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...

Covid-19 Cause Spike in Elderly Suicides

Increased number of seniors contemplating suicide in fifth wave

Now into its third year, coronavirus pandemic has claimed more victims than just those who are infected with the virus -- elderly people who are have committed suicide or are contemplating it.

On Tuesday researchers at the University of Hong Kong said their suicide warning index recently surged to an unprecedented "crisis level", with elderly people more at risk of taking their own lives during this fifth wave of the pandemic.

The Suicide Early Warning System had a daily estimate of suicides at 1.69 on February 23, and as the number of Covid-19 infections rose to the tens of thousands, the estimate hit 4.05 on March 21. The average figure over the past year was 1.8.

Yip says elderly suicides is at "crisis level"

The March 21 figure is the highest since the warning system was created in 2020, though the daily estimate has since dropped.

Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai from HKU's Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention said social distancing measures have affected people's mental health and elderly people are particularly vulnerable.

He said eight people aged 65 and older committed suicide in the past seven days and it's estimated that 400 seniors will take their lives this year -- double the number last year.

"Social distancing [measures] have introduced not only physical distancing but also emotional disconnectedness. I think it's this emotional disconnectedness that leads to the sense of isolation, a sense of being abandoned by family members or by community. It has an adverse impact on our mental health," he told an online press conference.

"For the elderly people, if they live by themselves, I think the community can proactively engage with them," Yip added.

The group Suicide Prevention Services reported handling 220,000 calls in January and February, an average of nine a day from seniors.

Suicide Prevention Services worries about elderly

It said elderly people are worried about getting infected with Covid-19 and so they are scared of meeting relatives during the pandemic. Their sense of crisis also becomes even more heightened if they or a family member contracted the virus, which could then trigger suicide, the group warned.

There were news reports over a week ago about an elderly couple who killed themselves after finding out they tested positive for Covid-19 and didn't want to be a burden on their family.

Justin Leung, a program manager with the service, added most elderly people are not tech savvy either, making it difficult for them to find out the latest information about the pandemic.

"It's very complicated for the elderly. It's difficult for them to learn in a short period of time," he said. 

Yip called on the government to relax social-distancing measures and reopen leisure facilities as soon as possible to help people improve their mental well-being.

He also said the media should do its part by reporting on more positive stories to help reduce people's anxiety.

Many elderly are terrified to meet relatives

Everyone's anxiety levels have spiked during the pandemic, and even more so during this current fifth wave when the number of cases was over the 50,000 mark.

Thankfully they have dropped in the past week and hopefully in the next few weeks will be below 1,000.

It doesn't help when the government is more focused on fighting the virus than being concerned about its residents' well-being.

Hopefully the authorities will heed this study's warnings. While the 2003 SARS epidemic was relatively short lasting only a few months, it was a terrifying time for Hongkongers. Now 19 years later, people need to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel to hang on and survive, mentally and physically.

Government Officials Looking Busy

Mainland expert team (in maroon) seeing things done in HK

For days Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee was no where to be found, publicly that is.

She finally emerged today, apparently busy showing around a mainland epidemiological expert delegation on the third of their five-day trip here that was documented in a press release.

Chan promised tracking every confirmed case

They visited the Contact Tracing Office which is under the Department of Health, and then also the Environmental Protection Department where officials explained its work on environmental transmission of the virus within buildings, while the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department talked about the requirements for indoor ventilation systems in government buildings, and guidelines for improving air quality indoors.

But perhaps most surprising in the press release was Chan's declaration: "The Government is in a race against time with the highly transmissible Omicron mutant strain. In order to contain the epidemic, we have to trace the close contacts of every confirmed case as soon as possible and conduct environmental investigation rapidly."

Uh... does she know there are currently 30,525 active cases?

Meanwhile her colleague Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong is upset that Hong Kong residents were crowdfunding to help pay for the fines that foreign domestic helpers were getting from the police for allegedly not social-distancing to two people in public spaces. Last Sunday it was reported 17 fines of HK$5,000 each were handed out.

