The Department of Health added 196 confirmed cases of nucleic acid testing today (16th). Since January 30 this year, the cumulative number of positive nucleic acid tests in laboratories has reached 5,695; 2 new deaths related to the new crown virus have been added today. Since January 30 this year, there have been 100 related deaths.
The new crown virus epidemic in Hong Kong is expected to come to an end. It is expected that students will not need to take a quick test before going to school every day from next month, and the remaining mask orders may soon be partially lifted.
▼Overview of the epidemic report in the past week▼
epidemic.
Overview｜In the first two weeks after the withdrawal of the quarantine order, 4919 nucleic acid positive 87 people were infected and died
▼Clear on February 17th.
Epidemic Report▼
[16:00] The government announced earlier the transitional arrangements for voluntary admission of positive individuals to community isolation facilities, and reminded the public today that the transitional arrangements will be maintained until February 28 for Hong Kong residents. You can stay up to seven days, and the last date to apply for occupancy is February 21.
The above arrangement also applies to respite centers managed by the Social Welfare Department that provide services for residents of residential care homes who test positive.
With the end of the transitional arrangement, the Center for Health Protection of the Department of Health once again reminded the public who tested positive to take various health measures to prevent respiratory diseases, including paying attention to personal hygiene and minimizing contact with people who live with them without wearing a mask. And open the windows as much as possible to maintain air circulation in the unit and clean and disinfect the home environment daily.
Heung Yuen Wai Port car park reservation system reopened in the early hours of the morning and the web page still shows "insufficient parking spaces"
[00:10] Heung Yuen Wai/Liantang Port opened passenger inspection services on February 6, and there is a public parking lot. However, a suspected error in the parking lot reservation system caused overbooking. There was chaos in the venue, and the Government Property Agency temporarily suspended the reservation system.
A few days ago, the department pointed out that starting from Friday (17th), the reservation system will resume operation, and the parking lot will only be used for reserved vehicles.
However, when the reporter reserved a parking space in the wee hours of the morning, no matter which day or time period he filled in, the words "insufficient parking spaces" would still be displayed on the webpage, and the parking space reservation failed.
HKTDC organizes Jewelery Fair in early March Over 2,300 companies participate in the exhibition Foreign chambers of commerce return to Hong Kong
[00:12] The epidemic has been raging for three years, and Hong Kong is finally returning to normal.
The Trade Development Council announced on Thursday (16th) that it will hold a jewelry exhibition at the exhibition in early March. A total of more than 2,300 companies will participate in the exhibition, and a total of 100 buyer groups will be organized to purchase in Hong Kong.
The bureau believes that with the withdrawal of epidemic prevention measures, the business exchanges between Hong Kong and the world can be accelerated, and the convention and exhibition industry and international business will directly benefit.
▼Clear on February 16th.
Epidemic Report▼
Epidemic｜The rate of BN.1.3 mutated virus strains has risen and recorded 136 serious cases and deaths in the past week
[19:58] The Center for Health Protection of the Department of Health announced today (16th) the second phase of the COVID-19 and Influenza Express. According to the latest monitoring data, the local level of COVID-19 activity has remained stable in the past week, with a total of 136 severe cases of COVID-19 recorded And the death cases whose cause of death was preliminarily assessed to be related to the new coronary pneumonia decreased slightly from 183 last week.
In addition, the Center for Health Protection first discovered last week that BN.1.3 and CH.1.1 virus strains are still circulating in Hong Kong, and the rate of the former has risen to 5.8% of the overall cases.
3,000 mainland business groups arrive in Hong Kong. Hong Kong travel industry is short of people. Tour itinerary has to be cancelled. Employees express disappointment
[18:54] Hong Kong and the mainland have fully cleared the customs a few days ago. A mainland business delegation with about 3,000 people, including employees and investors, visited Hong Kong today (16th) and participated in a forum at the AsiaWorld-Expo.
It is reported that the visiting group originally planned to arrange for the staff to travel in Hong Kong, but it was canceled in the end, and only artists were arranged to attend the forum.
The accompanying staff need to decide whether to stay in Hong Kong and play at their own expense.
Some employees said that they were disappointed by the cancellation of the trip and had to travel at their own expense, but they were excited to travel to Hong Kong after the epidemic and hoped to taste delicious food in Hong Kong.
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[16:46] The Department of Health added 196 new confirmed cases of nucleic acid testing today (16th). Since January 30 this year, the cumulative number of positive nucleic acid testing cases in laboratories is 5,695; 2 new cases today are related to the new coronavirus Since January 30 this year, there have been 100 related deaths.
