🌊 Sewage-demic
Good morning.
I just had some homemade HK style chicken pot (港式雞煲) and New Year pudding (年糕) and it was delectable. I’m digesting as I write High Tide and will probably still be digesting once Tide is out because I am stuffed.
If you subscribe to us with a paying monthly or annual subscription you get a meme of mouldy rice (any compliments or complaints on this bit please forward to Cyril Ma at cm@harbourtimes.com, not me). What could this possibly be all about? Find out today behind the paywall.
— Jasmine Lee and Cyril Ma
PS Get two free months of paid Tide so you can see that awful rice post you’ll want to send to all your rice pals right now.
On Today’s Tide:
Government | Zero COVID strategy pessimists won’t get arrested, despite what Junius Ho says.
COVID-19 | COVID found in waste water.
Border Patrol | Customs annual report highlights.
Events | #Gtopia
COVID-19 cont. | Restriction loosening, sort of.
Bonus | Literally a thing about mouldy rice.
Junius Ho vs The Gov (again)
But this time with more COVID memes
Yesterday’s High Tide reported the claim lawmaker Junius Ho made that any attempts to ‘live with the virus […] breach national defense and disrupt the order of the society”. This is the same Junius Ho who accused the government of “illegally detaining” him in Penny’s Bay quarantine centre after he attended Witman Hung’s big birthday bash.
The government is really, really committed to their “zero infection” goal for COVID-19 in our third year of the pandemic, calling it the “most effective way to fight against the epidemic and protect public safety”. But is it against the national security law to question this strategy? According to a government press release from yesterday, “making general remarks and discussion is not illegal”. It didn’t exactly clarify whether Junius Ho could personally lock you up for attempting to live with the virus but if you decide to test the waters let us know.
There must be something COVID in the sewage
Coronavirus in Hong Kong
New cases: 81
Unlinked cases: 15
Active cases: 1,239
Total cases: 14,024
Residential buildings in To Kwa Wan and Kwai Chung have been put under mandatory overnight lockdowns. The Kwai Chung lockdown was triggered by the finding of COVID positive sewage samples.
Highlights from the Hong Kong Customs annual review 2021
These are some key points from the government’s press release on the annual review. HT’s extended summary to come.
Of the 8,323 cases that were detected by customs, 5,143 people were arrested. Arrests went up 26% compared to 2020.
Seizure value went up by 73% to $6.27 billion, with half of the cases concerning illegal cigarettes.
A notable number of other cases involved dangerous drugs and intellectual property rights protection.
Looking to the future, customs in HK plan to install smart systems equipment to enhance clearance processes in line with the “Smart Customs Blueprint”.
Events / Exhibitions etc
We want to make sure that what we advertise is interesting for our readers, so if you go to an event that you saw here, let us know by taking a selfie and tagging us on Twitter or Instagram ( both @harbourtimes ).
We’ll throw in a free month of Paid High Tide for yourself or a friend!
#GTopia: Game Kitchen - Hong Kong Masters of Kung Fu
The Goethe-Institut along with Current Plans, an Art Space in Sham Shui Po, is hosting a year long series of indie video game events celebrating local tech and creative talent.
Their grand opening was a few days ago, but if you missed it, their first showcase ‘Games for and by Working Heros in Hong Kong’ starts on Thursday 3 February featuring works by mobile game developer Wong Yue Fai.
When: from 3 February
Where: Current Plans. 3/F, Tak On House, 13 Wong Chuk Street, Sham Shui Po
Find out more about the whole Game Kitchen project here.
Want your events on Tide as well? Let us know!
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