TOP STORIES
Hotel workers call for recognition of their efforts during COVID-19
- 2021-02-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Janice LoEdited by: Jasmine Tse
- 2021-02-16
Local hotel workers are demanding a one-off subsidy in recognition of their contribution in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. They also want priority in vaccination because of the risks they have to take. The Hong Kong Housekeeping Employers Association and Hotels, Food & Beverage Employees Association said in a press conference today that the government should provide a one-off subsidy of $3,000 for each worker. They urged the government to increase the capacity of banquets from 20 to 80 people and set up an Emergency Relief Fund for hotel workers who lost their jobs. “Housekeepers have to put on personal protective equipment when cleaning the rooms used for quarantine. But the equipment limits their movements, and cleaning time has increased from 30 minutes to almost two hours,” said Hector Ngai Chee-keung, the membership affairs officer of the Hong Kong Housekeeping Employers Association. He said housekeepers now have an increased workload because of strict hygiene standards for both staycation and quarantine guests. “Housekeepers need one to one-and-a-half hours to clean each room because they find red wine stains on carpet, rotten fruit and peanuts shells in the rooms,” said Mr Ngai. By providing a one-off subsidy of $3,000 for each worker, Mr Ngai said it could reward those who have maintained professionalism amid the pandemic. Nerine Yip Lau-ching, Secretary-general of the Hotels, Food & Beverage Employees Association said that it is crucial for hotel workers to get vaccinated first because they face a high risk of catching COVID-19 when serving food. “By allowing us to have a higher priority for vaccination and encouraging the public to get vaccinated, it could prevent a fifth wave of the pandemic from hitting Hong Kong,” added Cheung Tsz-yeung, director of the Hotels, Food & Beverage Employees Association. Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan Shiu-chee announced today that …
Social distancing measures to relax on Thursday as COVID-19 cases fall
- 2021-02-16
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Janice LoEdited by: Jasmine Tse
- 2021-02-16
Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan Shiu-chee announced today that social distancing measures will ease from Feb. 18. Hong Kong recorded nine new cases of Covid-19 today, the second consecutive day in the single digits. Prof. Chan said that in view of the low number of COVID-19 cases, catering businesses can provide dine-in services until 10 pm and the maximum capacity per table will be increased from two to four people. Some businesses such as sports facilities, gyms, beauty parlours, cinemas, and game centres can also be reopened for business until 10 pm, provided that their staff undergo virus testing every 14 days. “Owners and staff should undergo the first virus testing between Feb. 11 to Feb. 25,” added Prof. Chan. People entering these premises are required to scan the QR codes using the Leave Home Safe app or register their personal information along with visiting date and time to record their whereabouts. Prof. Chan warned that if restaurants and other premises do not comply with the requirements, their opening hours for dine-in services will be shortened to 6 pm and the number of people per table will again be restricted to two people. They may also be subject to temporary closure of between 3-14 days. Meanwhile, bars, nightclubs, bathhouses, party rooms, mahjong parlours, swimming pools and karaoke establishments will remain closed.
‘It’s either them or us’: desperate protestors take to Myanmar streets as junta uses arrests, violence to keep power
- 2021-02-16
- Politics
- The Young Reporter
- By: Sara ChengEdited by: Simran Vaswani
- 2021-02-16
It was April 2007, right in the middle of a school day, when 8-year-old Aung San Thein's mother came to take him home. His luggage was packed and ready. His mother rushed out again to pick up his older sister and told him to wait. Escape was imminent. Mr Thein's father and uncle had already left the country. His uncle, a member of the pro-democracy National League for Democracy party and an elected representative in the 1990 multiparty election, had fled to Thailand after the military junta annulled the election results. He helped establish the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, which declared itself Myanmar’s government in exile. Mr Thein eventually ended up in a place he called "hell" – Mae La, a refugee camp of around 35,000 mostly ethnic Karens on the Thai-Myanmar border. He lived there for almost ten years until the NLD won the 2015 elections and he was able to return to Myanmar. Now, Mr Thein, 22, is living in Maymyo, a hill town east of Mandalay and is one of hundreds of thousands in Myanmar protesting the military coup on Feb. 1 that seized power and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi along with other NLD officials. The civil disobedience movement is in full swing in Myanmar, a Southeast Asian nation of 54 million. Demonstrators have filled streets across the country, among them medical staff, bank workers and civil servants on strike, as well as students and monks. They dress in red, the colour of the NLD’s flag and flash the three-finger salute, a symbol of resistance. 100,000 people joined the demonstration in its largest city Yangon on Wednesday, the Guardian reported. Protestors, like Mr Thein, are peacefully and creatively trying to topple a military dictatorship that has haunted the nation for …
Restaurant workers tested for COVID-19 ahead of relaxed restrictions
- 2021-02-15
- Business
- The Young Reporter
- By: LAMA Sumnima RaniEdited by: Shameel Ibrahim
- 2021-02-15
On the final day of the Chinese New Year, workers from the catering industry headed to community testing centres to get tested for COVID-19. On Feb 10, Sophia Chan Siu-Chee, secretary for Food & Health said in a press conference that restaurants may be allowed to extend their business hours until 10 p.m starting Feb 18 after the Chinese New Year Holidays, if numbers of COVID-19 cases continue to go down. In addition to extended operating hours, restaurants can allow four people to dine in per table restaurant staff test for covid every 14 days and the establishment must use the LeaveHomeSafe mobile application so customers can keep record of their visit. All community test centers in Hong Kong have been fully booked on days prior to Feb 18th. People wait outside Henry G Leong Yau Ma Tei Community Centre to get tested for Covid on the last day of Chinese New Year. “My manager told us all to get tested as soon as possible so we can go to work,” said Monica Rai, 28, waitress. She was at Henry G Leong Yau Ma Tei Community Centre with two other co-workers. Regarding the LeaveHomeSafe app, MsRai said that her workplace does not enforce it on customers. “It’s useless,” she said. “Customers walk right past the QR code and managers are also indifferent.” Restaurants that do not comply with the new regulations will have to shut down for 14 days and the restaurant license owners may be fined a maximum amount of HK$50,000 and face imprisonment for six months.
