Buy a Nano Flat with a "Garden"

Ground floor hard to sell so developers lure buyers with patios

In North America, some people are moving away from the downtown core, or central business district and getting larger homes in the suburbs where they can have more space.

Try doing the same kind of thing in Hong Kong and you'd need to be a zillionaire.

#Lyos in Hung Shui Kiu has patios with nano flats

But there's there's private developers designing nano flats -- with patios.

#Lyos, a project in Hung Shui Kiu in the New Territories developed by CK Asset Holdings, 58 ground-floor flats, mostly studios and one-bedroom units -- come with a patio, which is not included in the saleable area of homes.

The nano flats have what are described as private gardens between 53 and 295 sq ft.

Of the 341 flats in #Lyos, 184 of them range between 202 and 292 sq ft. The project will be completed two years from now.

An example of a nano flat layout for one person

All 40 of the ground floor nano flats that came with gardens -- actually patios -- were snapped up with in a day when they opened for sale in two batches earlier this month.

A 217 sq ft studio with a 201 sq ft patio costs about HK$4.7 million (US$603,000), or HK$21,645 per sq ft, whereas a 206 sq ft flat one floor up costs HK$4.14 million or HK$20,073 per sq ft.

But perhaps this is the developer's way of selling ground floor flats, as they are usually harder to sell --  why not design a larger liveable space than a nano flat with "a garden"? How is that more liveable? It's jus absurd.

But alas the Hong Kong government doesn't seem to think it's necessary to rein in developers with their misleading marketing language to lure buyers in.

Manor Hill promises a "staycation" experience

One housing development called Manor Hill by Kowloon Development in Tseung Kwan O, studios and one-bedroom flats ranging from 203 to 300 sq ft make up about 90 percent of the 1,556 homes in two towers.

The average price is HK$20,921 per sq ft, making it the most expensive new launch at Lohas Park, Hong Kong's largest private housing project.

The developer said the clubhouse and garden, which covered 49,000 sq ft, provided facilities "comparable to five-star hotels", giving residents a "staycation-like" experience.

Seriously?

This is why people do staycations in the first place -- their flats are tinier than hotel rooms.

Living in a nano flat is definitely not comparable to five-star hotels. You don't have a butler waiting on you, and your food is prepared by a microwave because there's no room for a stove.

How does nano flat compare to Rosewood?

The government plans to pass a law to prosecute for "fake news". How about "fake descriptions"?

It's making a joke out of young people desperate to climb the property ladder...

Fact of the Day: HK$5M in Fines

Hanging out at the beach means a visit from the authorities

The five-day Easter/Qing Ming break is over, and the Hong Kong government has netted HK$5 million (US$643,000) in fines because 980 residents violated social-distancing regulations.

The police gave out the most fines at 959 fixed-penalty notices, while the Leisure and Cultural Services Department issued 14,000 verbal warnings and 21 fines while inspecting its venues.

HK$5 million in fines were issued this holiday

During Easter break, some of the raids included illegal gambling halls, restaurants, unlicensed bars and party rooms, with 48 percent of the fines issued in Kowloon West.

Currently bars, karaoke, and party rooms remain closed, while people can dine four to a table in restaurants until 10pm.

With bars having been forced to close for over 200 days over the past 12 months, some bar operators are holding a hunger strike in a bid to get the government to lift restrictions on their premises. However, the authorities seem unmoved by their action, even though they have a strong argument that restaurants have been allowed to operate in the evenings.

Meanwhile during the holiday, people flocked to beaches and the outlying islands. There were big lines for the ferries to Cheung Chau and Peng Chau, and Sai Kung pier looked packed. People also enjoyed staycations in hotels and dined out in restaurants.

People lining up at Lai Chi Kok for their jab

While today there were seven new coronavirus cases, three of which were local, health experts caution that there may be a spike in cases in the next few days.

The surges and drops in cases seem never ending, and yet Hongkongers are not keen on getting the vaccine, which is frustrating to say the least.

The sooner Hong Kong has at least 70 percent of its residents vaccinated, the sooner restrictions can be lifted and perhaps build a stronger case for the city to take part in travel bubbles with other countries.

