bc magazine

Security Bureau Threatens HongKongers…

A spokesman for the Security Bureau made a [this] statement today (May 29) that the Police have prohibited and objected to a public meeting and procession [32 Anniversary Tiananmen Square Vigil to remember those murdered by Chinese troops ] to be held on May 30 and a public meeting to be held on June 4.

The Appeal Board on Public Meetings and Processions has, after hearing, confirmed the Police’s decisions. The relevant meetings and procession are unauthorised assemblies. No one should take part in it, or advertise or publicise it, or else he or she may violate the law.

According to section 17A of the Public Order Ordinance (Cap. 245), taking part in an unauthorised assembly is liable to a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment; advertising or publicising an unauthorised assembly is liable to a maximum penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment. In addition, taking part in the events may be in breach of relevant offences under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G) (i.e. Prohibition on Group Gathering).

The court’s recent judgments in two cases relating to unauthorised assemblies (the public meetings and processions on August 18 and August 31, 2019) indicate that taking part in an unauthorised assembly, whether or not it involves violence, is in violation of the law. The persons concerned were eventually sentenced to imprisonment of varying terms.

The Security Bureau reminds the public that they should not take part, advertise or publicise any unauthorised assembly. If anyone attempts to challenge the law, including the Prohibition on Group Gathering, Public Order Ordinance, Hong Kong National Security Law, etc., the Police will deal with it seriously in accordance with the law.

HK-Singapore Air Travel Bubble to Begin on 26 May

After many false starts the first local ‘Air Travel Bubble’ opens on the 26 May when HongKongers will be able to travel quarantine-free to Singapore.

There are lots of rules and qualifications, see below, but amongst the many rules is nothing about what happens to HongKongers in Singapore if the travel bubble is suspended. And once the bubble is suspended, the restart conditions are quite onerous. So if you travel, be prepared… For the latest information www.tourism.gov.hk/travelbubble

Hopefully, if the bubble proves successful, it will lead to similar arrangements with New Zealand and Australia in the coming months. No practical suggestions seem to have been made as to when or how HongKongers will be able to visit Macau any time soon.

Objective Air Travel Bubble

No restrictions on travel purposes.

Exemption from compulsory quarantine requirement / Stay-Home Notice.

No restrictions on itineraries.

Eligibility

Any person currently in Hong Kong and Singapore, irrespective of his/her nationality.

Any person with no travel history to any place other than Singapore or Hong Kong in the last 14 days prior to departure.
Note: any compulsory quarantine / Stay-Home Notice periods in Hong Kong or Singapore arising from the traveller’s last visit outside Hong Kong or Singapore would not count towards that 14-day period.

Negative result of COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nucleic acid test by recognised testing institutions with a specimen collected within 72 hours prior to departure.

Hong Kong passport holders can only take an ATB flight at least 14 days after they have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Travel on ‘Designated Flights’.

Designated Flight Arrangements

From 26 May to 9 June, 2021:
Hong Kong to Singapore: 1 flight per day, with 200 travellers per flight Singapore to Hong Kong: 1 flight per day, with 200 travellers per flight

From 10 June, 2021 onwards:
Hong Kong to Singapore: 2 flights per day, with 200 travellers per flight. Singapore to Hong Kong: 2 flights per day, with 200 travellers per flight.

Health Protection Measure

Testing Requirements:
Travellers are required to take mutually recognised COVID-19 PCR nucleic acid tests with a specimen collected within 72 hours prior to departure from Hong Kong and Singapore.

Travellers arriving in Hong Kong and Singapore are required to take a PCR nucleic acid test again at the airport.

Designated Flights:
Only carry ATB travellers, but not transit nor non-ATB travellers.

Designated lane upon arrival in Hong Kong:
There is a designated lane at Hong Kong International Airport for ATB travellers to take post-arrival COVID-19 tests and proceed through immigration.

Mechanism to Adjust or Suspend ATB:
A change in the epidemic situation in Hong Kong and Singapore may trigger the adjustment or suspension of ATB flights:
If the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases is more than five for either Singapore or Hong Kong, the ATB arrangements will be suspended after two days for a two-week period.

