News | South China Morning Post

Coronavirus: China closes Myanmar border bridge and orders city lockdown after new cluster emerges | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3127751/coronavirus-chinese-city-closes-border-bridge-myanmar-and

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/canvas/2021/03/31/bf4659de-aa1f-4851-8d04-a517d32f5e3a_871dd963.jpg?itok=RhTeQg8C&v=1617172426

Coronavirus: China closes Myanmar border bridge and orders city lockdown after new cluster emerges. Six local Covid-19 infections were reported in Ruili, prompting China to close the bridge linking the city to Myanmar, undertaking a widespread testing program and enforcing lockdown and quarantine measures. Photo: Weibo Six local Covid-19 infections were reported in Ruili, prompting China to close the bridge linking the city to Myanmar, undertaking a widespread testing program and enforcing lockdown and quarantine measures. The health commission of Yunnan province in southwestern China said in a statement that three new asymptomatic cases – which China does not classify as confirmed cases – were found in Ruili, along with the six confirmed infections on Tuesday.
It is the first time since February 5 that China has reported a local cluster. On Wednesday, the National Health Commission said China found 11 new Covid-19 cases on March 30. The other five cases were all imported.
As well as strengthening public health measures, China has been bolstering security as the violent crackdown by Myanmar’s junta causes many Myanmese to flee the country, seeking refuge in China, Thailand and India.
Health authorities said one of the confirmed Covid-19 cases and three of the asymptomatic cases were Myanmese while the rest were Chinese.
Ruili deputy mayor Yang Mou said on Wednesday morning the city would enter a one-week lockdown and that 317 people identified as close contacts were under quarantine for medical observation.Yang said the city expected to complete citywide nucleic acid sampling and testing by late Wednesday night, while provincial authorities had mobilised 1,800 medical personnel from neighbouring cities to help. Deputy police chief Cun Daipeng said nearly 4,000 security personnel had been mobilised to set up checkpoints at major traffic sites and border crossings, including the Jiegao bridge linking Ruili with Myanmar.Lu Qing, a Ruili resident living near the bridge, has been using a loud hailer since Tuesday to remind drivers the bridge is closed and they must turn around. “There were many armed police at the checkpoint and some carrying weapons. They work together with customs in setting up the blockades to seal off the bridge,” Lu said.
Ruili also ordered a lockdown of the local Guomen residential estate in the city. While the official statement did not say how many residents were infected, a shop owner surnamed Huang who lives nearby said he had seen a lot of ambulances come and go since Tuesday. “Many of us had gone through testing since yesterday. I queued until midnight [to get tested]. There were too many people. But there is no panic, as we have experienced this before,” Huang said.Ruili police arrested two residents for smuggling two Myanmese infected with Covid-19 into the city last year and causing local spread, resulting in a week-long lockdown and blanket testing of the whole city from September 14.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#chine#myanmar#thailande#sante#cluster#frontiere#conflit#circulation

Coronavirus: EU countries work on ‘green passport’ scheme to allow travel during pandemic | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3127536/coronavirus-eu-countries-work-green-passport-scheme-allow-travel

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/canvas/2021/03/30/2ba1568e-e649-4542-84fd-935f14b3c84c_ad4e8536.jpg?itok=tLKSW39k&v=1617041939

