Category: free

Mills & Chung Path

The heat and humidity have arrived even earlier this year making hiking a sweaty and dehydrating experience. So if you don’t fancy a draining hike under the midday sun – how about a gentle stroll along the south side of HK Island.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/20210509-Mills-Chung-Path/i-wfWdbvR

The Mills & Chung Path connects Deep Water Bay and Ocean Park and offers a gentle stroll along the seashore. It takes about 20 minutes and there are refreshments at both ends. Want to walk further, follow the path along to Repulse Bay (30 minutes) or keep going all the way to Stanley (2-3 hours).

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2021/20210509-Mills-Chung-Path/i-QPRJL6g

Deep Water Bay is the only beach on HK Island with lifeguards all year. There are two food and beverage outlets, free changing rooms (no lockers), toilets, swimming pontoons, and barbecue pits (closed due to Covid).

Boarding and Quarantine Arrangements for Persons Arriving in Hong Kong

Adjusted boarding, quarantine and testing arrangements for persons arriving in Hong Kong (including Hong Kong residents) will apply from 12 May for those who have completed their COVID-19 vaccination course.

Overseas places outside China have been categorised under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) into extremely high-risk Group A1 specified places, very high-risk Group A2 specified places, high-risk Group B specified places, medium-risk Group C specified places, and low-risk Group D specified places.

Low-risk Group D

Under the new arrangements, persons who have stayed in low-risk Group D specified places, and who have been fully vaccinated, will be subject to compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine hotels for seven days (originally 14 days). They will subsequently be required to self-monitor for seven days and undergo compulsory testing on the 12th day of their arrival at Hong Kong.

Medium-risk Group C, High-risk Group B

For persons who have stayed in medium-risk Group C specified places and high-risk Group B specified places, and who have been fully vaccinated, they will be subject to compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine hotels for 14 days (originally 21 days), and subsequently, be required to self-monitor for seven days and undergo compulsory testing on the 16th and 19th day of their arrival at Hong Kong.

Extremely High-risk Group A1, Very High-risk Group A2

As for extremely high-risk Group A1 specified places and very high-risk Group A2 specified places, the boarding, quarantine, and testing arrangements will remain unchanged.

For persons who have stayed in Group A1 specified places Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa) for more than two hours, they WILL NOT be allowed to board any passenger flight for Hong Kong.

For very high-risk Group A2 specified places, the relevant persons will be subject to compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine hotels for 21 days (with the number of tests to be conducted during the period increased to at least four times), subsequent seven-day self-monitoring, and compulsory testing on the 26th day of their arrival at Hong Kong. The shortened quarantine period for fully vaccinated persons will not be applicable.

Persons arriving from China (the Mainland, Macau and Taiwan) who did not return under the Return2hk Scheme. The compulsory quarantine period for relevant fully vaccinated persons, whether arriving at Hong Kong via land boundary control points or the airport, will also be shortened from 14 days to seven days, with a subsequent seven-day self-monitoring period and compulsory testing on the 12th day of arrival at Hong Kong.

Fully vaccinated means persons who have received the necessary doses as stipulated in guidelines of a COVID-19 vaccination course 14 days prior to their arrival at Hong Kong.

Details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/high-risk-places.html.

Updated Quarantine Requirements for Vaccinated Close Contacts

The Government today (7 May) announced updated quarantine requirements for vaccinated close contacts of locally acquired COVID-19 cases. 

Close Contacts of Locally Acquired Cases Who Do NOT Have a Mutant Strain 

The duration of compulsory quarantine is shortened to seven days of quarantine in a Quarantine Centre, counting from the last day of exposure to the confirmed case (the day of last exposure is regarded as Day 0), provided the following three criteria have been satisfied:

(a) documented proof of completion of two doses of CoronaVac or BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, and that 14 days have passed from the date of receiving the second dose#; and

(b) results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the respiratory specimens taken on Day 0 or Day 1 after admission to a QC being negative; and

(c) positive immunoglobulin G (IgG) or total antibody against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, or positive surrogate neutralising antibody, taken after admission to a QC.

After completing the seven-day quarantine, the close contact will be subject to seven days of self-monitoring, and to compulsory testing at a community testing centre (CTC) on Day 12.

Close Contacts of Locally Acquired N501Y Mutant Strain

The duration of quarantine in a QC is shortened from 21 days to 14 days, counting from the last day of exposure to the confirmed case, provided the following three criteria have been satisfied:

(a) documented proof of completion of two doses of CoronaVac or BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, and that 14 days have passed from the date of receiving the second dose#; and

(b) results of PCR testing of the respiratory specimens taken on Day 0 or Day 1 after admission to a QC, and those taken on Day 7 and Day 12 after last exposure to the confirmed case, being all negative; and

(c) positive IgG or total antibody against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, or positive surrogate neutralising antibody, taken after admission to a QC.

