#FailedState #CoronavirusPandemic
Control and Tightening Control: HK Government's Latest Responses to the Pandemic

Source: Stand News; InMedia #Nov11

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#FailedState #CoronavirusPandemic
Control and Tightening Control: HK Government's Latest Responses to the Pandemic

The Hong Kong SAR government refused to grant HKD1.5m to a community cleanliness campaign approved by Southern District Council for anti-pandemic purpose.

This is not the first time where the government refused to operate with the directly-elected district councillors, of which the pro-democracy camp constitutes the majority in all 18 District Councils in Hong Kong.

Read more:
https://bit.ly/2K0nAgZ

Meanwhile, the government claimed the need to "tighten anti-pandemic control". The Health Authority required travellers arriving in Hong Kong to undergo quarantine in hotels, i.e. home quarantine is not allowed. The regulation, however, exempts travellers arriving from China.

Read more:
https://bit.ly/2GO9ZrC

The Hong Kong government will release an mobile application to monitor citizens' travel records on Nov 16, 2020. The government claims that data such as personal information and GPS location would not be collected, and privacy would be respected. Citizens can voluntarily download and use the app.

The development of the app had cost HKD 1m.

The HK government also mentioned a plan to exempt Hong Kong residents in China from the 14-day compulsory quarantine when returning to Hong Kong, starting from Nov 23, 2020.

Read more:
https://bit.ly/32Af6U9

Source: InMedia #Nov11

Image: Stand News

#DistrictCouncil #Discriminatiom #HealthCode #Quarantine

#FailedState #Border
HK Government Suspends Local School and Welcomes HK-China Border-Crossers With Quarantine Exemption

The Health Authorities in Hong Kong announced on November 20, 2020 that face-to-face classes for primary 1-3 students will be suspended for two weeks starting on Nov 23.

With more new cases confirmed in the city, the Heath Secretary said the coronavirus situation has worsened.

Nevertheless, on the same day that primary schools will partially be suspended in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government is opening the Hong Kong-China border and exempting the border-crossing people from the 14-day quarantine.

The government called it the "Return2HK" scheme, which will allow registered people to leave Macau and Southern China and go to Hong Kong without the need to undergo 14 days of quarantine. 

The daily quota is initially set to be 5,000 people. Among them, up to 3,000 people will be allowed to enter through the Shenzhen Bay and 2,000 via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge per day.

According to pro-Beijing newspaper Sing Tao Daily, the government has plans to increase the quota, and extend the quarantine-free arrangement to other provinces in China, even before the scheme is launched.

Source: RTHK #Nov18 #Nov20

news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1561016-20201120.htm

news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1560592-20201118.htm

#HeathCode #Discrimination #WuhanPneumonia #CoronavirusPandemic

#FailedState #Border
HK Government Exempts Border Crosser from China from Compulsory Quarantine and Hands Out Cash to "Those Struggling" Positive COVID Cases

On November 22, 2020, Hong Kong's Health Secretary Sophia Chan says the government will hand out a one-off sum of HK$5,000 to everyone who tests positive for the coronavirus. However, on Nov 23, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said that the cash hand-out is only for "those struggling".

Just a few days ago on November 19, one confirmed Covid-19 case with an then-unknown source was found to be a 75-year-old wealthy merchant called Ng Wong Ching-yee.

According to sources, she dined with nearly 10 relatives and friends on Nov 15 at the Deep Water Bay Golf Club. The merchant reportedly hid her activities, so that her companions would not be traced by the health authorities. They went throuht private test on their own. The son of infected woman went on quarantine on a private yacht.

According to sources, the 75-year-old female merchant had visited a dance club called Heavenly in Sheung Wan. Currently, the dance club cluster involves 14 dance clubs and has pushed the number of confirmed cases to three-month high in Hong Kong, as identified by the health authorities on Nov 22, 2020.

