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Manpower shortage holds back bar revival: Zeman

Nightlife tycoon Allan Zeman on Thursday welcomed the reopening of venues such as bars in the latest round of easing of social distancing measures, but cautioned that the industry was facing a shortage of personnel after months of closures. Speaking on RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme, Zeman said allowing bars...
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Private kitchen cluster looking suspicious: officials

Health officials on Tuesday said they are looking into whether some people linked to a Covid cluster have deliberately misled them, saying the patients' accounts of why they had a visited a private kitchen in Kwun Tong didn't make sense. Twenty infected people have now been linked to the private...
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New deputies, new bureaus in govt revamp plan

The Executive Council on Tuesday endorsed a government restructuring package that will add new deputies to the chief secretary, financial secretary and justice minister, as proposed by Chief Executive-elect John Lee. Lee told a press briefing that the new roles could strengthen the incoming administration's governance, adding that the deputies...
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Covid takes toll on carers’ mental health: survey

A survey has found that half people who have had to tend to elderly family members amid this wave of Covid-19 infections have shown signs of moderate to severe depression. The poll, commissioned by the Hong Kong Christian Service, interviewed 287 family caregivers – with 20 percent of them aged...
Local

Revamp plan will get green light from Exco: CE

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that she is confident the Executive Council will approve government restructuring plans largely based on her initial suggestions, after receiving broad support from society and her successor John Lee. Lam earlier proposed setting up a new bureau to oversee culture, sports and tourism,...
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‘Covid immunity could be higher than official data’

Epidemiologist Benjamin Cowling from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) said on Tuesday that he believes the overall level of immunity against Covid-19 in Hong Kong is significantly higher than official figures suggest. He was commenting on a new study which found strong antibody responses among recovered Covid patients who...
Local

CE calls for caution ahead of eased Covid rules

Chief Executive Carrie Lam says Hong Kong will relax more social distancing measures as planned on Thursday, but warns that caution is required because the Covid situation has now "reached a stalemate". Speaking ahead of her weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, Lam said the territory has long passed the...
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‘Rise in Covid cases expected as restrictions ease’

Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip on Wednesday warned that the number of Covid cases may rise as social distancing rules are further relaxed. He also said the virus' reproduction number is again above one. From Thursday, restaurants will be allowed to operate until midnight while businesses including gyms,...
Local

‘Mask-free concession won’t apply for most gyms’

Less than one in five local gyms will have enough resources to install required ventilation equipment to allow patrons to exercise mask-free when they reopen on Thursday, a fitness analyst said on Wednesday. Gyms are among the venues being allowed to reopen on Thursday after being ordered shut for the...
Local

Testing ordered for 40 locations

The government on Tuesday issued compulsory testing notices for 40 places across Hong Kong. Anyone who has visited any of these premises and stayed there for the length of time and on the dates specified must get a nucleic acid test for Covid-19. The buildings are located in Cheung Sha...
Local

Appoint a children’s online safety commissioner: NGO

Save the Children is urging the government to appoint a commissioner for children’s online safety after a survey suggested four in 10 students in Hong Kong have been exposed to unwanted sexual content online. The survey that it commissioned, which quizzed about 1,300 pupils aged between eight and 17 for...
Local

City U names Singapore inventor as its new head

City University's governing council on Tuesday appointed Singaporean engineer Freddy Boey as its next president, replacing Way Kuo, who will retire in 12 months from now after 15 years in charge. Boey is currently a deputy president at the National University of Singapore. Announcing his appointment, City University described Boey...
Local

Six more quarantine hotels coming for travellers

Health officials on Tuesday said another six hotels will start accepting bookings from inbound travellers for quarantine purposes from later this week. Officials said they had invited more operators to join the quarantine scheme in anticipation of more people coming to Hong Kong now that entry requirements have been relaxed....
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‘Unjabbed, infected people have low antibody levels’

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University said on Monday their study of vaccine responses showed that people vaccinated against Covid-19 developed a “more robust” antibody response against variants of the virus after catching Omicron than those who are unvaccinated. After comparing the antibody responses in...
Local

Vax records for four more countries accepted by HK

The Government announced on Monday that it will accept the vaccination records issued by Ecuador, Kenya, the Seychelles and Venezuela as recognised vaccination records for persons arriving in Hong Kong who have stayed in overseas places. The relevant arrangements will take effect from May 18. The Government also issued a...
Local

HK reports 259 new Covid cases, new cluster emerges

Health authorities on Sunday said they recorded 259 new Covid infections, as officials reported a new cluster had emerged. Officials said nine people who visited a private kitchen in Shing Yip industrial building in Kwun Tong on May 9 have come down with the disease. The Centre for Health Protection's...
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Hong Kong’s jobless rate will rise further: Paul Chan

Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Sunday said the latest unemployment rate to be released this week is expected to rise further, but he also said there is reason to be optimistic about the city’s economy. Hong Kong's jobless rate for the three months ending March climbed to five percent, the...
Local

Experts divided on the risk of another Covid outbreak

Medical experts are divided on the risk of Hong Kong seeing yet another wave of coronavirus infections. The Dean of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, Gabriel Leung, on Sunday warned the daily Covid tally of about 300 implies the virus is still being transmitted in the community. "We...
Local

‘I have someone in mind for CS’: John Lee

Chief Executive-elect John Lee on Sunday said he is in the beginning stages of forming his cabinet, but admitted that "complicated" international relations may put some people off from joining. Lee told a Commercial Radio programme that he is compiling a list of possible candidates, but declined to say who...
Local

East Rail Line extension a ‘great addition’

An exhibition trade spokesman on Monday said the new Exhibition Centre station is a great addition to Hong Kong’s transport system, as it will open up hotel options for overseas exhibitors along the East Rail Line. Stuart Bailey, the chairman of the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association said...
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