Coronavirus: EU countries work on ‘green passport’ scheme to allow travel during pandemic. The green passports are to be implemented in a consistent way across borders, Austrian Tourism Minister Elisabeth Koestinger said on Monday Koestinger said border-free travel should be possible again in the European Union by summer, after speaking with her colleagues in France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain
Q: What you need to know about the Pfizer-BioNTech scare in Hong Kong
People line up to receive the BioNTech jab at the community vaccination centre at Ap Lei Chau Sports Centre.
What you need to know about Hong Kong’s expanded Covid-19 vaccine drive Hong Kong has widened its vaccination scheme, meaning 5.5 million people are now eligible. Photo: Nora Ta
What are booster shots, and could mixing Covid-19 vaccines boost immunity?
Why has Hong Kong’s vaccine drive stumbled, and should side effects concern? Hongkongers line up at a vaccination centre where the newly available BioNTech jab was being administered on Wednesday. Why more contagious Covid-19 variants are emerging
Q: When will Hong Kong, mainland China get Covid-19 shots?
The first of millions of Covid-19 vaccine jabs are expected to arrive in Hong Kong in early 2021.
Q: What do the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine efficacy results mean?
Confusion surrounds the results of a Sinovac Biotech vaccine clinical trial in Brazil.
Q: What are the coronavirus mRNA vaccines and how do they work?
What are mRNA vaccines, how do they work against Covid-19 and what are their implications for public health?
Q: How many people need a Covid-19 vaccination to halt its spread?
The first Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines for Belgium are defrosted at a hospital. As vaccination against the virus is rolled out around the world, governments will be calculating how much of their people need to receive the vaccine to achieve herd immunity and allow a return to normality.
Q: Vaccines will save 2021? Not so fast, here’s what the experts think
The European Union’s transnational vaccine passport is now a definite reality.
A group of European Union members plans to present a list of priorities for the implementation of a scheme known as the green passport, which would facilitate travel in the bloc despite the coronavirus pandemic. The green passports are to be implemented in a consistent and easy to use way across borders, Austrian Tourism Minister Elisabeth Koestinger said on Monday, after a meeting with 12 other EU tourism ministers in Vienna.
The green passport is a certificate meant to contain information on the holder’s Covid-19 vaccination and test results or previous infections, to facilitate travel.
Koestinger said that border-free travel should be possible again in the European Union by summer, after speaking with her colleagues from countries including France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.She also called for consistent criteria for entry requirements across the EU, for instance regarding the acceptance of a negative coronavirus test to allow travel.
Austria is especially dependent on tourism and has pushed for the EU’s green passport project.“The green passport should be valid and readable at every airport and every hotel in Europe,” Koestinger said.Italy’s tourist industry struggles to survive – ‘even George Clooney doesn’t come any more’ amid the coronavirus pandemicKoestinger said the planned time frame for implementing the passport, which is expected to be be released at the European level on June 1, was ambitious.Germany’s tourism commissioner Thomas Bareiss said Germany fully supported the goal of implementing the passport by June, adding that the certificate using a bar code would bring a basis for security and freedom.Bareiss said the passport should be available to everyone. “In terms of technical access, but also the fact that we need to offer all people a vaccine.”In Austria, a first version is already to be introduced at the end of April, including coronavirus test results. It could be used, for example, to allow visits to the hairdresser.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#UE#sante#vaccination#passeportvaccinal#circulation#frontière

Shanghai becomes first mainland Chinese city to offer expats coronavirus vaccines | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3127006/shanghai-becomes-first-mainland-chinese-city-offer-expats

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/canvas/2021/03/26/e417a52a-71c0-48b4-a2a6-8f9523bc800a_64cf8004.jpg?itok=v-rZu393&v=1616721416

Shanghai becomes first mainland Chinese city to offer expats coronavirus vaccines. Foreigners who meet the requirements can voluntarily apply from Monday. However, expats will have to bear the costs and risks associated with the vaccine. Shanghai has announced it will provide coronavirus vaccines to expats living in the city. Shanghai has announced it will provide coronavirus vaccines to expats living in the city.
Shanghai has become the first Chinese mainland city to offer Covid-19
vaccines to foreign expats, local authorities have revealed. Foreigners who meet the age requirements can voluntarily apply for the vaccine from Monday.The Shanghai municipal government announced the plan on Tuesday, saying expats would have to bear the costs and risks associated with the vaccine.
Foreigners who want to be vaccinated can book appointments through the Health Cloud, an app run by local health authorities. They will be then informed via text messages of the date, time, and location of their vaccination, the government announced. Foreign nationals who have joined Shanghai’s public medical insurance scheme will be treated the same as Chinese nationals, accessing the vaccines free of charge. Those who are not covered by the insurance scheme will be charged 100 yuan (US$15.30) per dose.Authorities urged the potential recipients of the vaccine to pay close attention to their health within 14 days of inoculation. They warned anyone with an adverse response to the vaccine to go straight to a hospital.
Self-employed Shanghai-based American expat Michael Goffman, 41, said he supported the initiative because he believed that “any person living in China should have access to the vaccine if they wanted to take it”.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#sante#shangai#etranger#inclusion#vaccination

