Reports from SCMP indicate that quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and the mainland could resume as soon as the first week of December. Initially, the scheme will allow only a few hundred people per day to cross the border and could be expanded to a few thousand travellers in the following months. The announcement comes after weeks of negotiations between Hong Kong and Chinese officials. Visitors to the mainland will have to present a ‘green’ health code that indicates a low level of infection and use an app listing contacts during their trip to exempt themselves from quarantine. Earlier this…
Author: Anjali Muthanna
Anjali Muthanna
From the Middle East to the Far East and a couple of places in between, Anjali has lived in no fewer than seven cities in Asia, and has travelled extensively in the region. She worked as a lifestyle journalist in India before coming to Hong Kong, where her favourite thing to do is island-hopping with her daughter. You can check out her musings on motherhood, courtesy her Instagram profile.
Disney+ launched in Hong Kong yesterday, November 16, which means that fans of Disney classics like The Lion King, Pixar hits such as the Toy Story franchise, and the Star Wars series and its spin-offs can now watch all this content and more on demand for a HK$73 monthly subscription or HK$738 annual subscription. Up to seven different profiles can be set up per account using the GroupWatch feature, but only four screens can stream simultaneously. Other features include 4K UHD viewing and Dolby Atmos sound on compatible devices. Some of the other content available in Hong Kong includes Marvel…
This Friday, November 19, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible for approximately 1.5 hours in Hong Kong. Although it is the longest such eclipse of the century, the maximum eclipse stage will have ended by moonrise on the day (5:38pm) and the event will be visible starting at 6:47pm. A partial lunar eclipse is when the Earth goes between the sun and moon in an imperfect line. From Earth, we experience our shadow covering part of the moon and sometimes, making it appear red. The last lunar eclipse until a total lunar eclipse on November 8, 2022, this event…
On November 9, the Hong Kong government issued a compulsory testing notice that included 29 premises visited by two people who tested positive for Covid-19. These places were visited by the people – classified as imported cases – during their incubation period, which was between October 18, 2021, and November 9, 2021. The government added two more places visited by the same people to a notice on November 10 that covers the same period. The locations mentioned are: Pret A Manger, Shop 1015, 1/F, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong at any time during the period from 1:00…
The Hong Kong government announced today that New Zealand will be recategorised as a Group B, or medium-risk, country from November 17, meaning there will no longer be any places under the Group C, or low-risk, category according to Hong Kong’s three-tier categorisation of countries’ Covid-19 risk. Under the new rules, arrivals from New Zealand will have to serve a minimum 14-day quarantine at a designated hotel. Previously, they were the last group that could undergo a seven-day quarantine period, given they were fully vaccinated, had a negative PCR test within 72 hours of their arrival, and had confirmed bookings…
The Hong Kong Tourism Board announced that it will hold its first New Year countdown concert this year. The event, which will be held at West Kowloon Cultural District’s Art Park starting at 10pm, will have performances by popular music stars such as MIRROR, AGA, Alfred Hui Ting-hang and Gin Lee, as well as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. However, Hong Kong’s signature New Year’s Eve fireworks – which were cancelled in 2019 due to social unrest and in 2020 due to the pandemic – will not make a return this year. Cantopop group Mirror, a local pride, will perform…
Hong Kong Disneyland’s iconic fireworks over the Castle of Magical Dreams will return in 2022 after a four-year break. The fireworks were put on hold in 2018 when the castle’s renovation work began and was suspended in 2020 due to Covid-19. A definite date for the resumption has not yet been set. The park also announced a weekend-only multimedia show next year – which will include projection mapping, water fountains, theatrical lighting and lasers – against the backdrop of the castle. Official details have not yet been released, but the concept art features Elsa and Anna from Frozen, Moana, and…
Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, founder of the Roundtable party, has revealed that it may soon be mandatory for all diners to use the LeaveHomeSafe app when they go to any restaurant in Hong Kong. Currently, it is only mandatory for diners to use the app to enter restaurants under the Type C and Type D categories. Type C restaurants are open till midnight and can seat up to six at a table, and Type D restaurants can run till 2 am and can seat up to 12 per table. With the new rule, anyone who wishes to enter Type B…
Government advisor David Hui Shu-cheong has indicated that the border between Hong Kong and the mainland may reopen as soon as February 2022, basing his anticipated timeline on the period it took for cross-border travel to resume between Macau and the mainland. This prediction is in line with his previous statement that the HK-Mainland border reopening process would take at least 4-5 months. Speaking to mainland Chinese media, Hui, who is Chairman of CUHK’s Faculty of Medicine, added that travellers will probably have to record their information using the proposed Hong Kong Health Code app, a system which would store…
South Korean drama Squid Game has become popular among young children across the world, despite it not being recommended viewing for this age group due to violent and sexual content and coarse language. UK schools and Macau’s education department have issued cautionary advice about it, and a Hong Kong school has followed suit. Bill Garnett, the principal of Peak School, said in a bulletin that school authorities are “starting to hear that a small number of [our] children […] have watched or are watching the series at the moment. This is concerning as the content is such that it is…