NEWS

PIERSIDE PRECINCT COMES TO LIFE

A newly-extended harbourfront attraction called The Pierside Precinct officially opened last month. Located between the Wan Chai Pier and the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, the promenade is lined with wooden and concrete structures that also double as seating. At 2,750 square metres, the tourism attraction will be the longest promenade alongside Victoria Harbour.

QUARANTINE REDUCED FOR LOWRISK COUNTRIES

With new daily Covid-19 cases slowing significantly, the Hong Kong Government is making some long-awaited adjustments to quarantine arrangements for overseas arrivals. As of April 14, quarantine for fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries was shortened to seven days. The three countries; Australia, New Zealand and Singapore will all be exempt from the current 21 day arrangement. The mandatory quarantine period for visitors from those countries was previously shortened from 21 to 14 days.

REBUILD REEFS WITH DISCARDED OYSTER SHELLS

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has announced the launch of Save Our Shells, an initiative to collect discarded shellfish shells from partner restaurants and oyster farmers to build new, native oyster reefs in Hong Kong. So far nine restaurants including The Verandah, Oyster Station and Alibi – Wine Dine Be Social at Cordis Hotel have joined the project. “Shells of oysters and other shellfish consist of calcium carbonate and have traditionally been used as a house building material. Today, we are using the shells to build a new place for baby oysters to settle and for fish and other marine life to call home,” said Lulu Zhou, director of strategic partnerships for TNC in Asia Pacific.

IN YOUR BACKYARD

ELECTRIC TAXIS TO RELAUNCH HONG KONG POISON PATROL

Over the past few months, a large number of dog poisoning cases have occurred around Hong Kong. A total of 15 dogs have been poisoned with eight of them sadly passing away. One of those unfortunate cases was a golden retriever named Gamma. On a mission to prevent any more dogs from being harmed, Gamma’s owner Mia Fong set up a neighbourhood watch Facebook and Instagram group Gamma.hkg. She hopes to encourage people to patrol parks, neighbourhoods and hiking trails and remove poisoned bait. “What we need are more people on the ground, actively looking for potentially poisoned bait,” said Fong.

To encourage the use of battery-powered vehicles in Hong Kong, the government introduced electric taxis across Hong Kong in 2013. The trial wasn’t as successful as they’d hoped, with many drivers complaining about a shortage of charging points and long charging times. This year a second trial will take place in Sai Kung and Lantau Island. With smaller districts and more chargers available, the government hopes it will be a success.