Coronavirus: Thailand to allow vaccinated tourists to enter Phuket without quarantine | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3127125/coronavirus-india-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-exports-cases

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/canvas/2021/03/26/96d59145-9401-40bc-b4e1-69891227f5e7_dd8caee8.jpg?itok=wgQj-7iG&v=1616754325

Coronavirus: Thailand to allow vaccinated tourists to enter Phuket without quarantine. Vaccinated visitors will be permitted to enter from July, after the resort island inoculates 70 per cent of its residents. Elsewhere, India has halted exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine as cases rise, while Indonesia is barring people from going to their hometowns for the Eid al-Fitr
Q: What you need to know about the Pfizer-BioNTech scare in Hong Kong
What you need to know about Hong Kong’s expanded Covid-19 vaccine driveHong Kong has widened its vaccination scheme, meaning 5.5 million people are now eligible. Photo: Nora Tam
What can Hong Kong do to give Covid-19 jabs drive a shot in the arm?
The BioNTech vaccine is one of two types available in Hong Kong.
What are booster shots, and could mixing Covid-19 vaccines boost immunity? Why has Hong Kong’s vaccine drive stumbled, and should side effects concern?
Hongkongers line up at a vaccination centre where the newly available BioNTech jab was being administered on Wednesday.
Q: When will Hong Kong, mainland China get Covid-19 shots?
The first of millions of Covid-19 vaccine jabs are expected to arrive in Hong Kong in early 2021.
Q: What do the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine efficacy results mean?
Confusion surrounds the results of a Sinovac Biotech vaccine clinical trial in Brazil.
Q: What are the coronavirus mRNA vaccines and how do they work?
What are mRNA vaccines, how do they work against Covid-19 and what are their implications for public health? Photo: AFP
Q: How many people need a Covid-19 vaccination to halt its spread?
The first Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines for Belgium are defrosted at a hospital. As vaccination against the virus is rolled out around the world, governments will be calculating how much of their people need to receive the vaccine to achieve herd immunity and allow a return to normality.
Q: Vaccines will save 2021? Not so fast, here’s what the experts think
Thai authorities agreed on Friday to allow foreigners inoculated against the coronavirusto travel to its biggest holiday island without undergoing quarantine, and announced a new order for five million more doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine. With arrival numbers plummeting this past year, tourism-reliant Thailand is racing to secure vaccines for its population and reopen the country to foreigners in a pilot project for vaccine passports.
“If we can inoculate 50-60 per cent of the population we can open the country safely and move the economy and tourism forward,” senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said.
Its main vaccination drive is expected to start in June, with the goal of immunising half of its population by year-end.It will receive an additional 5 million AstraZeneca doses, as well as 5 million more doses procured from Sinovac Biotech, the health ministry said on Friday. That would take its overall vaccine order to 73 million doses.The Covid-19 task force on Friday gave the green light to Phuket, a major tourist destination, to receive vaccinated visitors directly from July, without subjecting them to quarantine, after the island inoculates 70 per cent of its residents.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#thailande#sante#vaccination#tourisme#economie

China’s internet was hailed as a path to democracy but the Communist Party reshaped it in its own image | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125128/chinas-internet-was-hailed-path-democracy-communist-party

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/03/15/36ce10c0-7ca2-11eb-9fc3-2f3c8e08d261_image_hires_170554.jpg?itok=IXZes1_A&v=1615799163

Le gouvernement contrôle Internet de plus en plus fortement

Since the 1990s, the Chinese government has built and used the so-called Great Firewall
, a sophisticated system that prevents people from accessing unwanted foreign websites and social media, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and most mainstream Western news outlets. The South China Morning Post website is also blocked on the mainland.

Zhuang is deputy director of the party’s publicity department and head of the Cyberspace Administration of China.

“Very few ruling parties in the world are as active as the Communist Party of China in adapting to the information revolution trend and emphasising the development and governance of internet,” he said.

