bc magazine

UK Added To Wuhan Virus High Risk Travel Countries

From 1 October, 2020 the UK will become a ‘High Risk’ country and people flying into Hong Kong from the UK will need to provide a -ve COVID test and quarantine in a hotel.

The UK becomes the tenth High Risk country listed under Cap 599H, joining Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa and the United States of America.

The travel requirements under Cap599H are:

A traveller who, on the day on which the traveller boarded a civil aviation aircraft that arrives at, or is about to arrive at Hong Kong (specified aircraft), or during the 14 days before that day, has stayed in one of the aforementioned specified places must provide the following documents:

(1) A test report in English or Chinese issued by a laboratory or healthcare institution bearing the name of the relevant traveller identical to that in his or her valid travel document to show that:

(a) the relevant traveller underwent a nucleic acid test for COVID-19, the sample for which was taken from the relevant traveller within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the specified aircraft;

(b) the test conducted on the sample is a nucleic acid test for COVID-19; and

(2) If the relevant report is not in English or Chinese or does not contain all of the above information, a written confirmation in English or Chinese issued by the laboratory or healthcare institution bearing the name of the relevant traveller identical to that in his or her valid travel document and setting out all of the above information. The said written confirmation should be presented together with the test report; and

(3) Documentary proof in English or Chinese to show that the laboratory or healthcare institution is ISO 15189 accredited or is recognised or approved by the relevant authority of the government of the place in which the laboratory or healthcare institution is located; and

(4) The relevant traveller has confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 14 days starting on the day of the arrival of the relevant traveller in Hong Kong.

If a traveller coming to Hong Kong fails to comply with a requirement to provide information, or knowingly or recklessly provides any information that is false or misleading in a material particular, he or she is liable on conviction to the maximum penalty of a fine at level 3 ($10,000) and imprisonment for six months.

Big Buddha Renovations

The Big Buddha, or to give it it’s official name the Tian Tan Giant Buddha, at the Po Lin Monastery will be closed for maintenance and repair work from the 2 June 2020.

The repairs involve the cleaning of the bronze statue, which opened in 1989, to remove the oxidation layer and pollutants. During the maintenance, the area around the statue will be closed to the public but the monastery and religious ceremonies will continue as usual and visitors are welcome.

Image: Po Lin Monastery

Entry Restrictions on Non-Hong Kong Residents Extended

The Hong Kong government today (6 April, 2020) extended, until further notice, the entry restrictions on non-Hong Kong residents arriving by plane.

All transit at Hong Kong International Airport will continue to be suspended until further notice.

The entry restrictions, which came into effect on the 25 March 2020, were announced by the Government on 23 March with the aim of reducing imported cases of the Wuhan virus know as COVID-19:

• All non-Hong Kong residents coming from overseas countries and regions by plane will be denied entry to Hong Kong;
• Non-Hong Kong residents coming from the Mainland, Macao and Taiwan will be denied entry to Hong Kong if they have been to any overseas countries and regions in the past 14 days;
• All transit services at Hong Kong International Airport will be suspended;
• All travellers coming from Macao and Taiwan, including Hong Kong and non-Hong Kong residents, will be subject to a 14-day compulsory quarantine, which is the same as the arrangements for people entering Hong Kong from the Mainland.

The entry restriction and suspension of transit services at the airport were at the time to be implemented tentatively for 14 days, ending on 7 April, 2020.

Exemptions to the above restrictions include:

• Crew members of aircraft who need to commute to and from foreign places in performance of necessary duties or crew members of goods vessels;
• Government officials carrying out government duties including personnel of consular posts;
• Personnel engaged in anti-epidemic work endorsed by the HKSAR Government;
• Spouses and minor children of Hong Kong residents.

All entrants to Hong Kong must complete 14-days compulsory quarantine on arrival.

Read the government press release https://t.co/WW8NKVLBqB?amp=1

More information can be found on the government’s dedicated website www.coronavirus.gov.hk

Red Outbound Travel Alert for Europe

The Hong Kong government today issued a Red Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for 26 European countries. The alert warns against all non-essential travel to countries in the Shengen area, the part of Europe covered by an open-border travel arrangement.

“In view of the health risks arising from the outbreak of the COVID-19 in Europe, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (March 13) issued the Red Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) on certain European countries (Schengen Area), including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Principality of Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Republic of Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.”

The Red OTA urges members of the public planning to travel to the aforementioned countries to adjust travel plans and avoid non-essential travel.

After returning to Hong Kong travelers should consult a doctor promptly if experiencing a fever or other COVID-19 symptoms, and wear a surgical mask until 14 days after returning to Hong Kong.