Comprehensive customs clearance | 3,000 domestic enterprise groups to Hong Kong today The tourism industry pointed out that the reception capacity has not been responded to, and the activities are only simple
[11:15] Hong Kong and the mainland have fully cleared customs for more than a week. A mainland enterprise group with about 3,000 people, including employees and investors, visited Hong Kong today (16th). Cui Dingbang, director-general of the Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Association, said on a radio program this morning , the domestic company decided to hold the annual meeting in Hong Kong immediately after customs clearance, which is a vote of confidence in Hong Kong. However, due to the short preparation time, the company and the travel agency responsible for the operation decided to hold related activities in a simple way, and participated in this visit to Hong Kong Most of them are senior executives or businessmen, and the care of the "tour group" may not be the focus of this event.
Referring to the reception capacity of the industry, Cui Dingbang believes that travel agencies and bus companies have "run out of bullets" in the past three years. During the resumption stage, they have to pay a large maintenance fee to make it difficult for tourist buses to return to service. The Hong Kong Tourism Federation The chairman of the association, Liang Fangyuan, pointed out in another radio program that 90% of tour guides have changed careers due to the epidemic. At present, there is a serious shortage of tour guides. He hopes that the government will provide subsidies for the industry to attract old people to return to the tourism industry.
▼On February 11th, the queues of people in the tunnel reappeared outside famous stores on Canton Road▼
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Hong Kong Customs held the "Sixth Annual Meeting of the Three Kingdoms and Five Places" for the first time after the epidemic
[00:34] Hong Kong Customs held the "Sixth Three Kingdoms and Five Places Annual Conference" at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center today (15th).
The members of the "Three Countries and Five Places Team" include the Anti-smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of Customs, the Law Enforcement Division of the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection, the Australian Federal Police, Hong Kong Customs, Macau Customs and New Zealand Customs.
▼Clear on February 15th.
Epidemic Report▼
Travel to Japan｜150,000 Hong Kong people visited Japan in January, returning to 2019 level, ten tourists and one Hong Kong resident
【22:41】Many Hong Kong people love to travel to Japan. With Japan and Hong Kong opening and closing, more and more Hong Kong people are "returning to the countryside".
The Japanese Government Tourism Bureau announced today (15th) the tourist statistics for January this year, which increased from only 71 in the same period last year to 151,900, an increase of 2,139 times. In addition to returning to the level of 2019, the increase rate is also much higher than that of other countries. The number of tourists accounted for one-tenth of the overall arrivals of 1,497,300.
Customs clearance｜500,000 tourists visited Hong Kong in January, 10% before the epidemic
[17:35] With the withdrawal of nucleic acid testing for arriving passengers at the end of last year and the gradual customs clearance of China and Hong Kong last month, the Tourism Board announced today (15th) that there were approximately 500,000 initial visitors to Hong Kong in January this year, which was the highest number in December last year. Compared with before the epidemic, that is, the average daily passenger number in 2019 has recovered by about 10%.
The largest number of tourists visiting Hong Kong were from the Mainland, with about 280,000, or 56% of the total.
The "Hello Hong Kong (Hello, Hong Kong)" large-scale global promotional campaign launched by the Hong Kong government at the beginning of the month officially launched. It can be used directly at more than 1,500 shops starting today, with no minimum spending limit.
[17:07] The Department of Health added 216 new confirmed cases of nucleic acid testing today (15th). Since January 30 this year, the cumulative number of positive nucleic acid testing cases in laboratories is 5,499; 4 new cases today are related to the new coronavirus Since January 30 this year, there have been 98 related deaths.
Heung Yuen Wai Port parking lot starts from 2.17 and only accepts reservations. Overtime rent is $75 and is more expensive than parking IFC
[16:21] After inspecting the parking situation of the public car park at the Heung Yuen Wai Border Control Point, the Government Property Agency decided to implement optimization measures to ensure the smooth operation of the car park, including:
(1) Starting from February 17th, public car parks at control points will only accept vehicles that have been reserved online, and vehicles without reservations will no longer be accepted.
The appointment system will resume operation at 00:01 on February 17.
(2) In order to reduce the situation of vehicles parked beyond their reserved time, parking charges including extra parking charges (that is, the actual departure time is later than the reserved departure time) will be adjusted.
The new fees will come into effect on February 24.
The government has adjusted the parking lot charges at the Xiang Yuen Wai Port, and the overtime charge will be increased by 5 times, which will take effect on February 24, 2023.
