Category: Local

Local

Compulsory testing notices issued for 41 locations

The government on Sunday issued compulsory testing notices for 41 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 Yuen Long,...
Local

East Rail’s first cross-harbour train departs

Railway enthusiasts reported queueing all night to be part of history as the first ever service on the cross-harbour section of the MTR's East Rail Line departed early on Sunday morning. Some people joining the service at the new Exhibition Centre station said they'd joined the line at 10pm on...
Local

Covid outbreak found at Sheung Wan restaurant

Health authorities on Friday reported a coronavirus cluster involving a restaurant in Sheung Wan in which at least 30 people have come down with the virus. Officials said those infected include 29 customers who dined at Sky Cuisine between 6pm and 11pm on May 7, and one member of staff....
Local

Legco to get govt restructuring plan soon: Starry Lee

The administration intends to submit its government restructuring proposal to Legco for scrutiny around the middle of this month, the chairwoman of Legco's house committee, Starry Lee, said on Friday. Chief Executive Carrie Lam earlier proposed setting up a new bureau to oversee culture, sports and tourism, splitting the Transport...
Local

Minister puts corpse mix-up down to human error

Health Secretary Sophia Chan on Friday said she thinks a hospital blunder this week where the dead bodies of two elderly men were mixed up before one was cremated was not related to the pandemic and may be a case of human error. Tuen Mun Hospital said it has met...
Local

Weather will be unstable at weekend: observatory

The observatory said on Friday that it expects a trough of low pressure to continue bringing unsettled weather to Hong Kong over the weekend. At 4:25am on Friday, the observatory issued its first Red Rainstorm Warning signal of the year, triggering the suspension of all morning and whole-day school classes....
Local

Don’t panic over Kennedy Town outbreak: expert

Top microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung on Friday sought to allay concerns over a potential Covid-19 outbreak in Kennedy Town, where sewage samples have tested positive for the virus and infections have emerged, saying there’s no need for people to panic. Yuen, one of the advisers on the government’s coronavirus strategy, said...
Local

Kwai Chung block lockdown finds one Covid infection

Authorities on Saturday said they've identified one Covid infection after locking down Tak Yam House of On Yam Estate in Kwai Chung for overnight testing. Around 1,660 people were tested. Residents who were able to present their negative test results had been allowed to leave the block since 8:15am.
Local

Compulsory testing notices issued for 40 places

The government on Friday 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 Ho Man...
Local

Nation’s top political advisers talk SAR patriotism

The nation's top political advisory body discussed the need to "improve the capacity" of patriots in Hong Kong and Macao at its regular biweekly meeting, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. Politburo member and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference chairman Wang Yang led the discussion in the CPPCC's National...
Local

Hong Kong Tramways seeks 13 percent fare hike

Hong Kong Tramways has submitted an application to the government for a 13 percent increase in fares, citing financial difficulties amid Covid-19. If approved, the first hike since July 2018 will see adult fares climb from HK$2.6 to HK$3, fares for those under 12 rise from HK$1.3 to HK$1.5 and...
Local

‘Reopen Hong Kong to tackle brain drain’

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) said the city should reopen its borders as soon as possible to tackle its brain drain. The chamber warned earlier that the SAR is facing an exodus of skilled professionals – mainly engineers, accountants and IT workers – on a scale not...
Local

Govt trims economic growth forecast

The government has cut its GDP growth forecast for this year to one to two percent, as it warned that the local economy will continue to be bogged down by the external environment. The latest projection, released on Friday, was down from the two to 3.5 percent expansion that Financial...
Local

Covid cluster emerges at Hung Hom snooker club

Health authorities on Thursday ordered more than 150 people who visited a snooker club in Hung Hom to get tested for Covid-19 after a cluster of infections emerged there. Officials said four people confirmed with Covid had visited Sun Mong Snooker on Monday evening. They are two men who flew...
Local

Twelve percent of workers sexually harassed: EOC

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) said on Thursday that a survey it conducted suggests one in eight people have been sexually harassed at work in the past two years. In what it called the first sizeable poll of its kind, the equality watchdog said it interviewed more than 5,000 adults...
Local

Kennedy Town estate locked down for Covid testing

The government locked down the Sai Wan Estate in Kennedy Town on Thursday afternoon for overnight testing. The "restriction-testing declaration" covered all five blocks of the estate and was expected to finish by 10am on Friday. Earlier in the day, the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Medicine warned of...
Local

Stop playing dumb over HK arrests, China tells West

Beijing on Thursday expressed strong dissatisfaction with criticism made by western countries about arrests made over a now-defunct fund that raised money for the legal and medical fees of protesters, as sources said a fifth person has been arrested. Sources said Cardinal Joseph Zen, barrister Margaret Ng, singer Denise Ho...
Local

Man jailed 20 months for making explosives

One of 12 Hong Kong people held by the mainland coastguard two years ago for crossing the border illegally has been given 20 months in prison here after pleading guilty to making explosives during the 2019 social unrest. The District Court heard that 31-year-old Wong Wai-yin, a mechanic, made the...
Local

Bar Association slams sanctions call for NSL judges

The Bar Association on Thursday condemned a call by a group of US Congress members for Washington to impose sanctions on national security judges and prosecutors in Hong Kong, saying it deplores any attempts to interfere with the SAR's judiciary. Seven Republican lawmakers wrote to US President Joe Biden last...
Local

Coach unsure new anti-touting measures will work

A basketball coach on Thursday questioned the effectiveness of the government's latest measures against sport venue touting, saying they don't get to the root of the problem. From May 16, people can make bookings online 15 minutes earlier than those queuing up at service counters. Officials are also barring organisations...
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