Police swarming domestic helpers at Tamar

The crowd-funding page had received over HK$100,000, but Law said he would ask the Justice Department to look into whether legal action needed to be taken.

"You may have good intentions, but we can't rule out that you are maliciously obstructing our whole anti-epidemic effort. Because you are helping a big group of foreign domestic workers to congregate, to violate the gathering limit, [this] will affect the epidemic, and affect many families," he said. "We must not be soft on this."

Definitely. As his boss Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said, "No mercy".

As a result, the organiser of the crowd-funding page had to stop accepting donations.

"Upon advice, we have decided that we should not proceed to pay the fines of the group of domestic helpers who received fixed penalties on Sunday, 13 February 2022, and have closed the fund. All sums collected will be returned to the original donors through the website."

Today there were 6,063 cases recorded, and 15 deaths with the age range between 45 to 93 years old, and only about two were vaccinated.

C'mon people! Free protection right here!

Another statistic that might persuade people to finally get vaccinated: in this fifth wave there have been 46 deaths so far. Of those, 40 were not vaccinated. Of those who were jabbed, three who died had had two doses of Sinovac, two had one dose of Sinovac, and one had two doses of BioNTech.

Why doesn't the Centre for Health Protection emphasise this to prove the point that people need to get vaccinated?!

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 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...

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... 

Top Official Sent to Quarantine After Birthday Party

Hung (left) sings at his own birthday with over 100 guests

Just as Hongkongers were dreading today would be the last day to have dinner in a restaurant before more severe social-distancing measures would be imposed tomorrow, there was news that 10 government officials attended a birthday party where a person was infected with the Omicron virus.

Over 100 people were at a party hosted by Witman Hung Wai-man, principal liaison officer for Hong Kong and the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority. Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai was among one of the guests and will be sent to quarantine at Penny's Bay along with Allen Fung, political assistant for Hong Kong Secretary for Development.

Lam disappointed at Tsui for attending the party

Pictures of the party at a Spanish restaurant in Wan Chai show attendees not wearing masks, and Hung holding a microphone and belting out a tune while putting his arm around a maskless woman.

At a press conference this afternoon, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed her dismay at Tsui and the other officials for not following the advice of their health colleagues warning people to limit their gatherings, though she was quick to add some of the officials may have just gone to the party to pass on their greetings and then leave soon afterwards before the infected person arrived at 9.30pm.

"I am very disappointed, because this anti-pandemic work has persisted for so long, so many of us have been working so hard to fight against the pandemic, so as principal officials of the administration, we should lead by example and refrain from taking part in private events," Lam said, adding, "this is clearly a private event, and not a function required by public duty."

Tsui apologised and will be sent to quarantine

Reporters pointed out a day earlier Lam was looking into making Cathay Pacific legally responsible for its crews for spreading the Omicron variant in the community, and asked if she would bear the responsibility for her ministers for attending this party. Lam replied:

"A leader has the responsibility to lead, and should be accountable even if they are not aware of the event. However, this system of accountability does not mean that I am responsible for personal decisions a colleague of mine took."

So if taken in that context, does that mean she won't be punishing Cathay further?

Less than two hours later Tsui took to Facebook and apologised to the central government, the chief executive, the governing team, his bureau colleagues, and Hongkongers for "failing to hold fast to his position at a critical time", adding he would "reflect sincerely and deeply" during quarantine. His profile picture was changed to a black circle.

Meanwhile Lam said the government offices at Tamar would be disinfected and cleaned overnight.

Hung's birthday party invite

This fiasco is exactly the kind of thing Lam does not need right now, but how would Tsui have known an infected person was coming to the party? Nevertheless, it's about setting a good example, and Tsui may not last much longer in this administration.

Perhaps one good thing to come out of this would be for Tsui to experience first hand what it's like to quarantine in Penny's Bay and understand the hardships involved. 