(Government Information Service)
▼On February 12th, the public parking lot of Xiangyuanwei Port was full▼
2,800 people diagnosed in general outpatient clinics were diagnosed with persistent cough, dyspnea or fatigue
[12:00] The new crown pneumonia epidemic has lasted for three years, and more than 2.8 million people in Hong Kong have been infected.
Acting Director of the Medical Services and Health Bureau, Dr. Li Xiayin, responded in writing today (15th) to questions from members of the Legislative Council. According to the provisional figures of the Hospital Authority, from August 15 last year to February 6 this year, 2,800 general outpatients were diagnosed. There is a long-term new crown, mainly persistent cough, dyspnea and fatigue, and the relevant figures of private medical institutions are not available.
Taiwan Free Travel｜It is expected to help the recovery of flights: speculation is booming and returning to this city, but the current capacity is only 20% before the epidemic
[09:37] The Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council announced that it will resume processing applications from Hong Kong and Macau residents to travel to Taiwan on February 20.
Yuan Zhenning, the executive director of Zongyou, said on the radio program this morning (15th) that he welcomes the arrangement and believes that it will help the airline to increase flights and destinations faster. The passenger transport capacity is only about 20% before the epidemic, and the fares are expensive and there are few destinations, which still restrict the market and have no major impact on the business of travel agencies for the time being.
News: The Hospital Authority plans to import 1,600 patient service assistants in the Greater Bay Area. Bureau: Recruitment through different channels
[07:00] There is a shortage of manpower in different industries in Hong Kong, which even affects people's livelihood.
It is understood that the Hospital Authority is planning to introduce foreign workers to engage in non-medical professional work. The task force within the bureau will gradually apply to the Labor Department in the future. The goal is to import 1,600 people in the Greater Bay Area to work in public hospitals as patient service assistants.
The spokesperson of the Hospital Authority did not directly respond to whether it plans to import foreign workers, saying that it is very concerned about the manpower situation of public hospitals, and "understands the overall shortage of manpower in the medical industry in Hong Kong, and is trying to strengthen recruitment through various channels."
▼Report on the epidemic situation on February 14▼
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Pentahotel Kowloon puts up a notice to close down with honor and provides free accommodation for frontline medical staff in the early stage of the epidemic
[22:06] Pentahotel San Po Kong Kowloon, a subsidiary of New World Development, was acquired by Wang On Real Estate in partnership with US private equity fund Angelo Gordon (AG) for HK$2 billion at the end of last year.
The hotel recently put up a notice outside the building, stating that "Pentahotel Kowloon, Hong Kong is closed down with honor". The reporter called the hotel to inquire and no one answered, and the official website of pentahotel only has the column of pentahotel Tuen Mun.
[19:00] The Department of Health announced the number of 197 new laboratory positive nucleic acid tests. Since the cancellation of the quarantine order for confirmed cases on January 30, a total of 5,283 cases have been recorded; 3 new deaths related to the 2019 coronavirus disease Cases, since January 30, a total of 94 people have been infected and died.
Free travel in Taiwan｜The asking price of air tickets next weekend is $2297, the industry expects the demand to exceed the supply: the seats will be sold out
[18:51] The epidemic has been raging for three years. As the world returns to normal, after Taiwan switched off on October 13 last year, the authorities announced today (14th) that Hong Kong people will be allowed to travel freely to Taiwan next Monday (20th). You can apply for a Taiwan Entry Permit online.
Searching the Internet for round-trip air tickets for the first weekend after the opening of Taiwan to Hong Kong people, including taxes and other expenses, the cheapest price is 2,297 yuan, which is nearly double the price before the epidemic.
Some travel agencies estimate that due to the unstable air routes in Japan, some tourists will transfer to Taiwan. However, the routes between Hong Kong and Taiwan currently only have about 20% of the capacity.
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Free travel in Taiwan｜2.20 EVA Air will reopen on 2.20 and increase the number of flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan to 5 flights a day from the end of March
[13:08] The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan announced that starting next Monday (20th), it will resume processing applications for Hong Kong and Macau residents to travel to Taiwan independently, which means that Hong Kong people can finally travel freely to Taiwan.
EVA Air immediately announced that it currently provides three Hong Kong-Taipei round-trip flights per day. In response to market demand, it plans to gradually increase the number of flights to a maximum of five flights per day starting from the end of March.
Valentine's Day｜Husband presents roses to his wife to show his love "Mr. Hao Hao" Flower Market buys flowers on behalf of friends and sends them to his partner
[12:55] Today (14th) is Valentine's Day, and it is also the first Valentine's Day after the epidemic has eased and most of the anti-epidemic measures have been taken.