▻https://youtu.be/ajR9J9eoq34

La population semble être peu sensibilisée ou concernée

But for many people, any concerns about how content on the internet could be shaped or filtered by political forces are secondary to its entertainment value. Tang Feng, a 32-year-old food delivery worker, said that other than the fact that his job relied on the internet – which facilitates everything from receiving food orders to navigating to restaurants – he watched “funny videos” on his phone to pass the time between deliveries.

#chine #internet #censure

Covid-19: China launches digital health certificates for overseas travel | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3124726/covid-19-china-launches-digital-health-certificates-overseas

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/03/09/d60562b8-80b9-11eb-87b1-2ad3cd5fba10_image_hires_183050.jpg?itok=ogJLKtow&v=1615285863

Covid-19: China launches digital health certificates for overseas travel
. WeChat-based system uses QR codes to show travellers’ coronavirus and antibody test results and whether they have been vaccinated China ready to discuss ‘the establishment of mutual recognition mechanisms’ with other countries, foreign ministry says. China has launched a digital health certificate that it hopes will help make foreign travel easier for its citizens. Photo: EPA-EFE China has launched a digital health certificate that it hopes will help make foreign travel easier for its citizens.
China has launched a digital health certificate for its citizens that they might one day be able to use as a “vaccine passport”, as countries around the world embark on inoculation programmes and consider ways to reopen their borders.
The certificates, which work though the WeChat social media platform, include details of users’ coronavirusand antibody test results and whether they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a press briefing. All of the information is encrypted in a QR code that can be verified, decrypted and read using a public key provided by the issuing authority, he said.The digital document, which is available only to Chinese nationals, could then be provided to the relevant authorities overseas as evidence of a person’s health status, he said. “China stands ready to discuss with other countries the establishment of mutual recognition mechanisms for health code information on the basis of accommodating each other’s concerns,” Zhao said.The launch of the programme comes after it was announced by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a press conference held on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress
in Beijing.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#Chine#sante#passeportvaccinal#frontiere

Coronavirus: Hongkongers may have to wait up to six months to resume travel, top tourism official warns | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3123814/coronavirus-hongkongers-may-have-wait-six-months

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/03/03/45ef5642-7b38-11eb-9fc3-2f3c8e08d261_image_hires_182808.jpeg?itok=TXQLT5bu&v=1614767302

Hongkongers may have to wait three to six months to travel again, and even then with conditions attached, despite the city recently launching its Covid-19 vaccination programme
and the health crisis appearing to ease, according to a top official at the tourism board.Executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat also said a wave of local tours and hotel staycation offers would soon be launched as part of the government’s HK$1.13 billion (US$145 million) drive to reboot the devastated industry.Until the third quarter, Hongkongers would be largely limited to spending holidays locally and rediscovering the city through outdoor activities, wandering around neighbourhoods, or taking staycations, he said.“My guess is in the next three to six months, only very slowly, certain conditional travel will be allowed,” the Hong Kong Tourism Board chief said in an interview with the Post. “Our assumption is that the pandemic is not going away this year, but vaccination can ease the outbreak to a large extent.”

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#hongkong#sante#tourisme#economie#pandemie#vaccination#circulation#frontiere

Chinese students weigh overseas options as Covid-19 and US visa limits take toll: report | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3123803/chinese-students-weigh-overseas-options-covid-19-and-us-visa

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/03/04/922a474c-7b24-11eb-9fc3-2f3c8e08d261_image_hires_030143.jpeg?itok=HLiy-LmC&v=1614798111

