Macau's 491 Infection-Free Streak Ends

Over 680,000 Macanese residents must be tested for the virus

Up until now, Macau was seen as being the model city in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, recording 491 days of having no local infections.

But it was announced last night that a Macanese family tested positive for the highly infections Delta variant after the 12-year-old daughter had caught it last month after going to Xi'an via Zhuhai for a school dancing trip.

She reportedly showed symptoms in Xi'an but didn't report them to health authorities until coming back to Macau on July 25.

Macau had only allowed mainland visitors in

That led to the Macanese Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng to order all 680,000 residents of the former Portuguese enclave to get tested within three days. This resulted in massive long lines and residents were frustrated and tired waiting for hours. Ho apologized for the chaos and confusion.

The incident also affects Hong Kong, as one of the girl's classmates came from here and now the Tsim Sha Tsui hotel she stayed at after coming back from Monday is undergoing mandatory testing.

This is a complete reversal from how Macau viewed Hong Kong -- even just a handful of imported infections in the latter was not enough for the small casino city to even consider opening up a travel bubble between the two cities.

Macau treated Hong Kong like the black sheep and only allowed mainland visitors to come in, and gamble.

Then recently Macau suggested perhaps Chinese health experts could come and assess the situation to decide whether the border could open up between Macau and Hong Kong.

Now Hong Kong is wary of mainland returnees

But now both China and Macau are desperately trying to contain the virus as quickly as possible.

Hong Kong had allowed up to 6,000 people daily to come back from the mainland without quarantine, but this policy has now changed, and only those coming back from Guangdong don't have to quarantine, while everyone else must do 14 days' home quarantine regardless of vaccination.

Previously China had said it will not re-open borders with Hong Kong until there are zero cases, but it seems Hong Kong has been doing relatively well all along, though vaccinations rates are now 34 percent of the population fully vaccinated, 45 percent with at least one dose.

Hopefully the incident in Macau will get more people there and Hong Kong to get vaccinated, but it seems to be a never-ending struggle to do something relatively easy and free of charge...

 

The Exodus Continues

This is a common and sad scene at the airport these days

This morning there was news of not another arrest, but of more people and groups leaving Hong Kong.

One well known columnist, editor, author and businessman, Steve Vines wrote an email to friends and ex-colleagues that he had left for the UK, as it had become unsafe for him to continue living in the city.

"The white terror sweeping through Hong Kong is far from over and the near-term prospects of things getting better are simply non-existent," he wrote.

Vines revealed he had already arrived in the UK

"Hong Kong is now in a very dark place as the Chinese dictatorship has slashed and burned its way through the tattered remains of the One Country, Two Systems concept."

Last month public broadcaster RTHK axed his show, "The Pulse", and in April he was dropped as a regular contributor to an RTHK morning radio show. Several months ago he also stopped writing regular columns for the South China Morning Post.

Vines left Hong Kong after living here for 35 years with a "heavy heart and a mixture of enormous regret and relief". He was the founding editor and publisher of three newspapers and magazines, including the long ago defunct Eastern Express.

What made Vines leave was apparently a warning he received through a third party from pro-Beijing figures in the city.

"[The person] said quite aggressively... 'you better watch your step, we're coming for you'."

Another well known person is artist Kacey Wong, who revealed on social media that he had settled in Taiwan where he could enjoy "100 percent freedom".

Wong was known for his protest performance art

"When you received this letter, I have already left. Leaving is not easy, staying is also difficult. 

"We have known each other for 51 years, I will not forget you. Let's treasure each other, goodbye Hong Kong," he wrote on Facebook. 

"We'll meet again. Don't know where, don't know when," he sang a rendition of the song by Vera Lynn that was popular during World War II.

Wong, 51, an architecture graduate from Cornell University, was a fixture at the annual July 1 protests. Along the route he did performance art, like playing the accordion in a cage, a giant menacing cardboard robot, and riding in a giant pink army tank.

He is also known for his art that is social commentary, particularly around the housing wealth gap and thinking of creative (and absurd) ways people have to put a roof over their heads.

Then it's not just individuals leaving, but even a news organization.

Digital news outlet Initium Media published a letter to its readers today explaining it will move its operations to Singapore. 

