epidemic. 1.18｜Infants and young children aged 3 and under are expected to return to Hong Kong to go to school in February

There were 3,793 new confirmed cases in Hong Kong today (18th), falling to the "3 prefix" for the second consecutive day, including 109 imported cases, and 56 new patients died. The rate also rose again to 0.46%, and one more local case carried the new mutant virus strain XBB.1.5, and a total of 4 cases were reported.

The government announced today (18th) that after communicating with relevant mainland authorities, starting tomorrow (19th), children aged three and under entering the mainland from Hong Kong will not be required to present a negative result of a new crown nucleic acid test taken within 48 hours before travel .

As for young children coming to Hong Kong from the Mainland or any other regions, the Hong Kong government has been exempting children under the age of three from relevant testing requirements since June last year.

The government will gazetted to update the exemption arrangements to apply to children aged three and below.

In other words, starting tomorrow, children aged three and under will not be required to undergo a nucleic acid test within 48 hours before travel, whether they are coming to Hong Kong from the Mainland or entering the Mainland from Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail resumed operation this Sunday (15th). As the Lunar New Year is approaching, many people hope to return to their hometowns to visit relatives. The number of daily two-way tickets will increase again today (18th), from 14,000 to 20,000 .

Due to the need to hold a valid negative nucleic acid certificate for 48 hours in the north, many testing stations were crowded yesterday (17th), especially after work.

Summary of today's epidemic situation:

-The number of confirmed cases increased by 3,793, falling to the level of 3,000 for the second consecutive day.

- There were 109 imported cases, accounting for 2.87% of the total cases.

- 56 new patients died, the overall mortality rate rose to 0.46%, the single-day mortality rate was 1.476%, and the cumulative death toll was 12,965.

- There were 6 more cases of local cases with new mutant virus strains, 1 case of XBB and 1 case of XBB1.5, 3 cases of BQ.1.1, and 1 case of BF.7.

epidemic.

1.17｜High-speed rail tickets increased to 20,000 per day Li Jiachao hopes to cancel the mask order within this year

The immediate effective reproduction rate of local cases compiled by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong has dropped to 0.65, and the daily confirmed cases continue to fall.

(Photo from HKU Faculty of Medicine)

Customs clearance｜Five pictures of the customs lazy bag teach you to fill in the mainland health declaration nationality area to search for "中"

[23:25] Hong Kong and the mainland have already cleared customs on January 8. Hong Kong people who have traveled to the mainland and returned to Hong Kong must not only hold a 48-hour negative nucleic acid certificate, but also have to fill in the mainland's "entry health declaration" on WeChat in advance.

Hong Kong Customs launched a lazy package on Facebook today (18th) to teach citizens to fill in the form. They must search for "Customs Passenger Fingertip Service" on WeChat and follow its instructions to fill in the information. After obtaining a valid QR code, they can take a screenshot during customs clearance For inspection.

▼January 8 Sunset Mazhou/Futian Port Customs Clearance ▼▼ Customs Clearance Lazy Package Teaching Filling Out Mainland Health Declaration▼

Year of the Rabbit｜HKTB Sets up New Year’s Eve Attractions to Visit Admiralty Flowers and Wanchai Rainbow Trail from Thursday

【20:38】The Year of the Rabbit is approaching, and the Tourism Board has launched the "Rabbit Leaping in Hong Kong to Welcome the Chinese New Year" event. From tomorrow (19th) to the Lunar New Year's Lantern Festival (February 5th), four locations along the waterfront will There is a new interactive attraction for celebrating the New Year, and a limited edition "A Symphony of Lights" with added light and shadow effects will be staged on both sides of the Victoria Harbor at 8:00 every night, and a number of Victoria Harbor tour discounts will be launched.

The HKTB held the opening ceremony at Tamar Park in Admiralty today. The officiated Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Yang Runxiong, said that the Lunar New Year is a good opportunity to show tourists the diverse charm of Hong Kong, which combines East and West, as well as different tourist attractions in Hong Kong. Learn about local culture through various travel experiences, and witness that Hong Kong has returned to normal.