Maybe then some changes will be made to the facilities there? Or are we being too hopeful?

Hong Kong Fudges Poverty Numbers

A record 1.65 million people are in poverty in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has a record 1.65 million people living in poverty in 2020, since the government kept records 12 years ago. The latest number was released in its annual Poverty Situation Report released today.

That's over one in five Hongkongers live on HK$4,400 a month or less, or a three-person family at HK$16,000 or less. 

Govt says handouts made poverty stats smaller

However, instead of being concerned about the situation, the government preferred instead to add that it has given residents lots of subsidies and handouts so the actual number of people in poverty is 554,000, at just 7.9 percent of the population, better than the 9.2 percent recorded in 2019.

Huh?

In its tally, because the government gave several cash handouts and public housing, the people who fit its definition of "poverty" is actually less than 1.65 million.

But campaigners and experts say the numbers are too high, masking the reality of how the coronavirus pandemic has financially impacted not only individuals but families as well.

"Poor people have been hit the hardest during the year of the pandemic, from job losses to underemployment and homelessness. The government must not turn a blind eye to the serious findings in its own report," said Sze Lai-shan, of the Society for Community Organization (SoCO).

Sze says poor hit hardest during pandemic

In 2020, the government gave out HK$316.4 billion (US$40.6 billion) in four rounds of subsidies from its anti-epidemic fund to support businesses from closing due to strict social-distancing rules, as many of them had to shut for months.

But unemployment soared to a 16-year high of 6.6 percent in the final quarter of the year, with some 245,800 people out of work during the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Wednesday's report saw Hong Kong's poverty-stricken population rise from 1.49 million to 1.65 million in one year. 

While the government claimed in the report that its interventions helped prevent an even sharper poverty rate, SoCO's Sze said last year's mass unemployment was a direct result of the government's tough policy on social distancing, and that relief measures fell short of supporting those most in need. For example, relief measures for businesses did not trickle down to employees.

What will Xia think of the poverty report?

One wonders what Xia Baolong thinks of this report and if he believes it. The director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office has singled out poverty and wealth inequality as deep-rooted issues that need to be tackled by the next leader.

He and his staff have done several home visits, so they have seen on the ground how some of Hong Kong's down-and-out live -- and those are the ones with roofs over their heads. Has Bao seen the homeless people living on the streets and asked them how they are doing?

Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum, it was reported today one buyer bought two luxury flats on The Peak for a record HK$1.2 billion (US$154 million). The two flats next to each other are at Mount Nicholson, at HK$134,000 per sq ft and HK$140,800 per sq ft.

How will the next leader resolve this is anyone's guess. 

National Security Law Hovers Over Marathon

The Standard Chartered Marathon will be held this Sunday

 

The national security law affects all aspects of life in Hong Kong, even running a marathon. The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2021 will take place this Sunday, the first time a mass sporting event is held in the coronavirus pandemic era, but also participants will bear full responsibility if they violate the national security law.

At a briefing session today, organizers said they would check every one of the 18,500 runners for the 10K, half-marathon and full marathon to make sure the outfits are "safe", in that they don't interfere with other participants. Only a handful of people wear wacky costumes dressed like dinosaurs or giant candy bars.

Organizers will check all 18,500 runners

However, organizers admitted they have no control of runners if they have political slogans on their race gear.

"We are running a sports event and will focus only on the sporting aspects," said Kwan Kee, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates.

"We have no restrictions on the use of colour (of the apparel), but we can't comment on if any slogans on their clothing would be banned as we haven't seen the slogans [yet]." 

For example they suggested instead of writing 加油 or "add oil" on their T-shirts, they could write "Runners add oil" just to be clear...

All the participants must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before the race, submit a health declaration form that they have not traveled outside of Hong Kong in the past 21 days and the must take a Covid-19 nucleic-acid test when they pick up their running kits between Thursday and Saturday.