At the flower market in Mong Kok this morning, some citizens rushed to buy flowers for the last time. A couple arrived on a date and picked a bouquet of red roses together. "Sir" not only came to buy flowers for his wife, but also bought an extra bouquet for his friend, so that the friend also had flowers to give to his other half.
▼Flower Market in Mong Kok on February 14th, some citizens made a final sprint to buy flowers for their lovers▼
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[11:56] Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, Hong Kong people have not been able to travel freely in Taiwan. Today, there is finally good news. Liang Wenjie, vice chairman of the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council, said at a press conference today (14th) that he will travel to Taiwan next Monday. (20th) From 9:00 a.m., Hong Kong and Macau residents will be allowed to travel independently to Taiwan. At the same time, Hong Kong residents can apply for Taiwan entry permits online.
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Valentine's Day ｜ 248 couples who have known each other for 7 years and made a lifelong promise: I love you
[11:54] 2.14 Valentine's Day has always been the peak period for marriage registration. With the return to normal in Hong Kong, a total of 248 new couples have registered for marriage today, a new high since the epidemic.
The newlyweds, who have known each other for more than seven years, have walked together from their school days to today, and they finally walked into the marriage hall hand in hand.
They think that in the future, Valentine's Day plus wedding anniversary will have a double meaning: "I want to tell him that I love you."
Taiwan free travel.
Taiwan Entry Permit｜2.20 re-opening of online visa application methods and instructions
[11:00] Considering the slowdown of the epidemic and the orderly return to normal, the Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan announced today (14th) that from 9:00 am on February 20, people from Hong Kong and Macau will resume free travel in Taiwan. People from Hong Kong and Macau can travel online Please sign the entry permit.
In addition, since visas from Hong Kong and Macau have already been issued, the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Communications has approved the travel industry to apply for a "group" application for sightseeing in Taiwan on its behalf, and the normal application will be returned.
▼Full customs clearance on February 13th.
Epidemic Report▼
Taiwan media: Taiwan intends to allow people from Hong Kong and Macau to travel freely to Taiwan on February 20
[21:24] "United Daily News" reported that starting next Monday (20th), Taiwan will first allow people from Hong Kong and Macau to travel freely to Taiwan.
According to reports, the MAC has notified that it will hold a press conference on "Opening up Hong Kong and Macau residents to travel freely in Taiwan" tomorrow (14th).
As for the opening up of mainlanders to Taiwan for sightseeing, there is still no final decision.
Valentine's Day ｜ 248 new couples registered for marriage in the past 3 years, the most anti-epidemic measures have been loosened, double spring and leap month
[21:00] Tomorrow, February 14, Valentine's Day, coincides with this year's double spring and leap month, which is a good year for marriage.
Tomorrow will be the first Valentine's Day after most of the anti-epidemic measures are lifted. According to figures from the Immigration Department, 248 couples have submitted their marriage notices and plan to register for marriage tomorrow, more than double the 124 couples last year. It is also the year when the most people registered to get married on Valentine's Day since the outbreak of the epidemic in 2020.
[17:30] The Department of Health announced 167 new laboratory positive nucleic acid tests. Since the cancellation of the quarantine order for confirmed cases on January 30, a total of 5,086 cases have been recorded; 4 additional deaths related to the 2019 coronavirus disease Cases, since January 30, a total of 91 people have been infected and died.
[15:50] The tourism industry has gradually returned to normal after the epidemic has been raging for three years. Vietjet Airlines has resumed the original direct flight between Hong Kong and Vietnam today (13th), with two flights a week to Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnam has currently canceled the entry control related to the new crown pneumonia. From now until December 25 this year, passengers can enjoy a 20% discount when booking air tickets on Mondays by entering the promotion code "HELLOVIETNAM".
Flight restrictions in Japan｜Cathay Pacific canceled multiple flights in Tokyo and Osaka in February and March. HK Express will cancel some flights in Japan, involving flights to and from Tokyo and Okinawa from 3.3 to 3.30.
[13:25] After Hong Kong Express (HK Express) announced the cancellation of some flights to Japan in February and March, Cathay Pacific Airways (30th) also pointed out that because the Japanese authorities continued to restrict the airline’s operation of flights from Hong Kong to Japan, At present, only 72 flights can be operated to Japan per week, which is 13 to 15 flights less than the originally approved flights. Some flights will be canceled from February 3 to March 30, involving Hong Kong to Tokyo Narita, Nagoya, Osaka , Fukuoka flights.