The ATB arrangements can resume on the next day after fulfilling the following two criteria:
(i) the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID- 19 cases for both Hong Kong and Singapore does not exceed five on the last day of the 14-day suspension period or any subsequent day; and

(ii) after criterion (i) is met, subsequently there have to be three consecutive days with the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases for both Hong Kong and Singapore not exceeding three, and the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases on the third day in both places does not exceed five.

Other Requirements for ATB Travel: HK to Singapore
(for all travellers)

Within 3 days prior to arrival in Singapore, fill in and submit SG Arrival Card.

Book a post-arrival PCR nucleic acid test before departure. Upon arrival, take the PCR nucleic acid test at the airport, then go to the declared place of accommodation5 by private transportation, taxis or private hire cars, and stay thereat for isolation until receipt of a negative test result before leaving the accommodation and commencing itineraries

(for travellers who are non-Singapore citizens, and at the same time, non-Permanent Residents or non- Long-Term Pass holders)
Apply for an Air Travel Pass 7 to 30 days prior to departure

Download the TraceTogether mobile app, register and keep the app activated on their mobile devices during their stay in Singapore, and retain the app and its records for 14 days subsequent to departure from Singapore

Other Requirements for ATB Travel: Singapore to HK

Fill in and submit health declaration by using the online Health & Quarantine Information Declaration Form within 48 hours prior to arrival in Hong Kong, and get the relevant QR code.

Book a post-arrival PCR nucleic acid test before departure. Upon arrival, take the PCR nucleic acid test through the designated lane for ATB travellers at the airport, and only leave the airport and start itineraries after receiving a negative test result.

Download the LeaveHomeSafe (LHS) mobile app, and scan the LHS QR codes displayed at relevant premises during their stay in Hong Kong, as well as retain the app and its records for 31 days subsequent to departure from Hong Kong.

Useful Links:

HongKong’s designated ATB: www.tourism.gov.hk/travelbubble

Health & Quarantine Information Declaration Form for arrival in Hong Kong: www.chp.gov.hk/hdf

Local COVID-19 testing institutions recognised by the Hong Kong SAR Government: www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_recognised_laboratories_RTPCR.pdf

LeaveHomeSafemobileapp: www.leavehomesafe.gov.hk

Singapore’s designated ATB website Safe Travel Lanes: https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg

Singapore Trace Together mobile app: www.tracetogether.gov.sg

Singapore Arrival Card: https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard

images: singapore tourism

Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Results – 10 April 2021

Women’s Competition 1

HKFC Ice 7-19 Kowloon
@ HK Football Club, Kick-off: 17:00

Valley Black 41-0 CWB Phoenix
@ Happy Valley, Kick-off: 18:00

Image: hkrugby

Hong Kong’s Sevens Squads to Train in England

The limitations on competitive sport are impacting on domestic and international competition… So Hong Kong’s men’s and women’s sevens squads will travel to the United Kingdom and Portugal for an extended training camp in May and June.

Training and warm-up matches against international opposition are needed ahead of multiple upcoming tournaments including:

In August the World Rugby Challenger competition for spots on the World Sevens Series.

The 19^th Asian Games in Hangzhou in September, where Hong Kong’s men’s sevens squad will be the defending champions, after taking Gold in Jakarta in 2018.

Hong Kong’s women finished in fifth place in Jakarta, and hope to improve on that in Hangzhou

The Rugby World Cup Sevens in South Africa in mid-September. Hong Kong have qualified for every Rugby World Cup Sevens since the inception of the world championship in 1993.

And lastly but by no means least the 45^th Hong Kong Sevens in early November, the first international sevens competition to be held in the city in over 3½ years.

Hong Kong Rugby Union General Manager of Performance Rugby James Farndon said, “As restrictions tighten in Hong Kong, many of the HKSI’s High Performance Sport Programmes are taking their athletes and coaches overseas to ensure that they can maintain competitive advantage for their respective international competitions.

“Given the importance of our upcoming international tournaments we believe that it is essential for the teams to have optimal preparation including matches against premier international competition. The HKSI’s approach to financially support overseas training camps like this is highly appreciated by the HKRU,” added Farndon.

