out further and the manager said they had put them much further apart than the government regulations. 

The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong has begun promoting takeaway from its Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant, which was unheard of last year. Will people really want char siu using Iberico pork, or fried rice vermicelli with crab meat and egg? By the time they bring it home it's cold...

Rapid antigen tests are the must have item now

The hottest must-have item now besides N95 or KF94 masks? Rapid antigen tests. Pharmacy chain Watson's had practically sold out of all of them except one -- at HK$118 (US$15) a piece.  

The other day Lam had said the government had ordered millions of RATs, but where are they? They should have been handed out to people this week, but no, they still aren't here.

This is not how to battle the pandemic with determination and speed. 

Again, the residents have to protect themselves with whatever resources they can get their hands on. 

More Severe Restrictions To Fight 5th Wave

A restaurant worker watches Lam detail the latest measures

The Hong Kong government has finally announced it will be implementing the vaccine passport from Thursday in restaurants in a bid to clamp down on the fifth wave of the pandemic, something that should have been instituted months ago to get people vaccinated.

Then from February 24, people must show their vaccination status on their LeaveHomeSafe app in order to enter shopping malls, supermarkets, wet markets, hair salons and religious venues. When the virus tampers down the vaccine pass will be extended to places like gyms, beauty parlours, swimming pools and cinemas.

4.30pm briefing gave more details to restrictions

People have until the end of April to get their first jab, then the end of June to get their second, and after that their booster. 

Why wasn't this implemented earlier like in the summer and early fall when we had zero cases? We wouldn't have 625 cases recorded today, 621 of which are local infections.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said many of the cases were a result of family gatherings during Chinese New Year, and so now only people from two different households can meet at home, though officials admitted there would be no police checks per se or court orders to search people's homes.

For restaurants that are type B or C they can only have two people per table, whereas at type D places where all staff are fully vaccinated, then four people can sit together. How they come up with these numbers is arbitrary. And perhaps another stinging regulation is that only two people can be together in a public place. How are families supposed to walk around then? It's all quite maddening.

I asked my cousin if his parents would finally get vaccinated, otherwise he will be burdened with the task of shopping for food for the family, and he's not exactly a food shopper. He admitted his parents will probably hold out as much as they can, but will eventually give in and get the jab, albeit reluctantly.

Lam said the infection numbers were shocking

For the last year or so I can't understand their stubbornness at not getting inoculated -- for their own protection.

Meanwhile my male colleagues were worried about not being able to get their hair cut and I advised them to do it tomorrow before the deadline on Thursday. I reminded them that hair salons would reopen by February 24, but that they would need to show their vaccine passport.

Sighs of relief all round.

The whole day was consumed with watching Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor this morning talk about how shocking the infection numbers were, and then finally hearing from her at 3.30pm what the measures would be. However she refused to give details and said those would be revealed at the 4.30pm press briefing with health officials that we all dutifully watched and took notes.

And to scare people even more, those who do not obey compulsory testing orders will be fined not the current HK$5,000, but HK$10,000. The government added another HK$26 billion in the anti-epidemic relief fund, which was passed by "patriots in power", but will that be enough to help everyone in dire straits?

We're back to dining restrictions from 2020

Residents in short-term employment will get a one-off HK$10,000 handout, while those on the pandemic frontline, such as cleaners, security guards and airport cargo workers will receive a monthly stipend of HK$2,000 for five months from February.

Sounds like peanuts again, but better than nothing.

Despite these measures, infectious disease experts say they might not be enough, and that the vaccine pass may need to be implemented for public transport. How will people ever get onto the MTR on time if that's the case? Imagine all the arguments people would have with bus drivers and mini bus drivers? 

Everyone is so stressed as it is, and these latest social-distancing restrictions pile on more doom and gloom to the situation that seems to never end.

It's going to be a long February even though it's the shortest month of the year.

The quote of the day goes to Lam who misspoke a common expression. Instead of saying "killing two birds with one stone", she said: "Killing two stones with one bird".

That's one strong bird.

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...