On Nov 23, more confirmed cases were found linked to the dance cluster, whereas the Hong Kong government rolled out the "Return2HK" scheme for the first day where registered people can travel from China to Hong Kong without the need to undergo 14-day quarantine.

According to Now News, as at 18:00 on Nov 23, around 2,140 people had crossed the border to Hong Kong.

Source: RTHK #Nov22; Apple Daily #Nov20 ; Nov News #Nov23

https://bit.ly/3lNUMpD

news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1561320-20201122.htm

https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1561282-20201122.htm

#WuhanPneumonia #CoronavirusPandemic #Cash #Merchant #DanceClub #DeepWaterBay #GolfClub

#Christmas2020
Hongkonger: First Christmas Without Cinema

In December 2019, COVID-19 was spread from Wuhan to other parts of China. In Spring 2020, the coronavirus pandemic was hitting the whole world.

At Christmas 2020, COVID-19 is still menacing the world, causing the separation of families, the suspension of festive activities and the closure of businesses including restaurants and theatres.

The following is a Hong Kong cinephille's contemplation for Christmas 2020:

"When friendship and relationship are vulnerable, you thought at least the Cinema would be there for you. This year, even the Cinema was unwell.

Next year today, you might be in the UK, Australia, Canada and Taiwan. Let's hope there will still be cinemas. Even when we are apart, we can still dream the same dream together inside the cinema, somewhere.

I hope we have not yet become "Alice in the Borderland"; we have a "Sweet Home"; and, most importantly, we shall remember to stay "#Alive".

Although bad news find their way to us everyday, I wish everyone still a merry Christmas."

Source: Jacky Hei #Dec25

https://www.facebook.com/160125994157497/posts/1782430935260320/

#Cinema #Covid19 #HongkongersVoice #CoronavirusPandemic

#Breaking #PoliceState #WuhanPneumonia
Hong Kong Government Imposes Last-minute Compulsory Lockdown in Jordan District; Police Order Reporters to Leave

At 4am on Jan 23, 2021, the Hong Kong government cited the chapter 599J of the Regulations on Disease Prevention and Control and announced a compulsory lockdown of an area in the Jordan district.

The government refused to respond to any decision made on Jan 22, while police started to station in the area on Friday evening. Not until the early morning of Jan 23, the government issued a press release about the sudden lockdown.

Watch the video:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28097

The ''restricted'' area is encircled by Woosung Street in the east, Nanking Street in the south, Battery Street in the west, and Kansu Street in the north.

Civilians are not allowed to leave the area until everyone in the area has taken a test and the results have been confirmed. the government has also issued mandatory inspection notices for all premises in the "restricted area". Anyone who has been in the "restricted area" for more than two hours in the past 14 days is also mandated to undergo testing before midnight on Jan 23.

The authorities claimed that they aim to complete all the tests within 48 hours, so that civilians can go to work on Monday.

According to InMedia, police ordered reporters on site to leave and the communication was confusing.

Video: InMedia
Source: InMedia; RTHK #Jan23

http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1571933-20210123.htmn

#Lockdown #Covid19 #CoronavirusPandemic

#FirstHand #Feb6 #ToKwaWanLockdown
This is Hong Kong, 2021: #PoliceState in #Lockdown Zone

The Hong Kong Police announced the government's lockdown plan in To Kwa Wan and Tuen Mun on the evening of Feb 6, 2021.

Read more:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/28497

Via a loud speaker, the police told the residents in To Kwa Wan, "The area near Wah Fat Building at Ma Hang Chung Road has been sealed off. Residents are required to undergo mandatory tests. Government staff will proceed to knock on the door of every household..."

This is Hong Kong in Feb 2021, more than one year after the coronavirus was spreaded from China to Hong Kong and to the rest of the world.

#CoronavirusPandemic #WuhanPneumonia

#Interview #SayNo #NeverGiveUp
Hongkongers Close Down Business Rather Than Collecting Data for the Authorities: "There is no room for compromise"

Part 1

Citing the #CoronavirusPandemic as a reason, the Hong Kong government has suspended the entire fitness industry for more than 100 days.