Digital news outlet said it will move to Singapore

Initium's executive director, Susie Wu said, "the road to freedom" had become more and more difficult over the past six years since the outlet's launch, with the world becoming more divided, and Hong Kong's global press freedom ranking plummeting.

She said the media organization will make use of online and decentralized methods to produce content, and continue to provide in-depth reporting on Greater China and global developments.

"Do not despair in hardships, do not give up exploring and changing, because the heart is free, and the values you and I believe in will not be easily broken," Wu told readers.

The news outlet started in 2015 and provides in-depth news, opinion and lifestyle to 60,000 readers in more than 200 countries and regions.

But now Initium needs to implement its plan B and like people emigrating to other countries, the news organization is following suit...

Singer Anthony Wong Arrested

 Wong arrested for allegedly singing songs at election rally

Another day, another arrest.

This time it's singer Anthony Wong Yiu-min for allegedly inducing others to vote for then candidate Au Nok-yin for the 2018 Legislative Council by-election.

Au was canvasing for the 2018 election

Au, 34, was also charged along with 59-year-old Wong for engaging in corrupt conduct for providing others with entertainment during an election, according to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

It's interesting the ICAC is behind these arrests and not the national security law officers.

The ICAC alleges Wong performed two songs on the stage at a rally in Central and appealed to those attending to vote for Au at the coming election.

They were both charged on Monday under the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance and are to appear at Eastern Court on Thursday. Wong was released on bail.

The anti-graft agency said from late February 2018, Au published several posts on his social media saying he would hold a two-hour rally at Edinburgh Place in Central on March 3 that year and a few hours before the event revealed Wong would perform that day.

Leung has had a singer at her rally too

The Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance deems conduct corrupt if a person provides all or part of the cost of food, drink or entertainment for another person for the purpose of inducing others to vote or not to vote for a particular candidate at an election.

Wong is not only known as one-half of Canto-pop duo Tat Ming Pair, but was also a prominent supporter of the opposition camp, and protest movement. He is also an activist for sexual minority groups.

While Au and Wong will be defending themselves in court, it is also worth noting that a Chinese drum crew had performed at the rally of pro-establishment candidate Rebecca Chan Hoi-yan.

Also, in 2015, Dr Lee Ka-yan, who is a popular singer of local children's songs, performed alongside pro-Beijing lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun in Whampoa, where she was running for the district council elections.

Lai (right) dedicated 2 songs to Tsang

In addition, as far back as 2007, when then chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen campaigned for his re-election, Canto-pop singers Leon Lai Ming and Leo Ku Kui-kei dedicated two songs to Tsang, according to pro-establishment newspaper Wen Wei Po.

When asked if other politicians would be investigated as well, the ICAC spokesman said it would not comment on the probe, but stressed the commission acted with impartiality...

Voucher Spending Frenzy

People flocked to MTR stations to collect their Octopus subsidy

 

Finally we can start spending the first installment of our HK$5,000 (US$643) voucher!

Those who registered with Octopus get their HK$2,000 today and many headed to the MTR station to collected the subsidy.

Others who registered with AliPay, Wechat Pay HK, and Tap & Go also received their HK$2,000.

And according to media reports people immediately started spending that free money -- well their own taxpayer money -- on everything from food to clothes, electronic gadgets and Rolex watches.

Chan says HK$30 billion will be spent in HK

Some even pooled their vouchers to buy refrigerators or HK$2,600 worth of food at a supermarket.

Sounds like people are dying to shop which is strange considering last year the government gave out HK$10,000 in cash. There was hardly a frenzy to use the money then...

Nevertheless, the government is hoping the extra HK$30 billion floating around Hong Kong will stimulate the economy and get people to spend -- they have to use it all in order to get the next installment.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also gave another reason for the vouchers. 

"We also hope the vouchers can promote the trend of electronic payments... We believe overall, the vouchers will have a positive impact. Its concrete impact will be reviewed after the scheme has been rolled out," he said today.

The government may want to use this as a way to track people's spending and see where their money is going...

Lam spent a whopping HK$2,000 on apples today

About 5.5 million people or 75 percent of the population are eligible to register for the voucher if they registered before July 17.

It's interesting to note that today Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor posted on Facebook a picture of her at a supermarket called U-Select where she said she spent HK$2,000 on buying 200 apples for a local sports event.

Aside from her comment that, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" alludes to Apple Daily, does she know she was ripped off paying HK$10 per apple?