But at the rate we're going, it make take till next year...

 

 

Is the Fourth Wave Over Yet?

Community Testing Centres were fully booked for tests

 

For the first time since November 18, Hong Kong logged nine new coronavirus cases today, four of which were local, five imported.

However, health officials at this afternoon's press conference were at pains to remind the public to not socialize too much during the Lunar New Year holiday, that if they feel unwell they should seek medical attention, and to be vigilant about wearing a mask and hand hygiene.

Centre for Health Protection's new chief Dr Ronald Lam Man-kin was asked by a reporter that while the number of cases has dropped to single digits, was another three days enough to indicate this was a decreasing trend in order to allow gyms, beauty parlours, cinemas and amusement parks to reopen this Thursday, while restaurants can open until 10pm with four people per table.

Dr Lam warned the public to be careful these days

He was desperately doing verbal gymnastics to say that while the number of cases today was low, people will be going back to work tomorrow and that there is a possibility of a surge in infections in the next day or so, and didn't really answer the question.

"Looking back at past experience, usually after long vacations and gatherings... we will see some form of upsurge. We will not rule out the possibility that the number of cases will go up again. We need to observe that trend and be very, very cautious," Lam said.

As he was saying this, my neighbours were having a karaoke party one floor above, belting out Cantopop songs from the 1990s. 

This past weekend hotels were also very busy with staycations for Valentine's Day, many guests staying for two nights, along with special lunches and afternoon teas.

Again -- why did the Hong Kong government choose February 18 to reopen the above mentioned venues and not wait two weeks until the end of the month or early March? February 18 seems to early to tell if this is definitely a declining trend.

If restaurants and other places reopen, the chances of infections will rise again and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will never reach her zero infection goal.

Many enjoyed staycations for Valentine's Day

Meanwhile chefs on social media are already hinting they will reopen this Thursday and that they can't wait to cook for dinner service.

However, I am of the camp that we should wait a bit longer to ensure the number of infections is definitely on a downward trend. It seems irresponsible for the authorities to promise something like this when on social media there are pictures of gatherings larger than 10 in people's flats to mark the start of the Year of the Ox.

And those are the get-togethers we know about. 

One of the infections reported today was a baker who worked in a bakery in a Tuen Mun shopping centre, and another was a student who has been studying online for months and hasn't been on the school premises.

Meanwhile to prepare for openings on Thursdays, all the community testing centres in the city are all booked solid for appointments and health officials again reminded people that they could also get tested by leaving their deep throat saliva samples in collection boxes at MTR stations.

Tomorrow and Wednesday should be interesting in terms of the number of cases and what will the government say if there is a surge in cases...

Carrot and Stick Approach to Covid-19

Dr Chan announces the loosened measures if cases remain low

 

Late this afternoon there was a big government press conference arranged to announce the latest social-distancing measures.

Diners can eat until 10pm and four to a table

Hard to believe but Secretary for Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee announced that if -- IF the numbers of coronavirus cases continue to be relatively low (17 today), then starting February 18, restaurants will be allowed to have dinner service until 10pm for four people, and venues like cinemas, gyms, museums, massage parlours, theme parks, bowling and billiard centres, ice rinks and game arcades can re-open!

Some places like eateries may need to install extra ventilation in order to operate longer hours.

It's been months since restaurants have been allowed to serve dinner, resulting in them opening all day until 6pm, and offering takeaway as well, doing whatever they can to survive.

Hotels are offering staycations where guests can have dinner served in their rooms, and the takeaway afternoon tea sets are still going strong. Restaurant staff have been working non-stop, and this weekend is even busier with Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day within days of each other.

Venues like gyms can reopen possibly Feb 18

Chan also said the government will also resume all public services on February 18 too, again depending on the pandemic situation.

So that is the carrot.

The stick is that all staff at these above-mentioned venues will have to be tested every two weeks and all patrons must use the LeaveHomeSafe app. If they don't have a smartphone, then their details need to be written down.

The app was introduced in November and hardly anyone used it, because of rumours that it sucked up personal information for the government to collect. But now if they can dine in a restaurant for dinner, will they be willing to use the app?