▼On January 18, the opening ceremony of the "Rabbit Leaping in Hong Kong to Welcome Chinese New Year" by the HKTB▼

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The Cathay Pacific flight attendant union will work according to the rules from Thursday to send a video to members explaining Cathay Pacific: Operation as usual

[18:46] Cathay Pacific’s flight attendant union has repeatedly expressed appeals to Cathay Pacific for improving staffing arrangements, remuneration, etc., but both parties have not reached a consensus. (18th) A video was posted on the social platform to explain to members how to work according to the rules, including that employees should perform the work according to the operation manual, and make sure that they are 100% suitable for work before going to work. work etc.

In its response, Cathay Pacific assured customers that flight services will continue to operate as usual, adding that it has been communicating directly with cabin crew.

With regard to the arrangement of the schedule, Cathay Pacific stated that the duty schedule in January has been resolved in due course, and the adjustments made will continue to take effect until February and subsequent months.

▼On January 17, there was a long queue at the MacPherson Testing Station in Mong Kok▼

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▼On January 17, more than 100 people lined up at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall Testing Station▼

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▼On January 17, citizens went to Mongkok Flower Market to buy New Year flowers in the morning▼

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Nucleic Acid Testing Center｜Mongkok Renlong continues. Citizens hope to catch up and get the report and return home to visit relatives at the end of the year

[18:37] Many citizens took advantage of the Lunar New Year to visit relatives in the Mainland. There have been crowds of people coming to the community testing centers in the morning and evening. The government has already called on citizens to make appointments, but many citizens still line up for testing.

Some citizens took their sons back home to visit relatives, and some citizens hoped to "return to the mainland without making appointments" after the New Year.

Epidemic | 3793 more confirmed cases, 56 more deaths and one local XBB.1.5 case discovered

[17:25] The new crown pneumonia epidemic continued to decline, and the number of cases remained at 3,000 for the second consecutive day. Today (18th) there were 3,793 new confirmed cases in Hong Kong, including 109 imported cases.

Another local case was found to carry the new mutant virus strain XBB.1.5, bringing the total number of cases to 4.

Although the number of confirmed cases has dropped sharply in recent days, the number of deaths has not decreased significantly. Today, 56 people died, and the cumulative number of deaths was 12,965. The single-day mortality rate rose to 1.476%.

Customs Clearance｜Children aged 3 and below will not be required to go northward from tomorrow for nucleic acid testing

[16:54] The government stated today (18th) that the test results of residential sewage in Tsuen Wan and Wong Tai Sin districts were positive and the virus load was relatively high, indicating that there may be hidden patients in the premises in this area, and the authorities will report to the relevant districts Residents, cleaners, and property management staff distributed about 40,000 quick test kits.

▼The place where the sewage test was positive on January 18▼

[16:04] The government announced today (18th) that after communicating with relevant mainland authorities, starting tomorrow (19th), children aged three and under entering the mainland from Hong Kong will not be required to present a new crown certificate taken within 48 hours before the trip. Negative result of nucleic acid test.

Cross-border students｜Education Bureau strives for the fastest 2.1 to go to school in Hong Kong Cai Ruolian is optimistic about the rapid test of nucleic acid

[15:05] Cai Ruolian, the director of the Education Bureau, said that the bureau is trying to allow cross-border students to resume classes in Hong Kong without reservation quotas on the 1st of next month at the earliest, and is currently considering the testing arrangements for cross-border students coming to Hong Kong. She is optimistic about replacing nucleic acid testing with rapid testing.

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High-speed rail resumed | Two-way tickets increased to 20,000 today

[14:46] The resumption of the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail has entered the fourth day, and the number of two-way tickets has increased for two consecutive days. Today (18th) is the first day of increasing to 20,000 tickets, which is also double the number of tickets that can be sold on the first day of operation. .

A large number of citizens continued to line up to buy tickets at the West Kowloon High Speed ​​Rail Station this morning, most of them came because of extra tickets.