On Feb 10, 2021, the government announced the permission of reopening facilities such as fitness centres, only if the facilities register customers with either the authorities' #LeaveHomeSafeApp or their personal information.

The government's decision sparked the city questions and criticisms in the city, as worries about #MassSurveillance arose. “It’s funny how they [the government officials] are not ashamed of their decisions”, said the owners of Wild Gym Fitness and Therapy.

The owners Mr and Mrs Tong were arrested by the police after helping out a girl to stand up near a protest site during the Anti-ELAB movement in 2019. The couple and the girl they helped were all charged with rioting, but finally acquitted.

Tong Wai-hung said he would rather close down the gym than colluding with the government to collect personal data. He also said that businesses are just going to lose more in the end if they betray customers' trust in exchange for making a living. “When are you going to stop selling out yourself?” he questioned.

Tong said, Hong Kong citizens and local businesses have been using effective measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus ever since the beginning of 2020. Nevertheless, they still suffered under the difficult times because the Hong Kong government refused to close the border with China to stop the source of the virus.

“We have already done the best we could in terms of preventive measures, but the government failed to protect our borders. I’m forced to close my business because of the pandemic now, while some people are still allowed to cross the border without being tested and undergoing quarantine”.

[Editor's note: From Feb 18, 2021 onwards, the Hong Kong government allows restaurants to re-open in the evening, but requires them to ask customers to register their personal information through the Leave Home Safe App or manually.]

Source: Stand News #Feb15

https://bit.ly/3tZqODM

#WildGymFitnessandTherapy #TongWaiHung

#FirstHand #Mar19
#LohasPark #Lockdown
Hong Kong Authorities Continue to Impose Ambush-Style Lockdown

On the evening of March 19, 2021, the Hong Kong government announced a sudden lockdown of a residential building in Lohas Park, Tseung Kwan O. The affected building was Block No. 9 of the private housing estate.

The video captures the large number of police deployed to surround the building. All residents were ordered to undergo the #covid19 test.

#CoronavirusPandemic #PoliceState

#Vaccination #MassCancellation
Hong Kong Govt blames "smear campaign" as seniors cancel vaccination bookings in droves

The Hong Kong government issued a statement, accusing an unnamed medical professional group of "smearing" the government's vaccination program.

The Health Authority Employees Alliance (#HAEA) responded in a facebook post on March 18, 2021, reiterating their criticisms against the vaccination program. The medical workers' group pointed out again that the third-stage data remains insufficient for the Sinovac vaccine on patients above 60 years of age. Therefore they remain opposed to the Hong Kong government's call for citizens to receive the made-in-China Sinovac vaccine.

The group stressed that they had never been opposed to vaccination in general.

Meanwhile, the numerous deaths following vaccinations seem to have shaken the faith in the vaccine among senior citizens, although the government's expert committee insisted that the deaths are not directly related.

Speaking on a radio show on the public broadcaster RTHK, Lin Wai-yiu of the Society for Community Organization noted that they had been assisting seniors with vaccine-related inquiries. In the beginning of the program, most inquiries came from those who wanted to take the vaccine. Recently, however, half of the seniors who called wanted to cancel their appointments.

"They're cancelling in droves," Lin said. "Perhaps they read about the severe cases, and they were concerned whether their health condition is suitable for the vaccine."

He added that the government had cautioned that those with chronic illnesses should be be careful with the vaccine, but 70% of seniors often have some chronic illnesses. Additionally, some of them do not have the ability to make a medical judgment and cannot evaluate the risks involved; they would cancel their booking first, and make a decision later after consulting with their doctor.

Source: Stand News #Mar18
https://www.thestandnews.com/society/政府譴責抹黑疫苗-醫管局員工陣線反駁-科興數據未盡充分-社協-半數查詢長者望取消打針/

#FailedState #Vaccine #CoronavirusPandemic #WuhanPneumonia