Some are even thinking of getting an extra smartphone just for this purpose.

In addition Chan said there would be no more lockdowns until after the holidays -- does the virus really take a break during CNY? She reported nearly 25,000 residents in 200 buildings were tested, yielding 20 infections, which is a positive rate of 0.08 percent.

People must use the LeaveHomeSafe app

However, respiratory medicine specialist Dr Leung Chi-chiu expressed reservations about the plans to relax social-distancing rules, arguing the pandemic had not yet eased enough. He warned that with more gatherings and fewer virus tests carried out over the new year holiday, infections could surge again.

"The number of cases recently has been on a horizontal trend," Leung said. "Given that the existing measures have not been able to ensure the number of infections on a continuously downward trend, once the rules are relaxed, a rebound is possible because of higher risks of transmission."

He said having staff tested every two weeks and customers use the LeaveHomeSafe app would "not be very effective" in controlling the spread, given then delay in cutting transmission chains should a person be found to have the virus.

While a restaurateur interviewed said business may jump 30 to 40 percent if dinner is available, he was concerned that customers may refuse to use the app and so they might have to call the police to settle the matter.

Leung questions not testing during CNY

Meanwhile gym rats are probably elated that they can finally work out again, though for me, I'm still very happy to walk outside, though admittedly I have missed swimming a lot.

Nevertheless, I have to agree with Leung in that there could be a surge in infections after Chinese New Year and that we should wait until early March to lift restrictions if the numbers continue to be low.

Lifting restrictions before CNY is over is a bit premature and reckless on the part of the government. While it is a carrot to lure people into becoming responsible in the next few days, opening up next Thursday is not enough time to see if there is an uptick in cases...

HK Mulls Mandatory Coronavirus Testing

Dr Constance Chan with a graph that shows possible uptick

 

Apparently the number of coronavirus cases are on the rise and the Hong Kong government is mulling whether to make testing mandatory.

Yes, mandatory.

China Secret bar so far has 10 cases in cluster

Didn't we just go through a massive HK$530 million exercise and only 42 cases positive cases were found, and infectious disease experts said it was a waste of money?

This afternoon the Director of Health Dr Constance Chan Hon-yee made an appearance at the regular 4.30pm press conference where 18 new cases were reported.

She described the current situation as "worrying" and pulled out a chart with projections made by the University of Hong Kong. It shows the reproduction rate of infected cases, known as the R value, has increased from below one to just above one. This means one infected person is potentially passing the virus to another person.

There were 35 new cases this week, quadruple the number last week of eight, while untraceable infections rose from three to 12 in a week, a two-month high.

Chan looking into legality of mandatory testing

Chan added the viral load in some new cases was quite high, indicating they were more infectious. The most recent clusters are a bar in Tsim Sha Tsui ironically named China Secret (10 cases), and a home for the disabled in Kwai Chung (12 cases). 

At the same time Chan wants to speak to those in the hotel industry in a bid to stop large gatherings in hotel rooms for "staycations". 

While there are a few birthday parties here and there, most are couples or families trying to have a mini break for the weekend. The number of people in the room should be limited, but how can the hotel reinforce this rule? It's very difficult.

There also haven't been any cases stemming from these hotel parties... yet.

But back to mandatory testing... Secretary for Health Sophia Chan said earlier today it would soon be "necessary" to protect public health.

She even added the government is looking into the legalities of forcing people to take tests.

Who is going to pay for the test this time?

"As for compulsory testing [for Hongkongers], from the perspective of carrying out our work related to public hygiene, if some people who need to undergo the tests fail to do so, they will hinder our work safeguarding public health," she said.

"If there is a mandatory measure to require people to participate in the tests, we will have a better grasp of the relevant data for us to roll out effective measures. Therefore, this compulsory measure is necessary.

"We understand some people may have concerns about this. We are still studying the legality of mandatory testing to address their concerns, and the legal framework about this measure."

While this possibility is mildly alarming as most people are wearing masks and social distancing, even more worrying is who is going to pay for mandatory testing this time? And how much will it cost?