The latest from HKFP on the battle against the coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong.
LATEST NEWS & VIEWS

Covid-19: Experts divided on tightening Hong Kong Vaccine Pass requirements
Top Hong Kong officials and advisors have rejected calls to relax the Covid-19 Vaccine Pass system, after University of Hong Kong (HKU) epidemiologists Ben Cowling and Theo Chan wrote in an op-ed that the vaccine mandate for listed premises should be dropped for the under 60s. From February 24, residents aged over 11 have been…

Why Hong Kong’s Vaccine Pass policy should be relaxed for the under 60s
By Ben Cowling and Theo Chan Stage three of the Vaccine Pass will start in Hong Kong on May 31, by which time all applicable individuals aged 12 or above (except those with a documented infection and in certain special groups) will need to have received at least two doses of Covid-19 vaccines and have…
HKFP COVID-19 GUIDES
COVID-19 FEATURES

‘What’s his name again?’: Hong Kong stages election, unbeknownst to families celebrating Mother’s Day
The sole contender in Hong Kong’s small-circle chief executive race, John Lee, was selected by 1,416 pro-establishment voters on Sunday, which also happened to be Mother’s Day and Buddha’s Birthday, a public holiday. As votes were cast on Sunday morning, a dim sum restaurant in Mong Kok was packed with families, some taking advantage of…

In Pictures: Hongkongers wait in hours-long queues to register for proof of overseas Covid jabs
By 9 a.m. on Friday, a queue of dozens of people had formed outside Wan Chai Post Office, one of Hong Kong’s 18 designated post offices that issue Covid-19 vaccination record QR codes for anyone who received their jabs overseas. Some brought portable chairs and books, in anticipation of a long wait. Geraldine, who was…

Testing times: An unwanted ‘summer break’ for students in Covid-hit Hong Kong
“I guess time does fly. I don’t mean ‘time flies when we’re having fun’.” University entry exams began on Friday in Covid-hit Hong Kong, as schools resumed in-person teaching following a 38-day early “summer break.” HKFP spoke to two students who were left feeling confused, lost and frustrated during months of strict social distancing rules.…

‘Treat us fairly’: Meet the domestic worker YouTuber raising awareness of helper rights
“You think you’re so great because you’re rich?”, “How much do you pay? …working 24 hours, but don’t even have holidays.” A video of a foreign domestic worker sarcastically reprimanding Hong Kong employers gained traction last month. But Contrinx, the Indonesian YouTuber who won’t reveal her name for safety reasons – doesn’t normally jeer as…
COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS

Foreign domestic workers: The unsung heroes of Hong Kong’s pandemic deserve our respect
Their identity as “foreign domestic worker” is so overriding that their roles as women, mothers, Hong Kong residents and employees are overlooked. This is the thought-provoking message I received during a recent panel discussion at the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) from a foreign domestic worker, speaking about the intersectional challenges they face as working women. …

Hong Kong’s one-man election: A spectacularly wasteful exhibition of conspicuous consumption
Sad story last week about a man who set out to rob a bank. He waved a gun-like object at the cashier, who emptied the till into a bag. Apparently this only amounted to HK$14,000; banks are just not a pile of cash waiting to be collected these days. Anyway the robber exited the bank.…

After Covid-19 ravaged Hong Kong’s residential care homes, reform of how we look after our elderly is needed
Hong Kong’s years-long Covid-19 crisis has left deep scars on our society, which call for a critical rethink of how we look after our most vulnerable citizens. The ravages of Covid during the fifth wave have taken the greatest toll on our elderly. As of April 9, the city’s death toll has risen to 8,705,…

As the rest of us are urged to stay home, Hong Kong officials continue visits, inspections as normal
Many local organisations have been seriously inconvenienced by the rules against public gatherings. Some people have been fined for breaches of the rules. Yet one organisation continues to organise events at which large numbers of people breathe the same air. I am not too concerned about whether all this is legal or not. Clearly if…