NEWS

HK Tramways and CheckCheckCin prepares you for autumn

With autumn just around the corner, local companies HK Tramways and CheckCheckCin have joined forces to bring Hongkongers a new limited edition osmanthus and pear rice water. In Chinese medicine, Yin Qi predominates as the weather cools and pears nourish the lungs and promote fluidity. The new drink combines Originally set to take place at Central Harbourfront in October, the four-day Wine & Dine Festival will be switched to an online occasion that spans across several weeks. In lieu of the usual pop-up both of these elements together with rice water, which helps strengthen your stomach and promises to be a source of nourishment post-summer. The limited edition osmanthus and pear rice water is now available at the HK Tramways online shop, CheckCheckCin, Green Common, HKTVmall, Ztore and Citysuper. hktramways.com market format, this year’s festival will see a busy line-up of events including wine tasting, cooking classes with chefs, wine auctions and more – all happening online for the public to take part in.

Leptospirosis cases on the rise

Spread in running water, leptospirosis is a bacterial disease spread by rat urine that is washed into freshwater sources like puddles, streams and waterways during downpours. Dogs can become infected and develop leptospirosis if their gums (or skin with any cuts) come into contact with infected urine, urinecontaminated soil or water, leading to acute renal failure, liver disease and possible death. “As well as possible detergents, rat poisons and other chemicals discarded by humans, a host of disease organisms left by other animals walking by could be ingested by your dog,” said Dr Pauline Taylor, a veterinarian at Pets Central. To prevent your dog from contracting leptospirosis, the easiest thing to do is to never allow them to play or drink from freshwater.

Free Office 365 education

As coronavirus takes full strike, social distancing has changed face-to-face lessons into screen-to-screen virtual classes. To help learners and educators better embrace remote learning, Microsoft Hong Kong has launched a “Learn Anywhere Remote Teaching” programme – available to schools for free. The initiative offers participating schools a complimentary set-up that allows students and teachers to access Office 365 Education. Supporting all students from kindergartens to secondary schools, the programme aims to help build a safe, secure and collaborative

Wine & Dine Festival goes virtual

10 | SOUTHSIDE

learning environment. sway.office.com

in your backyard

Enhale Meditation Studio closes its doors

As part of anti-pandemic efforts, Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) has developed a contactless panel to lessen the risk of coronavirus transmission whilst using an elevator. The new panel, named kNOw Touch, is made of a sensor that can be easily installed inside the elevator. By detecting the blockage and reflection of infrared light, the location of a person’s floating fingertips can be identified into coordinates and signals to control the buttons. The device can be applied to all brands and models of elevators as its interface is added on physically and no protocol is needed. It is currently being deployed into various government buildings including the EMSD Headquarters.

After months of coronavirus and on-andoff social distancing restrictions, Enhale Meditation Studio closed its doors on August 28. Following a brief period of reopening, gyms and fitness centres in Hong Kong have been closed since mid-July due to a third-wave outbreak of the coronavirus. Many studios including Enhale have pivoted to offering online classes since the forced closure, but some are finding it difficult to engage with their clients online the same way. “Corona has made it challenging to gather and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close our doors. We poured our hearts into providing a safe space but cannot continue to operate at this time,” the studio said via Instagram.