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2022 GO T OFF WITH A SURPRISIN GLY BIG BAN G
COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS EXTENDED THROUGH CHINESE NEW YEAR
T
he government has extended its latest round of COVID-19 restrictions into February, which means we’re in for another muted Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration. Venues like gyms, cinemas and bars will remain closed and the dine-in ban after 6pm will continue at least until February 3, the third day of the Lunar New Year. The annual CNY fireworks show, once a memorable start to welcome in the holiday, has been cancelled for the third consecutive year. Largescale events like the annual flower fairs have also been cancelled. Looking back, it’s interesting to consider how much better we fared on January 31, with two large-scale countdown celebrations ringing in 2022 after two years of cancellations. There was the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s free overnight concert on December 31 at the West Kowloon Cultural District, headlined by Mirror, AGA, Gin Lee and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. And there was the HK$30 million drone show and concert, organised by NEW TV at the Central Harbourfront, held over two consecutive evenings – December 31 and January 1. The event was live-streamed by TVB, with 600 drones flying above Victoria Harbour. Aaron Kwok, Vivian Chow and Grasshopper performed live for crowds of 16,000 people per night. These high-profile events contrasted with a rather more low-key gettogether at Ngong Ping on December 31, where Chief Executive Carrie Lam and Abbot Sik Jin-yin ushered in the new year by ringing the bell next to the Big Buddha. About 300 people, including political figures and top Beijing officials, attended the closed-door ceremony at Po Lin Monastery.