After completing the fourteen-day quarantine, the close contact will be subject to seven days of self-monitoring, and to compulsory testing at a community testing centre (CTC) on Day 19.

# Persons Regarded as Satisfying Criteria (a):

1) close contacts who had documented past infection of COVID-19 within nine months after discharge; or

2) close contacts who had documented past infection of COVID-19 more than nine months after discharge plus one dose of CoronaVac or BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and for whom 14 days have passed from the date of receiving the dose.

Updated Boarding and Quarantine Arrangements for Persons Arriving at Hong Kong

The HK Government announced today (May 4) the continued suspension of passenger flights from India, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines, and the continued restriction on persons who have stayed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Brazil, and South Africa from boarding flights for Hong Kong.

The lifting of the ban on 7 May for persons who have stayed in Ireland and the United Kingdom on boarding for Hong Kong, to allow flights to resume, subject to the compulsory quarantine and testing arrangements upon arrival at Hong Kong.

The full press release can be read here

Details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/high-risk-places.html.

Compulsory Test – 1 May, 2021

The Government announced, on 1 May, that under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) it has gazetted the following compulsory testing notice and specifications, which require any person who has been present at 26 specified premises during the specified period and foreign domestic helpers (persons subject to compulsory testing) to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test before 14 May, 2021.

A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said, “As N501Y mutant strain is with high transmissibility, for prudence’s sake, the relevant persons who had been to the places patronised by the local cases with unknown sources of infection involving N501Y mutant strain are required to undergo three tests and all foreign domestic helpers are required to undergo testing to completely cut any possible transmission chain.”

In addition, since there were outbreaks of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in 11 schools, and the symptoms of URTI are similar to those of COVID-19, for prudence’s sake, these 11 schools are also covered in the compulsory testing notice.

The list is massive, download from the HK Government website here

HK SciFest 2021

With “Technology For Our Future” as the theme the HK SciFest 2021 aims to encourage the public to learn more about the latest achievements in science and technology as well as the development trends of the future in order to take advantage of technology wisely for dealing with future changes and challenges.

During the festival, 26 March – 11 April, at the HK Science Museum new exhibitions will explore different aspects of ‘science’ including the world of flowers, encounters between amateur naturalists and nature, the application of science and technology in agriculture, the future of seed technology, as well as global climate change.

Highlighted events this year include Fun Science Carnival, Croucher Science Week, and a series of STEM x SCM online activities which looks to expand and engage public interest in and understanding of science, technology, engineering.  There are also guided tours, science lectures and workshops aiming to provide diverse science experiences for people of all ages.

The 11 April, closing event Technologies of Gyroscope and Robotics  (broadcast live on www.youtube.com/user/hksciencemuseum) will have robots performing Tai Chi and tightrope walking to demonstrate how they maintain balance using gyroscopic technology.

Full schedule of HK SciFest 2021 events www.hk.science.museum/scifest2021

HK SciFest 2021
Date: 26 March – 11 April, 2021
Venue: Hong Kong Science Museum
Tickets: various

Housing Authority to Reopen Outdoor Recreational Facilities

The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) announced today that from 11 February 2021 leisure facilities including badminton courts, table tennis tables, tennis courts, gateball courts, fitness equipment and peddle walk trails… will REOPEN!

The HA reminded people that the group gathering ban is still in force and that unless exempted, group gatherings of more than the permitted number in public places are strictly prohibited.

Members of the public are required to wear a mask when using these facilities.

Larger Than Life: The American Civil Rights Movement in Documentaries

As part of Black History Month, Larger Than Life: The American Civil Rights Movement in Documentaries takes place online from 25 February to 1 March 2021. To raise awareness and promote cultural and racial harmony in Hong Kong, this free film showcase introduces major figures in the African-American civil rights movement from the 1950s to the 1970s, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, the Black Panthers and Shirley Chisholm.

Their philosophies still affect racial, class and gender relations in America and the world to this day. The documentaries explore their influential roles in contributing to the social progress towards greater political and cultural understanding. There will be after-screening talks and a talk on racial relations in Hong Kong.

8pm, 25 February, 2021
King in the Wilderness
Director: Peter Kunhardt

8pm, 26 February, 2021
Malcolm X: Make It Plain
Director: Orlando Bagwell

8pm, 27 February, 2021
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Director: Stanley Nelson Jr.

8pm, 28 February, 2021
Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed
Director: Shola Lynch

8pm, 1 March, 2021
Talk: Racial Relations in Hong Kong
Venue: Africa Center Hong Kong

Online registration for screenings: https://hkmovie6.com/filmFest/bab6bb4b-be1e-4ca1-8fb5-e892e57ff829

Registration for the Talk: https://hkac.org.hk/registration/?event=ij4EtZnOyY

Larger Than Life: the American Civil Rights Movement in Documentaries
Date: 25 February – 1 March, 2021
Venue: Vimeo
Tickets: Free

Images: Courtesy Library of Congress