Some citizens want to go back to their hometown to visit relatives, but they have never been able to buy tickets online. The high-speed rail station has been crowded with passengers for the past few days and they dare not come. If you want to go back to the mainland for business, you don't hesitate to queue for 1.5 hours to buy a ticket.

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Nucleic Acid Testing Center｜Lunar New Year will operate as usual for the next three days with a daily capacity of 90,000 people to advance appointments

[13:16] The year is approaching the end of the year. Since the customs clearance, a large number of citizens have registered at famous ports or taken the high-speed rail to return to the mainland. The demand is strong, and there have been long queues at the testing stations recently.

The government reminded the public today (18th) that more than 80 community testing centers and testing stations in various districts in Hong Kong will operate as usual during the Lunar New Year period, and the service hours will remain unchanged, so as to facilitate the testing of citizens who need testing, including those who plan to go to the Mainland. person.

The government stated that the current reservation quota is very sufficient. As of 12:00 noon today, there will still be an average of more than 90,000 reservation quotas per day for the next three days, with a total of at least 270,000 quotas.

Nucleic acid testing center｜Mongkok, Tsuen Wan and other testing stations have long queues, and the contractor says most of the appointments are full

[09:56] The customs clearance between Hong Kong and the Mainland has driven the emergence of nucleic acid testing centers. As many citizens rushed north to return to their hometowns to visit relatives and celebrate the New Year before the Lunar New Year, many community testing stations such as MacPherson in Mong Kok and Tsuen Wan Town Hall have long queues. .

Zhao Yantao, the founder of the government testing contractor Xiangda Biotechnology, pointed out that most of the nucleic acid testing stations in his charge are full of appointments. Even if you make an appointment, you have to wait for 15 to 30 minutes on site. to 2 hours.

He also pointed out that many citizens were not clear about the whole testing arrangement, and as a result, many questions needed to be answered by the staff present, which increased the waiting time in line.

The mask order is rumored to be withdrawn from March to April, and the quarantine order will be canceled after the Spring Festival. Liang Zichao: stop testing step by step

[09:32] Chief Executive Lee Ka-chao said that he hopes to withdraw the mask order within this year, and "solve all problems" in the first quarter of this year. The latest news is that the government plans to cancel the mandatory quarantine of confirmed cases as soon as after the Lunar New Year. From March to April The mask order will be revoked after the end of January and winter.

Dr. Liang Zichao, a specialist in respiratory system, believes that epidemic prevention and control should be carried out step by step. At present, institutions and schools still need to be tested. Therefore, we should wait for the relevant measures to be relaxed before canceling the compulsory isolation of confirmed cases.

Regarding the mask order, Liang Zichao believes that the abolition of the mask order will aggravate the flu situation, and it will not be relaxed until the end of March.

Peng Hongchang, director of the Association of Community Organizations, believes that if there are still confirmed cases, there will be a large demand for designated clinics and telediagnosis services, and general subject consultations may not be enough to meet them, and it may affect other service users. Therefore, the designated clinics or telediagnosis services will continue more suitable.

▼On January 9, Lu Chongmao visited the Community Testing Center of To Kwa Wan Sports Center▼

Drug rush｜Zhuo Yongxing said that he has taken stock of the available tools to deal with the failure of self-discipline and does not rule out legislative solutions

[08:57] In response to the tide of drug rush, the Hong Kong government earlier proposed that the reasonable amount of drugs containing "paracetamol" for retail sale should not exceed 60 tablets or 300ml of liquid medicine per person.

Zhuo Yongxing, deputy secretary for civil affairs, wrote in a newspaper today (18th) that the recent wave of drug snatching has aroused public concern. Strict deployment starts with self-regulatory restrictions on the quantity of specific drugs sold, hoping that the problem can be resolved through the self-regulation of the pharmacy industry, but he pointed out that if self-regulation fails, the government does not rule out legislative means to solve the problem.

