The Hospital Authority has confirmed that they will not force children to be separated from their parents if they test positive for Covid-19. Sara Ho, Chief Manager of the Hospital Authority (HA), confirmed this development at the regular Covid-19 press briefing on Monday. Ho responded to an estimate by a Hong Kong charity that between 1,500 and 2,000 children have been separated from their parents during the fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. When asked about whether these figures were accurate, she said, “During the fifth wave, there’s unprecedented demand on HA service, including the paediatric service.…
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.
On March 27, the Hong Kong government announced a slew of changes in its boarding and quarantine requirements for international arrivals in the city. The biggest development was the change in criteria for the route-specific flight suspension mechanism. Flight suspension mechanism streamlined First, there was a change in the criteria for suspending flights that bring a certain number of passengers who test positive for Covid-19 into Hong Kong. Starting April 1, incoming flights with three or more Covid-positive travellers will be barred from landing in the city for seven days. The ban will also be triggered if at least one…
Leaving a city isn’t easy, especially if it is one that’s as vibrant as Hong Kong. There are loads of things you need to wrap up, whether it’s giving your landlord notice or getting rid of your furniture. Plus, there are Covid-19 prevention requirements for international travel that you need to consider. Here’s a checklist of everything you need to do before you bid adieu to the 852. #1 – Booking a flight out of Hong Kong Booking tickets out of Hong Kong may be a challenge, as the government can suspend flights on a certain route for 14 days…
During the daily Covid-19 press conference on March 23, government authorities specified the requirements that schools need to meet in order to resume in-person classes. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor reiterated that schools can resume in-person classes on April 19 at the earliest. However, she added, “If we achieve a high vaccination rate among students, schools could resume full-day teaching and organise more extra-curricular activities, including sports.” Resumption of in-person classes Speaking about the order in which regular classes will begin, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung said that, “Primary schools, international schools, kindergartens and kindergarten-cum-childcare centres will resume first.…
Update (23 Mar 2022): The CE stated in her daily Covid briefing on Wednesday that arrangements will be made for DSE candidates that test Covid-positive, with special measures in place for those unable to write their exams. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-gnor announced that all schools in Hong Kong will reopen on April 19 at the earliest. Kindergartens, primary schools, and international schools will resume first. Secondary schools will resume face-to-face classes after the completion of Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams which begin on April 22. Schools originally closed for community Covid uses The summer holidays for all…
During her daily Covid-19 briefing on Thursday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that she will make an announcement about relaxing anti-epidemic measures in the coming week. The current restrictions, which came into force on February 22, are the most stringent since Hong Kong entered the Covid-19 pandemic and include a two-person cap on dining at restaurants and limit on household gatherings. Previously, existing restrictions were expected to remain in place until April 20. However, due to the public’s growing impatience in the face of the anti-pandemic rules, Lam said that she will give a “comprehensive update” on matters such as…
The Hong Kong government announced that all beaches in the SAR will be closed, starting today, March 17. This restriction will affect gazetted beaches managed by the government. This development comes after reports that beaches over the past weekend were crowded with unmasked beach goers, prompting Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to recommend that they be cordoned off like they had been in 2020. At a press briefing on March 16, Lam said, “The management of beaches falls under the LCSD (Leisure and Cultural Services Department). The service at swimming beaches has been suspended for a long time. Many…
Hongkongers were shaken awake in the early hours of March 14 – quite literally. Many took to social media to ask, “Was that an earthquake?” And the answer was yes. At 2.29 am, a magnitude 4.1 earthquake occurred off the coast of Huizhou, about 92 km east-northeast of Hong Kong. The epicentre was near 22.1 N, 115.04 E and struck at a depth of 2.5 km. The city experienced tremors at an estimated intensity level of four, denoting that it would have been felt indoors, causing rattling dishes, windows, and doors. The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) for earthquakes, ranging…
Hong Kong’s list of declared monuments will expand to include three Grade 1 historic buildings: Hong Kong City Hall, Jamia Mosque, and Lui Seng Chun. The decision was made during the most recent meeting held by the Antiquities Advisory Board. Each of the buildings were accorded Grade 1 status based on six criteria: historical interest, architectural merit, group value, social value and local interest, authenticity, and rarity. They are now deemed to meet the “high threshold” of heritage value to be declared as monuments protected from demolition under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. The entrance of Jamia Mosque (© Underwaterbuffalo…
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor confirmed that there is no plan to lift the ban on international flights and travellers from nine countries until the fifth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic is under control in the city. Currently, all passenger flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the USA are not allowed into Hong Kong till April 20. In addition, anyone who has stayed in these places for more than two hours within 14 days of their planned arrival into Hong Kong is barred from entering the city. “Hong Kong is…