Chinese students weigh overseas options as Covid-19 and US visa limits take toll: report Trump administration’s restrictions on academics have contributed to almost stagnant growth in the number of Chinese students heading to the US, think tank says. Some parents are ‘opting for international schools in China’ rather than sending their children elsewhere
The decline in growth in the number of Chinese students studying the US is directly related to the Trump administration’s restrictions, according to a Beijing-based think tank. Photo: Xinhua The decline in growth in the number of Chinese students studying the US is directly related to the Trump administration’s restrictions, according to a Beijing-based think tank.
The decline in growth in the number of Chinese students studying the US is directly related to the Trump administration’s restrictions, according to a Beijing-based think tank.
Growth in the once-booming business of educating Chinese students in the United States has slowed dramatically as the US’ handling of the coronavirus
and American visa restrictions have taken their toll, according to a report by a Beijing-based think tank.The growth in the number of Chinese students studying in the US plunged to less than 1 per cent last year, and some parents were opting for international schools in China rather than sending their children overseas, the report said.
“Political factors will affect the trend of Chinese students going to the US,” the Centre for China and Globalisation said in a report published jointly with the Institute of Development Studies at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.“The Trump administration [discriminated] against Chinese students, especially those in the tech and postgraduate sectors. It has also imposed strict restrictions on Chinese students on government sponsorship, restricting normal international education and exchanges.”
It also said: “Many universities have cut budgets because of the reduction of the number of international students, due to the spread of the epidemic.”
Visa denied: US says Chinese students threaten national securityIt said the number of Chinese students in the US had risen consistently over the decades, from over 60,000 in 2004 to more than 350,000 last year.
But last year’s growth of just 0.8 per cent was dramatically slower than, for example, the 29.9 per cent reported for the school year of 2009-2010 school year.“This is directly related to the Trump administration’s restrictions targeting international students studying in the US,” according to the report.In May, then US secretary of state Mike Pompeo took aim at Chinese students and academics allegedly involved in espionage in the United States, revoking the visas of Chinese students and researchers with direct links to Chinese universities affiliated to the country’s military.
(...)The report also cited figures from the Open Doors Report 2020, published by the Institute of International Education, pointing to a broader decline.The institute said about 1.1 million international students were studying in the US in 2019-2020, a 1.8 per cent drop year on year.
It was the first decline registered since the 2008 financial crisis. A similar trend has been observed in Britain, with European Union students reconsidering their options in the wake of Brexit, according to the Beijing think tank.As of the academic year 2018-2019, the top three destinations for studying abroad were the US, Britain and China, the report said.
The report also said more Chinese students were returning to China after completing their studies overseas. In 2019, 580,003 of those graduates returned to China, an increase of 11.73 per cent from 2018.It said the international education sector as a whole would continue to suffer a severe blow as the pandemic put the brakes on international travel.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#etatsunis#chine#sante#education#etudiant#politiquemigratoire#pandemie#economie#frontiere#circulation

Covid-19 adds to woes of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority residents facing discrimination, language barrier, difficulty finding jobs | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3122439/covid-19-adds-woes-hong-kongs-ethnic-minority-residents

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/02/20/40da176a-7268-11eb-a538-880d59d054e4_image_hires_101151.jpeg?itok=5Gm_TZqJ&v=1613787132

Covid-19 adds to woes of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority residents facing discrimination, language barrier, difficulty finding jobs

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#hongkong#minorite#discrimination#inegalite#sante#economie#emploi

Israel’s ‘green passports’ plan could lead way in reviving world tourism after Covid-19 vaccination programme is complete | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3121046/israels-green-passports-plan-could-lead-way-reviving-world

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/02/08/04ed3356-6a00-11eb-8f06-a7293cc48ccd_image_hires_213434.jpg?itok=gMvgST5Y&v=1612791280

Israel is hoping that its world-leading vaccination programme will allow it to resume tourism later this year and is talking to Greece and Cyprus about reopening their borders.The country, which has vaccinated a higher proportion of its citizens than any other, started to issue “green passport” certificates last week that show holders have been given two full doses of the vaccine, one of its diplomats in China said. It is now trying to negotiate reciprocal arrangements with other countries to permit entry to those carrying the certificates.Israel’s experience is likely to be closely watched around the world as it could become the first country to inoculate enough people to reach the ultimate goal of achieving herd immunity.“What we are planning to do is to open a programme of green passports, which means everybody that’s been vaccinated could travel to other countries without the need for being tested before, during the visit or being quarantined after visiting the country,” said Yuval Waks, deputy chief of the Israeli mission in Beijing.He said Greece could be the first country to sign such an agreement with Israel, followed by Cyprus because “it’s also good for their economy” and “tourists from Israel are eager to go”.Waks continued that talks with China were at an early stage and media reports have suggested that countries in Europe such as Serbia and Romania may also take part in the scheme.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#israel#sante#tourisme#passeportvaccinal#chypre#grece#frontiere#circulation#economie#serbie#roumanie

