🌊The show goes on! Live performances coming back!

America bans all 'U.S. persons' from Chinese tech

Harbour Times

Oct 14, 2022

∙ Paid

Good morning.

Just wanted to share this brilliant meme from fellow HK Twitter circle people:

Justin | hurtingbombz.eth @hurtingbombz

@tripperhead 🍾

It really speaks for itself.

Oh by the way, all the HK Tourism Board videos with Honey Badger have been set to private. You can’t access them with a link anymore (previously they were just hidden).

— Cyril

On Today’s Tide

COVID |
- Performances back on 20 Oct
- Public gather likely to increase to 12!
- King of Judicial reviews gets legal aid turned down
Society | Min wage set to increase to $40
Events

Behind the paywall:

Greater China | U.S. bans citizens from Chinese tech

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Live performances are back!

After years of live performances being banned, the government has announced that performances in non-LCSD venues will once again be allowed from 20 Oct.

Performers, however, have to follow strict anti-COVID regulations such as taking two PCR tests a week, and RAT tests on the day of performances. They will also need to be a suitable distance away from the audience and keep masks on whenever possible.

Exact details have yet to be released.

Performers and performance venues have been hit particularly hard by COVID rules. Bands that toured around different bars and pubs were blamed for some of the early COVID waves, after infected members unknowingly brought the virus to different audiences.

Harbour Times & High Tide: 🇭🇰 News @harbourtimes

Two more establishments join HK COVID-closure-heaven, including HK's premier Jazz Club Peel Fresco: hightide.harbourtimes.com/p/peeled-fresc…

While performances were still allowed early on in the pandemic (and with a brief window in the middle), they were subject to strict regulations on how far singers had to be from the audience, and venues had to put up screens between the performers and the audience.

Many well-established performance venues such as Jazz club Peel Fresco closed during the pandemic, while others such as The Wanch went into hiatus for several years.

Check out our previous coverage on the effects of COVID on performers here and here.

Other regulation changes

The government also hinted at a possible relaxation of the four person gathering rule which has been in place since the earliest days of the pandemic.

If all goes well, the number will be increased to 12. An announcement is expected in the coming week.

Hong Kong is one of the few places that still limit the number of people who can be in public togher. The definition of ‘gathering’ has also been subject to criticism as the idea of ‘common intent’ has been used to fine individuals who were at the same event but did not know each other.

Participants at the 2021 ‘Ride of Shame’ commemorating cyclists who have died, for instance, were fined for being all present at the TST Clock Tower waiting to bike even though the bikers alleged they were in separate groups of four. Police also said that if they biked past a person, that would make them into groups of five and therefore break Cap 599 regulations.

However, being packed into the MTR at 6pm Admiralty is completely fine.

Hong Kong SAR Government News @newsgovhk

The Centre for Health Protection says it is investigating 5,235 additional locally acquired #COVID19 cases, of which 1,276 were identified through nucleic acid tests and 3,959 via rapid antigen tests

news.gov.hkDaily virus cases rise to 5.2kThe Centre for Health Protection says it is investigating 5,235 additional locally acquired COVID-19 cases, of which 1,276 were identified through nucleic acid tests and 3,959 via rapid antigen tests.

COVID-19 in Hong Kong

New cases: 5622 (387 imported)
Total cases: 1,821,754
New deaths: 8
Total deaths: 10,254
Compulsory Testing locations: 68

King of Judicial Reviews denied legal aid

Kwok Cheuk-Kin, who is currently challenging Health Sec. Lo Chung-Mau on his planned annulment of 20,000 vax exemptions has been denied legal aid as he is not one of the affected persons.

While Kwok previously said he has an exemption certificate from one of the now charged doctors, it was then found out that he’s triple jabbed anyway.

Minimum wage to go up

Minimum wage is about to get a lot closer to what minimum wage actually should be!

Discussions are ongoing for the minimum wage - stagnated at $38.5 for three years, to be raised to $40 in May 2023. The Minimum Wage Commission is set to put forward the changes to the government by the end of the month.

At the same time, it is expected that CE John Lee will reduce the amount of time before a review of minimum wage from the current two years, to one year in his policy announcement next week.

While the changes were welcomed by unions, they still said it was too little too late. Lawmaker Kingsley Wong Kwok, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions and representative for the labour functional constituency said that even at $40 an hour, an individual would still need financial aid to live a “dignified life” and that this rise would “barely catch up with inflation”.

A full time worker at $40 an hour would earn approximately $8300 a month which coincidentally is exactly my rent.

Events and deals

Support Harbour Times, our friends and partners by attending these events! Let everyone know who sent you by tagging @harbourtimes

International Ponte Music Festival: Concerto Competition (Grand Finale)

To showcase the power of young local music talent, Ponte is delighted to present to eight finalists from their International Ponte Music Festival: Concerto Competition, held early this year.

We welcome you to this Grand Finale and witness these rising stars to make their debut with an orchestra.

When: 22nd October 2022 (Saturday); 19:30 – 22:00 pm
Where: Hong Kong Jockey Club Amphitheatre, HKAPA
Cost: From $180-$220

Music Roundabout: Sound of the Netherlands

Need another concert in your life? Ponte Orchestra is collaborating with local harmonica soloist Timothy Tang to showcase famous Dutch music from the Baroque, to folk and even modern pop. This performance is supported by Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Netherlands Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macao.