The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2020 was called off two weeks before the race last February citing the pandemic, and this year's edition was postponed from January to October with a fraction of the runners from 74,000 down to only 18,500.

Runners on the hook for illegal political slogans

While spectators are allowed to attend, they will have to abide by social-distancing measures (ie no more than gatherings of four), while runners will be exempted from these measures for this particular event.

If a runner has an illegal political slogan will they be tackled along the course by the police? Or will they save their energy and arrest them at the finish line?

More Children Self-Harm During Pandemic

Children find it hard to talk to parents, leads to more arguments

The coronavirus pandemic has caused family tensions at home to become even worse, with some children even self-harming themselves to deal with the pressure, according to a survey.

The Hong Kong Family Mediation Association and the Junior Chamber International Lion Rock polled about 300 parents and 300 primary school students between April and May.

Concerns of children self-harming in survey

They found nearly half of those polled said they had gotten into arguments at least once a day and almost six out of 10 children said they hurt themselves or others to deal with pressure.

Fish Leung, the executive director of the association, said she hadn't expected so many children to harm themselves, and it revealed they could not find a way to release their stress.

She pointed out that traditional stress relievers, like sports or talking it out with classmates were not available because of social-distancing measures imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.

"Children's verbal language is not good enough -- that's why they don't know how to express themselves or mention their emotions," she said.

"If they tear their [hair] or hurt themselves, this pain will make them happier; happier than communicating with their parents. This is so sad."

She said since the pandemic started, parents and students have not actively been seeking help and schools have referred fewer cases to social workers, as school opening hours have been drastically cut back.

Kids need outlets to release stress and anxiety

Leung appealed to people to seek help at the earliest opportunity, as a buildup of pressure and stress could lead to suicidal thoughts.

It's absolutely tragic that children cannot communicate with their parents, nor know how to express themselves, and it is necessary their mothers and fathers empathize with them and acknowledge their struggles. Everyone has been under an unprecedented amount of stress for the past year and a half. 

Not only is Hong Kong dealing with a pandemic (and handling it very well), but what is happening to the city politically is shaking the city down to its core and affecting people's well being too.

 

Police Drop Fine on Tackled Girl

12-year-old girl tackled by police in September in Mong Kok

 

Remember back on the evening of September 7 when a 12-year-old girl was tackled to the ground in Mong Kok when she went out to buy school supplies?

In the footage she looked nervous and ran from the officers, who then chased her and pinned her to the ground while there was a protest happening against the one year postponement of elections for the Legislative Council. 

She nervously flees the police who later tackle her

The girl and her brother were both fined for violating social-distancing rules. 

At the time Police Commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung had claimed the girl acted "suspiciously" as she ran away from officers and that prompted the police to react and use "minimum force" to subdue her.

There was outrage at the police for being so rough with the girl, and now it seems the force may have realized its actions were overboard.

Today the police dropped the fine, though no explanation was given in the notice from the police.

However Civic Party councillor Andy Yu Tak-po said the U-turn showed the police had made a mistake.

Will Tang apologize to the girl about the incident?

He will help the girl and her brother to file a complaint against the police and demand an apology from the police chief.

Good luck getting the apology from Tang, but at least the police finally rescinded the fine that was outrageous. Nevertheless the psychological scars from the incident will probably remain.

More Restrictive Measures to Tame Covid-19

Secretary for Health Chan announcing more measures today

 

The Hong Kong government is still trying to tame the coronavirus pandemic, and fearing the fourth wave coming, it has mandated some new regulations this afternoon.

From midnight tonight, people considered in "high risk" jobs will be forced to undergo Covid-19 tests. These probably include those in the hospitality industry, bus and taxi drivers, and healthcare workers. If they refuse to take the test they could face six months in prison and fines up to HK$25,000.

Mandatory testing for "high risk" groups

Pretty hefty, but the government believes there are still silent carriers out there.