Rescue boat with 422 migrants, some testing positive for Covid-19, heads to Sicily | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3120920/rescue-boat-422-migrants-some-testing-positive-covid-19-heads-sicily

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/02/08/e55077c8-695b-11eb-bc00-908c10a5850a_image_hires_005457.jpg?itok=J1-dLaez&v=1612716905

A rescue ship with 422 migrants aboard, a small number of whom tested positive for Covid-19, was headed to a port in Sicily on Sunday.SOS Mediterranee, the humanitarian group which operates the rescue ship Ocean Viking, said Italy had granted the vessel permission to enter the port of Augusta, where it was expected to arrive on Sunday evening, just as rain and strong winds were forecast.The migrants were rescued in separate operations in the central Mediterranean Sea on Thursday and Friday, including 121 who were crowded into a rubber dinghy. Some of the passengers fell into the sea during that rescue operation but were brought to safety, SOS Mediterranee said in a statement by Luisa Albera, search and rescue coordinator aboard the Ocean Viking.
In all, four distinct rescue operations were carried out over two days. Many of those rescued are women and children.Originally, a total of 424 were rescued, but a pregnant woman and her companion were evacuated urgently by helicopter to Malta on Saturday, the statement said.
Eight of the rescued migrants have Covid-19, according to tests administered by the crew, and were being isolated on board despite the difficulties of crowded conditions on deck.“But although strict Covid-19 mitigation protocols apply on board the Ocean Viking, this is a vessel of 69 metres (228 feet) in length,” Albera said. “This situation is a further reason for the remaining 422 survivors, who are in confined space on the aft deck, to be promptly disembarked in a place of safety,” she said. Among the passengers are other pregnant women, babies and unaccompanied minors among the children.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#malte#italie#ue#libye#ong#sante#parcoursmigratoire#routemigratoire#vulnerabilite#test#isolement

Coronavirus: Hongkongers stranded overseas fear travellers from Britain who returned via Dubai and tested positive for Covid-19 could make getting home harder | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3118744/coronavirus-hongkongers-stranded-overseas-fear

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/01/22/8de20ed2-5bfc-11eb-a99a-beae699a1a1d_image_hires_082140.jpg?itok=IcfDkBky&v=1611274907

Hundreds of Hongkongers stranded overseas by a ban on travel from Britain fear they may face further difficulties returning home after three of their number, who flew to Hong Kong via Dubai and Singapore, tested positive for Covid-19.Many had already travelled to Dubai weeks ago, after the government said the only way they would be able to return was by spending three weeks in a destination outside Britain.The United Arab Emirates is one of the few places still allowing arrivals from there that also offers transit routes to Hong Kong, and had been considered the best available option, at least before Thursday’s news raised the spectre of further disruptions and uncertainty.One female Hong Kong resident, who flew to Dubai with her family 10 days ago said there was “a high level of anxiety for everyone right now”.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#hongkong#sante#retour#test#dubai#singapour#grandebretagne#anxiete#peur

Coronavirus: Hong Kong set to hit aircrew on long-haul flights with strictest quarantine measures from next week in bid to contain surge of infections | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3118657/hong-kong-fourth-wave-airline-sector-braces

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/01/22/4b2530da-5baf-11eb-a99a-beae699a1a1d_image_hires_000025.jpeg?itok=RJfePqW8&v=1611244838

Hong Kong is set to announce the strictest quarantine measures for aircrew on long-haul flights from next week as it seeks to contain a surge of Covid-19infections, which could plunge the struggling aviation industry into a fresh crisis. Sources said pilots and cabin crew from Hong Kong, after a layover in any country, would be required to undergo quarantine in a hotel for 14 days upon returning to the city. The impact would hit flagship carrier Cathay Pacific Airways the hardest as the biggest operator of such flights in the city.“The quarantine plan will affect local aircrew who operate a flight with an overseas layover – and it doesn’t matter if it’s a passenger or cargo flight – and it means those flights which do long-haul or air cargo will be affected,” a source familiar with the plan said. Health authorities confirmed 70 new infections on Thursday, with much of the focus still on an expanding outbreak in the densely populated Yau Tsim Mong district, where the government has ramped up mandatory testing for residents

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#hongkongsante#quarantaine#frontiere#circulation