Party rooms break COVID rules
- 2021-02-15
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Alice Wan、Anson So、Michael Wong、Willison MakEdited by: Jasmine Tse
- 2021-02-15
The Hong Kong government ordered the closure of party rooms on Nov. 22 last year after an outbreak linked to the Starlight dance club. But some party rooms have since neglected the restrictions and continued to serve customers as usual. Kt_partyroom in Kwun Tong, for example, is still available for booking through direct messaging on Instagram. “If you do not want to reserve the entire room (minimum price of HK$2,500) and there is another group of customers that night, you need to share the room with strangers,” the owner told us on the chat. We were able to make a reservation for Nov. 25, three days after the government suspension on party rooms took into effect. Some party rooms allow more than four people to gather despite ban According to the Hong Kong Party Room Association Facebook post, a party room is defined as a place that provides physical indoor venues for short-term commercial lease for private events, be it leisure, entertainment or for business. The premises must be independent premises with a fixed address in Hong Kong. Reservations are necessary and they must not provide accommodation, food or sell alcohol. Government regulations on party rooms have changed repeatedly since March, but many ignore the rules and allow more guests than what’s legal under social distancing measures. Photo credit: Partyroom_monster’s Instagram In October, when social distancing rules were already in effect, more than 20 people, none of them wearing masks, posted photos of their gathering on Instagram. They proudly said that the premises were 200 square feet, with karaoke, mahjong and more. Many were holding drinks. On Feb. 12, 11 out of 19 people in a family tested positive for COVID-19. They were all in the “Hot Pot Party Room Group”. Lam Hon Yin, president of the Hong …
Lan Kwai Fong bars under Covid-19
- 2021-02-14
- Business
- The Young Reporter
- By: LIM Jia Qi 林家琦、LI Chen、Lyu Chenyu、GU LinEdited by: Simran Vaswani
- 2021-02-14
While Hong Kong was on the edge of a fourth wave of Covid-19 cases in November 2020, bars in Lan Kwai Fong violated the gathering restriction in which no more than four persons might be seated together at one table. We went to an underground bar and privately asked them if we could sit together if we had two more friends coming, which made a total of five.
Anti-pandemic measures baffle florists in Lunar New Year Fair
- 2021-02-12
- Culture & Leisure
- The Young Reporter
- By: Vikki Cai Chuchu、Yoyo Kwok Chiu TungEdited by: Zhu Zijin Cora 朱子槿
- 2021-02-12
On Lunar New Year's Eve, buyers crowded the Mongkok Flower Market for last-minute shopping while the 15 government-organized festival flower markets were relatively quiet due to anti-pandemic measurements, which curtailed the number of stalls by half, limited visitors and slashed operating hours. The Hong Kong government once decided to stop organizing this year’s Lunar New Year Flower Fair but changed its mind to announce on Jan. 19 that the 15 flower markets would be opened for the festive period of seven days but with crowd-control measures. Many Hong Kong florists who planned to join the Lunar New Year Flower Market had already taken alternative plans including renting pop-up shops and selling online. “We have rented a shop for selling flowers, but the government suddenly changed after two weeks,” said Hung Chun-kit, 31, one of the florists. He said that they were not able to return the deposit to the shop owner and the government measurement made them lose their head. Even though the government exempted the rents for the 2021 Lunar New Year Flower Markets, it would not be enough to compensate florists’ extra costs and reduced sales. “The scale has been downsized with crowd-control measurement, customer flow is fewer than before. It is hard to gain profit even though the Lunar New Year Flower Market was uncharged, ” said Mr Hung. The scale of the fair had been down to 50%, the number of booths is limited. Therefore, florists continued to rent empty shops to sell flowers because these shops have no crowded-control measurements. “The government announcements are messing around our businesses, and this is an erratic situation for our industry,” said Tse Wong Siu-yin, 45, chairperson of Hong Kong Flower Retailers Association. Lam Sze-ching, 72, a florist who won the bid but did not join the fair while …
Hong Kong hotels struggle to stay afloat despite staycation fad
- 2021-02-12
- Business
- The Young Reporter
- By: Zhu Zijin Cora 朱子槿Edited by: Zhu Zijin Cora 朱子槿
- 2021-02-12