Zhuo Yongxing, Deputy Secretary for Administration, wrote in a newspaper article on January 18 that the interdepartmental meeting of the government has taken stock of the available tools to deal with the drug rush. First of all, it is hoped that the problem can be solved through the self-regulation of the pharmacy industry. However, if self-regulation fails, the government does not rule out taking Legislative means to solve the problem.

(File photo/Photo by Zhang Haowei)

Cruise Travel｜Silver Spirit is the first cruise ship to arrive in Hong Kong in three years, and the passenger deck cheers

[08:08] After three years of the epidemic, with the relaxation of entry epidemic prevention measures, the first international cruise ship finally arrived in Hong Kong.

The "Silver Spirit" of the Royal Caribbean Group's Silversea Cruises entered Victoria Harbor at about 7:00 this morning (18th) via Lei Yue Mun. The fire boat sprayed water to welcome it. The "Silver Spirit" then docked at the Tsim Sha Tsui Ocean Terminal. As seen at the scene, before the cruise ship berthed, the passengers had already waved to the shore and cheered excitedly on the upper deck.

Yang Runxiong, Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Shen Fengjun, Commissioner of Tourism, and Peng Yaojia, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, distributed souvenirs to the cruise passengers arriving in Hong Kong.

The "Silver Spirit" departed from Singapore on January 5, passing through Koh Samui, Ho Chi Minh City and other places. After mooring at the Tsim Sha Tsui Ocean Terminal for one night today, the cruise will set sail for Singapore again tomorrow (19th). Pass through Da Nang and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

▼On January 18, 2023, the "Silver Spirit" entered Victoria Harbor and docked at Tsim Sha Tsui Ocean Terminal▼

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▼On January 17, the police implemented traffic control at Flower Market in Mong Kok▼

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▼On January 17, there was a long queue at the Tsuen Wan Park Testing Station▼

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The two-month-old baby was rejected for testing

[07:00] Hong Kong and the mainland implemented the first phase of quarantine-free customs clearance last Sunday (8th), but all people who want to enter the mainland must have a 48-hour negative nucleic acid test result.

"Hong Kong 01" received complaints from citizens that they were rejected when they brought their 2-month-old children to community testing centers and clinics for testing, saying that the young children were too young to be tested.

A person in charge of a testing contractor said that at present, the bureau does not have any guidelines for testing young children. He bluntly said that "it is impossible for a two-month-old family to do it." Usually, they will be referred to private hospitals and private laboratories.

The Medical and Health Bureau replied to the inquiry and reiterated that other people, including children under the age of three, can have swab samples collected by professionals at community testing stations for testing. Professional medical staff will assess whether individual people are suitable for swab sampling to Ensure sampling procedures are performed under safe conditions.

▼On January 17, the number of high-speed rail tickets increased to 14,000 to attract passengers to buy▼

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▼On January 17, high-speed rail gates will use face recognition▼

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▼On January 16, the Victoria Park New Year’s Eve Flower Market set up a "Red Luck Dangtou" archway▼

Nucleic Acid Testing Center｜Citizens rushed to collect reports and more than 100 people at the testing station went north at the end of the year to wait for self-funded testing for high-speed rail resumption｜Two-way tickets will be increased to 20,000 from Wednesday Diarrhea after oysters and fever twice Rolling rice Bureau Au Jiahong: The matter came to an end Received Evergrande Li Deputy Director: I did not violate the regulations 9 housing estates such as Laijing Cuiyao Court, Niu Chi Wan Xiaohui Garden, etc. Positive sewage The government urges 35,000 people to hurry Epidemic testing in Hong Kong｜3,843 confirmed cases hit a three-month low in Sha Tin women infected with XBB1.5 virus strain The Federation of Social Sciences Research reveals that under the epidemic situation, it is difficult for people with low education to find a job and then their income falls by 7.7%. Advocate a special allowance of 3,000 yuan per month to attract talents to join the high-speed rail re-opening｜Two-way tickets increased by 4,000 Citizens: add more flights and fasten them so that some people take the opportunity to change their tickets influences