More information can be found on the government’s dedicated website www.coronavirus.gov.hk

Where to Access Coronavirus News Without a Paywall

When it comes to coronavirus news / COVID-19, there is a mass of misinformation and charlatans looking to profit from the suffering of others.

Many of the media sources you might trust are behind paywalls – journalism after all costs money – with limited free articles.

However because of the seriousness and global nature of the pandemic many news outlets have made their COVID-19 news free to access. Here is list of major outlets with free updates and articles:

The New York Times is offering its COVID-19 coverage for free.

The Washington Post has a free email newsletter for coronavirus-related news. All articles linked in the newsletter are free.

The Los Angeles Times coronavirus liveblog is available for free.

The Wall Street Journal has created a free section for coronavirus articles.

The Atlantic is offering all coronavirus-related articles for free.

The Star is labeling free articles related to the coronavirus with a red “free digital access” label.

The Guardian has no paywall.

BBC has no paywall

Associated Press

STAT, which covers health and medicine, is offering its coronavirus coverage for free.

Compulsory Quarantine For Inbound Travellers

The Department of Health announced that from 14 March compulsory quarantine orders, under the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A), will be enforced against people arriving in Hong Kong who have been to Italy, France, Germany, Japan and Spain in the past 14 days, regardless of whether they are Hong Kong residents.

The new orders require people to stay in a Quarantine Centre for the duration of their quarantine.

More information can be found on the government’s dedicated website www.coronavirus.gov.hk

Choosing Who Lives or Dies….

Two weeks ago, Italy had 322 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. At that point, doctors in the country’s hospitals could lavish significant attention on each stricken patient.

One week ago, Italy had 2,502 cases of the virus, which causes the disease known as COVID-19. At that point, doctors in the country’s hospitals could still perform the most lifesaving functions by artificially ventilating patients who experienced acute breathing difficulties.

Today, Italy has 10,149 cases of the coronavirus. There are now simply too many patients for each one of them to receive adequate care. Doctors and nurses are unable to tend to everybody. They lack machines to ventilate all those gasping for air.

Now the Italian College of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) has published guidelines for the criteria that doctors and nurses should follow as these already extraordinary circumstances worsen. The document begins by likening the moral choices Italian doctors may face to the forms of wartime triage that are required in the field of “catastrophe medicine.” Instead of providing intensive care to all patients who need it, the authors suggest, it may become necessary to follow “the most widely shared criteria regarding distributive justice and the appropriate allocation of limited health resources.”

The principle they settle upon is utilitarian. “Informed by the principle of maximizing benefits for the largest number,” they suggest that “the allocation criteria need to guarantee that those patients with the highest chance of therapeutic success will retain access to intensive care.”

Read the full article here at The Atlantic

High Speed Rail is Finally Here

The new Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Rail (Hong Kong Section) will finally start operation on the 23 September 2018. Ticket pre-sales starts on the 10 September 2018 for the short haul journeys to and from the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and the six Mainland stations Futian, Shenzhenbei, Guangmingcheng, Humen, Qingsheng and Guangzhounan, as well as medium to long haul journeys connecting to destinations across China.

The first departure is at 7am with the last train leaving at 11pm and according to the MTR train frequency depends on demand. There are four ticket classes: Second, First, Premium and Business and for example the prices of a one-way trip to Guangzhou are $247, $371, $423, $519 respectively.

All classes appear to enjoy a basic set of facilities which includes free wi-fi, power sockets (either individual seat sockets or per row) and free hot water if you bring your own cup. Trains have 68 first and 511 second class seats spread across 8 compartments.

Note: Just to fully show who is in control ticket prices are set in Renminbi (RMB) and will vary depending on the HK$/RMB exchange rate! So prices will change daily if you pay in HK$.

Tickets can be bought up to 30 days in advance. Onlineticketing is here www.highspeed.mtr.com.hk, with ticket sales closing 2 hours before departure. At West Kowloon Station you can buy tickets up to 45 minutes before departure. Partial refunds are available and you can change your ticket times once based on the purchase deadlines.

bc has asked the MTR for clarification on the fares, how to buy return tickets – which appear to unavailable, you have to buy two single tickets – but the MTR have refused to reply.

The high speed rail was sold to HongKongers (we paid for it all) as reducing the journey time to Guangzhou but according to the published timetable most trains from HK only go Shenzhen – again the MTR have refused to respond to clarification on this.

If you have to change trains in Shenzhen to trains which do not have the features sold with your ticket (the last high speed train bc took in China, had no power sockets or free wifi in second class) what really is the point of the billions of taxpayer dollars spent on building the line.