Chui Yuk-hei, a 26-year-old event planner, checked into several luxury hotels in November. She enjoyed her stay at the Mandarin Oriental, the Peninsula Hong Kong and the Four Seasons. “I never tried them before because these top hotels were super expensive,” Ms Chui said, “but now they all offer affordable overnight staycation packages. It’s the best time to enjoy their services.” She spent about HK$9,000 on three hotels in total, less than half the original prices. More Hong Kongers like Ms Chui are going on staycations, spending holidays in hotels this year. But amid the coronavirus gloom, staycations are not enough to boost revenues, and local hotels still face uncertainties. The fourth wave of Covid-19 infections started in the city in late November 2020. Before that, clusters of cases linked to staycations prompted the government to limit the number of guests in each hotel room to four people only. “Health concerns made many customers cancel their staycation, “ said Benson Soo Koon-chau, 46, manager of four-star One-Eight-One Hotel & Serviced Residences in Sai Wan. “Staycation is a very up-and-down business,” Mr Soo said. “Many hotels’ staycation business has been largely affected. It’s unlike long-staying service, which people need to pre-pay, no matter whether they eventually check in or not.” One-Eight-One Hotel has increased the portion of long-term leases for customers staying longer than two weeks to earn more stable revenue, he said. “I won’t go on staycation any time soon. It’s not safe. Even before the fourth wave, I would check the health measures at each hotel first,” Ms Chui said. The pandemic has hit hard on the city’s hospitality industry which already suffered from anti-government protests in 2019. The occupancy rate slumped to 39% in the first six months of 2020 from the previous year’s 90% for …
City's Lunar New Year flower markets head into their last night with smaller crowds and less stock
- 2021-02-11
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Janice LoEdited by: Simran Vaswani
- 2021-02-11
The city's Lunar New Year flower markets, initially cancelled due to the fourth coronavirus wave, gear up for their final night of the holiday season today after the government U-turn allowing them to open just three weeks ago. Stall owners said they lost out on business because of the government's back and forth decision to cancel and reopen markets again, and crowds this year were much smaller than usual. "As the government announced the closure of the flower markets earlier, we did not purchase much flowers and our supply is not quite enough," said Au Chun-yuen, 29, a stall owner at the Victoria Park market, adding that he had 30% less stock than last year. Mr Au said he has been offering discounts to compensate for the loss of business from shortened market hours. "Selling prices are already reduced by 10% to 20%. But as my ultimate goal is to sell all the flowers, I am willing to offer an extra discount if the customers bargain with me," Mr Au added. The decision to open the markets was made after careful consideration and listening to the comments of the flower farmers, Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan Shiu-chee said at a press conference on Jan. 19. The government's virus control measures included closing the market for two hours each day 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm for cleaning and disinfection. Visitors in the market can stay during disinfection sessions, but Mr Au said that opening hours are shortened as people waiting outside the market can only enter after the cleaning sessions end. Chris Jones, 67, a customer at the flower market, questioned the government's decision. "1:30 pm is in the middle of people's lunch break and 6:30 pm is when people want to come here after work, so it is impossible …
Hong Kong government’s plan to exempt foreign doctors from licensing exams endangers medical safety, local health practitioners say
- 2021-02-10
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: CHEN BingyiEdited by: Jasmine Tse
- 2021-02-10
The government's proposal to exempt foreign-trained doctors from local licensing examinations will jeopardize the health of Hongkongers, the Hong Kong Medical Association said in a press conference today. The government’s proposal is an attempt to alleviate long waiting times in public hospitals. On Feb. 4, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor proposed an amendment to the Medical Registration Ordinance that would allow Hong Kong permanent residents who have graduated from an accredited overseas medical school and worked in a Hong Kong public health institution for at least five years to be exempted from the examination required to become registered doctors in Hong Kong. “The purpose of the Medical Council of Hong Kong's professional qualification examination for doctors is to ensure the quality of doctors,” said Dr David Fang Jin-sheng, the former president of HKMA, which includes more than 8,000 local medical practitioners. Dr Choi Kin, the president of HKMA, said that the examination not only treats all doctors from outside Hong Kong fairly but also ensures that all doctors practicing in Hong Kong meet their standards. Waiting times for specialists in the public system range from two months to nearly three years, according to Hospital Authority statistics. The government's plan to address the shortage of doctors in the public sector was not the right solution to the problem, the HKMA said. To make full use of the existing medical staff, the HKMA said that the government should allocate additional funds for hiring nurses, support staff and additional medical facilities such as hospital beds and operating rooms. With the increasing number of medical students in recent years, there will be about 510 local medical graduates this year, a 13.3% rise from 450 last year, according to HKMA. “Most of the graduates last year went on to work in public hospitals,” said …