Shockingly there are cases of people visiting friends who are in quarantine. Hello? You can't do that! Why is this happening now after how many months? 

When someone is in quarantine that means they shouldn't see anyone for 14 days! If the quarantined person needs something, then drop it off at the door, no face-to face visits please.

And then there are the parties in hotel rooms. The government is now clamping down to a maximum of four people per hotel room, and all guests must be registered with the hotel. Again why is this happening? 

People seem to think they can be more carefree in hotel rooms. The other reason is hotels are trying to drum up business by creating packages for birthday parties, and some of these events have gotten out of hand, leaving outrageous destruction behind, and now cases of infections. This has to stop in the name of social-distancing.

Restaurants four to a table, 50 percent capacity

Starting Monday restaurants have to go back to tables of four, and bars and pubs with tables of two, open until midnight, whereas it is now it is 2am. Also the capacity of these places, including swimming pools will be cut from 75 percent to 50 percent.

Professor Gabriel Leung, dean of University of Hong Kong's medical school and advisor to the government on the pandemic, said the recent situation is worrying.

"In the recent one to two weeks, we have seen much more imported infections compared to the past. This trend was also similarly seen before the outbreak of the third wave," he said.

He added that analysis of the virus strain in recent patients showed it was linked to earlier imported cases from Nepal, suggesting loopholes in measures regarding arrivals.

Dr Leung says latest virus strain is from Nepal

Leung said the local reproductive number of the coronavirus, a figure showing the amount of people a patient could infect is between one and 1.25 people in the past two weeks.

"It means the risk of an outbreak is very high," he said. "Hopefully those hidden transmissions could be traced and they would not join and cause large outbreaks."

And here I thought most Hongkongers were pretty good in observing social distancing, but I guess not! It's disappointing to find people are not erring on the side of caution -- we need to beat this virus, the sooner the better.

Police Sergeant's Drunken Misadventure

An office measures out how far apart people should be

 

The Hong Kong police are out in force these days to make sure people are social distancing in groups of four in public. 

But they themselves have flouted the rules and then some.

A sergeant was sentenced to 160 hours of community service for assaulting a junior officer during an illegal public gathering. He was suspended.

David Leung pleaded guilty to common assault

David Leung Kwok-wing was spared jail at Tuen Mun Court on Tuesday, after he pleaded guilty to common assault during a drunken brawl on April 19.

The 40-year-old Leung and his nine colleagues flouted the government's ban on public gatherings of more than four people when they met for dinner late in the evening for a farewell dinner for policewoman So Ling-nga, who was leaving the force.

Leung got into a heated exchange with 31-year-old So after she teased him for his "inability to drink". 

During the altercation he grabbed her by the hair for 10 seconds, causing her head to swell and she sustained scratches to her arms. She was granted two days' sick leave after the incident.

At first Leung denied the accusation under caution and during a police investigation, and then changed his plea to guilty. He has agreed to compensate So HK$3,000 (US$387) for her injuries.

Ten officers also fined for not social distancing

Magistrate Kelly Shui accepted the probation officer's recommendation of community service for Leung only because of his timely guilty plea. She told Leung his fall from grace was due to his arrogance.

"The two days' sick leave [given to the victim] was, to some extent, telling that you had no reservation to go all out when you pulled your colleague's hair," Shui told the sergeant.

"You are a law enforcement officer. You yourself have to set a good example for others. You have to be forgiving to your colleagues."

Shui warned the court "would not go easy" on Leung should he violate the terms of the community service order.

The 10 officers, all from Tin Shui Wai Police Station, have been fined for breaking the social distancing ban, but it was not revealed how much they were fined, as it can be as much as HK$50,000 (or imprisoned for six months).

Leung will also undergo an internal disciplinary hearing. 

Why these officers thought they were above the law or could get away with flouting social-distancing measures is outrageous, and then to get drunk and pull a colleague's hair because she teased him for not holding his alcohol is just as outrageous.

At least justice was done here.

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