Training in the United Kingdom also offers the opportunity to enter both teams into two events on the upcoming UK Super Sevens Series, which takes place in May and June across the United Kingdom, and into long-running international sevens warm-up tournaments in Lisbon and the Algarve in Portugal. These will mark the first international competitions for the teams since November 2021.

The squads will depart on 6 May and will base at Loughborough University, an institution highly regarded for its sports programmes and with excellent training and rehabilitation facilities for the duration of the trip.

Additional reporting, images: HK Rugby

Non-Permanent Residents Outside of Hong Kong

The Immigration Department has announced it will accept applications for return to Hong Kong from Hong Kong non-permanent residents stuck outside of Hong Kong due to the pandemic.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department announced on 31 December, 2020 that in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong non-permanent residents who are currently outside Hong Kong with their limit of stay about to expire/expired may apply for a visa/entry permit to return to Hong Kong.

In general, persons admitted into Hong Kong under various immigration policies/schemes may apply for extension of stay within four weeks before their limit of stay expires. Applicants should be physically present in Hong Kong both at the time of applications and collection of the relevant labels.

Due to the pandemic, if persons (except foreign domestic helpers and imported workers) are outside Hong Kong, with their limit of stay expiring within four weeks/expired for less than 12 months, and are not able to return to Hong Kong timely to apply for extension of stay, they may submit a duly completed application form together with the required supporting documents for application for extension of stay under the relevant immigration policy/scheme.

They are also required to furnish a letter setting out the details on their inability to return to Hong Kong timely for the extension of stay formalities.

If the application is approved, the applicant will be issued with a visa/entry permit for their return to Hong Kong within the validity of that visa/entry permit.

For details on the arrangement, please visit the Homepage of ImmD: www.immd.gov.hk.

The press release is here: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202012/31/P2020123100764.htm

Tokyo Olympic Rugby 7s Repechage

World Rugby announced today that the repechage tournament for the Tokyo Olympic Games will take place in Monaco on 19-20 June, 2021.

With 21 of the 24 teams set to compete at the Tokyo Olympics next year already confirmed, the final qualification event will feature 12 women’s and 12 men’s teams all vying to secure the remaining two women’s and one men’s team places at the Olympic rugby sevens in Tokyo, which will take place on 26-31 July, 2021 at Tokyo Stadium.

The women’s competition features Argentina, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Samoa and Tunisia.

The men’s tournament will involve Brazil, Chile, China, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Samoa, Tonga, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Women’s Rugby Results – 28 November, 2020

Premiership

CWB Phoenix 0-37 Kowloon
@ Happy Valley, Kick-off: 17:00

USRC Tigers 27-21 Gai Wu Falcons
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00

HKFC Ice 0-34 Valley Black
@ HK Football Club, Kick-off: 18:15

Image: hkrugby

Rugby World Cup 2021 to be Postponed

World Rugby Statement

World Rugby has made the difficult decision to recommend the postponement of Rugby World Cup 2021, scheduled to be hosted in New Zealand between 18 September-16 October, until next year. The recommendation will be considered by the Rugby World Cup Board and World Rugby Executive Committee on 8 and 9 March respectively.

While appreciating the recommendation is extremely disappointing for teams and fans, it has their interests at heart, and gives the tournament the best opportunity to be all it can be for them, all New Zealanders and the global rugby family.

The recommendation is based on the evolution of the uncertain and challenging global COVID-19 landscape. It has become clear in recent discussions with key partners including New Zealand Rugby, the New Zealand Government and participating unions, that, given the scale of the event and the COVID-19-related uncertainties, it is just not possible to deliver the environment for all teams to be the best that they can be on the sport’s greatest stage.

The challenges include uncertainty and the ability for teams to prepare adequately for a Rugby World Cup tournament both before and on arrival in New Zealand, and challenging global travel restrictions.

World Rugby can assure teams, New Zealanders and the global rugby family that the recommendation to postpone the tournament will help to ensure that Rugby World Cup 2021 will be all it can be next year for players, fans and the rugby family – one of the great Rugby World Cups.

Further updates will be issued following the Rugby World Cup Board and World Rugby Executive Committee meetings next week.

Image: worldrugby