Among them, from March 3 to 30, there were 58 flights from Hong Kong to Japan, and 54 flights from Japan to Hong Kong, including flights to Tokyo, Nagoya and Fukuoka.
[13:06] HK Express (Hong Kong Express) announced this afternoon (13th) that due to the Japanese authorities continuing to restrict airlines from operating flights from Hong Kong to Japan, some flights to and from Japan will be canceled from March 3 to 30. There are 20 to 22 fewer flights per week than originally planned, including flights from Hong Kong to Okinawa Airport, Fukuoka Airport, Osaka-Kansai Airport, Tokyo-Haneda Airport, and Tokyo-Narita Airport.
Affected passengers will be notified by email and SMS and can be arranged to change the departure date/time or receive a full refund.
Comprehensive Customs Clearance｜More than 310,000 people visited Hong Kong in the past week, accounting for 70% of mainland tourists, the most people took high-speed rail
[13:04] China and Hong Kong will complete customs clearance on the 6th of this month, all ports will be opened and quarantine requirements will be cancelled.
In the past week, there were 317,000 inbound tourists, of which 235,000 were mainland tourists, and 74% were from mainland China. person-times.
From March 6th, the Hospital Authority will promote the electronic doctor's sick leave certificate through the HA GO app to replace the paper one in stages
[12:55] The Hospital Authority announced today (13th) that it will officially launch electronic medical certificates, namely "electronic sick leave certificates" on March 6. However, the traditional physical sick leave certificates will not be canceled for the time being, and will be implemented in stages replace.
The electronic version will be stored and distributed through "HA GO", and doctors will use electronic signatures with an encrypted QR code for easy verification.
▼On February 2, the government will hold the "Hello, Hong Kong!" launch ceremony to announce the free air tickets▼
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The car park at Heung Yuen Wai Port is full. Members say 400 parking spaces are not enough to build 2,000 temporary parking spaces.
[09:37] China and Hong Kong have fully cleared the customs, and the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Port is also in service. However, the parking lot at the Heung Yuen Wai Port is in short supply, and the online system is even "oversold". Last weekend, there were chaotic and long queues.
A member of the Legislative Council said today (13th) that only 400 parking spaces in the parking lot at the Heung Yuen Wai Port are not enough, and urged the construction of a temporary parking lot to provide at least 2,000 parking spaces.
▼Ocean Park welcomed the first point-to-point tour group on February 11▼
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[07:00] In the past two weeks, Hong Kong has significantly relaxed its epidemic prevention policies and entry-exit epidemic prevention policies. Among them, the isolation order for confirmed cases has been revoked from January 30, and patients with rapid test positives do not need to report; from February 6, Hong Kong and the mainland Comprehensive customs clearance, the 48-hour negative nucleic acid test requirement for entry and exit is cancelled, and no quota is set.
According to the information of the Immigration Department, a total of 262,153 inbound passengers entered the country during the first six days of comprehensive customs clearance (from February 6 to 11), of which 74%, or 193,638, were mainland tourists. Compared with the first six days of the previous week (January 31 to February 5 Japan) was about double the 92,817 people.
As for foreign tourists, there were 68,515 from February 6 to 11, 33% more than the 51,340 in the same period the previous week.
▼On February 11, the number of cargo-sweeping passengers and parallel importers in Sheung Shui increased▼
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▼On February 11th, the queues of people in the tunnel reappeared outside famous stores on Canton Road▼
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▼On February 9, the police, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Immigration Department and the MTR cracked down on the black spots of parallel imports in Sheung Shui▼
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▼Tin Shui Wai Shun Tak Fraternity Association Weng You Secondary School resumption of classes for cross-border students on February 8▼
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Investigating the epidemic｜Liang Zhihong agrees to review and disagrees with the investigation: It is wrong to always have people on the ground｜Students’ rapid test requirements will be maintained until the end of this month. Cai Ruolian pointed out that there is a chance to cancel the epidemic next month｜188 serious cases and deaths were recorded in the past week for the first time BN.1.3 And the CH.1.1 virus strain of the new crown epidemic has encountered operational difficulties. Zhongda Hospital has applied for a five-year extension of repayment, otherwise it will not be able to operate. Leung Ka-kit, chairman of the medical school without a committee: Any reflection is beneficial to comprehensive customs clearance｜Lu Chongmao: The first stage of customs clearance did not make the epidemic situation in Hong Kong worse, and the number of confirmed diagnoses dropped by 80%
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