🌊Hong Kong's last sawmill sees its end

Unvaxxed mainlanders can come to HK

Sep 13

Good morning.

With all the the weather reports I’ve been doing on Tide the past two months, you’d think I’d be smart enough to ask some friends to check on my flat while I was in Birmingham.

But I was not and when I got back, the humidity had made all the walls crack….and some other unsightly things with fabrics.

Let you imagination run wild, I saw some things I can never unsee yesterday afternoon.

Global warming is real.

— Cyril

On Today’s Tide

Culture | Hong Kong’s last sawmill closes
COVID |
- Mainlanders can enter Hong Kong with vaccinations
- Stay in your hotel if you get COVID!
Weather | Hottest September since 1884
Events

Behind the paywall:

Politics | More election training after one CE voter gets 2 ballots
International | New fairer world order: China and Russia

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Hong Kong’s last sawmill sees its end

Chi Kee Sawmill and Timber in Kwu Tung, heung Shui closed yesterday to make way for the Northern Metropolis project.

They were first told in 2021 to close by the end of the year, but due to having large amounts of timber left, they were allowed to stay till 30 June 2022. This was again extended when they still had too much timber.

The government offered to help dispose of the materials, but director Wong Hung-Kuen said he wanted to work through the wood and turn it into furniture to be environmentall friendly. The government eventually allowed one final extension to….literally yesterday.

Over the past seven months, the sawmill also held workshops introducing young people to the craft.

In a short RTHK documentary, Wong said that many young people had come to learn from him and hopes that his work will inspire a new generation of carpenters. However, he lamented that the government doesn’t “respect the industry” and says there’s nothing he can do about that.

The sawmill, founded 75 years ago, was first based on Hong Kong Island but moved to Kwu Tung in the 1980s due to it being a rural area. Wong said the compensation given by the government pales in comparison to the roughly $20mil needed to set up a new saw mill and so there aren’t currently any plans to relocate.

Hong Kong SAR Government News @newsgovhk

The Govt announces it will add new clauses to contracts for the ninth cycle of the #DesignatedQuarantineHotel Scheme, while EAST Hong Kong joins the scheme's eighth cycle and will accept room bookings from Sept 15

news.gov.hkQuarantine hotel plan revisedThe Government announces it will add new clauses to contracts for the ninth cycle of the Designated Quarantine Hotel Scheme, while EAST Hong Kong joins the scheme’s eighth cycle and will accept room bookings from September 15.

COVID-19 in Hong Kong

New cases: 7218 (151 imported)
Total cases: 1,667,130
New deaths: 10
Total deaths: 9,820
Compulsory Testing locations:

No vax? No problem! (Mainlanders only)

CE John Lee was made to defend a policy that allows visitors from the Mainland or Macau to visit Hong Kong without quarantine or vaccination.

The policy, which has actually been in place since 5 May, allows visitors to get a ‘provisional pass’, valid for 180 days, during which they are treated as fully vaccinated and given a blue QR code on their LeaveHomeSafe.

However, in order to get a proper vax pass, the individuals must get up to 3 jabs within the 180 days.

Aaron Busch @tripperhead

Q (NowTV): There are online reports that people from the mainland have been entering Hong Kong unvaccinated. John Lee: This has been government policy for a long time. The mainland has the lowest COVID-19 infection risk on Earth. No imported cases from the mainland.

The point of contention is that Mainland and Macanese travellers do not have to show any vaccinations, and are not subject to quarantine as long as their paperwork (Come2HK, Return2HK etc.) are in line.

Meanwhile international travellers are required to have at least two shots (if their country does not offer a third) and be quarantined upon arrival.

John Lee said that this is because the mainland has one of the lowest COVID case rates in the world, and therefore there is no need to be worried about unvaccinated mainland visitors.

Stay in your hotel if you get COVID!

From 1 Nov, when the 9th cycle of quarantine hotels comes through, you’ll be able to stay in your hotel if you get caught with the virus during your three days of quarantine.

Currently, anyone found infected is transferred to a community isolation facility including….other hotels.

You will, however, need to pay out of pocket and might be moved to another floor where positive cases hang out.

Hottest September on record

In just two weeks, September 2022 has broken the record for hottest September twice.

Yesterday’s temperature of 35.4 degrees narrowly beat last Monday’s 35.3, that itself beating a record from 1963.

Due to dry air across the whole of South China, it is expected the heat will continue for the time being.

Events and deals

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Official media partner: ReThink HK returns 5-6 Oct

HT is proud to once again be a media partner for ReThink - HK’s biggest and most exciting sustainability conference. This year’s conference invites more than 300 expert speakers to share their visions and insights, covering important topics like economic progression while coexisting with nature harmoniously, efficient use of resources, transformation to a low-carbon society, and circular economy for future generations.

Ukrainian Cinema: Contemporary filmmaking @ The Goethe Institut

“Fear sows political bigotry, rumours turn into conspiracy theories, cultural fronts harden” – for these reasons The Goethe Institut is hosting a series of films by Ukrainian filmmakers to support local cultural creators and explore Ukrainian culture together.

Five films will be shown over the course of September including The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy), Atlantis (Valentyn Vasyanovych) and The Rain Will Never Stop (Alina Gorlova)

Find all times and dates here.
And book your tickets directly from Broadway Cinematheque here.
Look under the ‘bc Sunday’ special programme when booking!