Teachers, principal stranded in Britain by Covid-19 travel ban as Hong Kong international schools reopen | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3118017/teachers-principal-stranded-britain-covid-19-travel-ban

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/01/16/51fe93e4-57b1-11eb-84b3-e7426e7b8906_image_hires_162015.jpg?itok=DYPmyUSB&v=1610785226

Online classes resumed in Hong Kong schools this month, but a number of teachers remain stranded in Britain because of the Covid-19 travel ban, the Post has learned.Nearly one in 10 teachers from Harrow International School, including its head, Ann Haydon, are still stuck in Britain. Belinda Greer, CEO of the city’s biggest international school group, English Schools Foundation (ESF), is also unable to return.They are among hundreds of city residents left stranded after the Hong Kong government banned flights from Britain since December 22 to prevent the import of a more transmissible strain of the coronavirus.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#hongkong#grandebretagne#frontiere#restrictionsanitaire#retour#sante#education

Coronavirus emerged in many places, Chinese foreign minister says | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3116176/coronavirus-emerged-many-places-chinese-foreign-minister-says

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2021/01/02/bbe79152-4ca8-11eb-9c55-93e83087d811_image_hires_152848.jpg?itok=Ym11bdUz&v=1609572536

Coronavirus emerged in many places, Chinese foreign minister says
China was first to identify the pathogen, but research suggests it was prevalent elsewhere, Wang Yi tells state media Country is ‘resolutely against the politicisation of the pandemic and labelling the virus’, he says
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China is resolutely against the politicisation of the pandemic.
Coronavirus evidence is growing that the pathogen emerged in multiple locations around the world, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday.“We raced to report the epidemic first,” he said in an interview with Xinhua.“More and more research studies have shown that the pandemic is likely to have emerged in many places around the world.”
China identified the first cases of a then unknown pneumonia-type disease in Wuhan on December 31, 2019, and soon after closed down a seafood market from where it was thought to have originated. But Beijing insisted it had found no evidence of human-to-human transmissions until three weeks later, a claim that sparked widespread criticism from the West, which accused China of a cover-up. Wang’s comments echo those of some of China’s top health officials and state media, as the government has sought to reshape the narrative on the origin of the virus.In November, Zeng Guang, a former chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that although Wuhan was where the coronavirus was first detected it might not have been where it originated.
Wu Zunyou, the CDC’s incumbent chief epidemiologist, said the virus could have come into the country on frozen seafood or meat products.But Wang is the most senior government official to promote the idea, which has been welcomed domestically but shunned by most Western audiences.
“We are on the front line of the struggle for public opinion,” he told Xinhua. “We are resolutely against the politicisation of the pandemic and labelling the virus, and will never allow lies to contaminate the objective narrative and collective memory of fighting the pandemic.”
His comments came as the World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing to send a group of international experts to Wuhan for a six-week mission this month to investigate the origin of the virus based on human and animal samples collected by Chinese researchers.However, George Gao Fu, director of the CDC, said in an interview with Xinhua last week that the WHO team did not have an easy task.“It may take a long time to find the virus,” he said. “It’s also possible that the virus will disappear before we find the origin.”
Beijing has said repeatedly that similar studies should be conducted in other countries, while Chinese nationalist tabloid newspaper Global Times has called for the WHO team to look into people who visited Wuhan before the outbreak, including foreign athletes who took part in the Military World Games in the city in October 2019.Research conducted in other countries, including Italy and the US, has suggested that the novel coronavirus might have been circulating elsewhere in the world before it was identified in Wuhan and became a pandemic.A study carried out by the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention found antibodies for Covid-19 in blood samples collected from American subjects on December 13, 2019, two weeks before China announced the pneumonia caused by a new virus..
A study based on serological samples in Italy suggested their may have been antibodies against the virus as early as September 2019.Those findings, however, are not conclusive. Government records seen by the South China Morning Post in March traced the first Chinese Covid-19 patient back to November 17, 2019 or even earlier, though the case might have been identified retrospectively.
China’s first confirmed Covid-19 case traced back to November 17, 2019
14 Mar 2020. Mike Ryan, director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said in November that it would be “highly speculative” for the WHO to say the coronavirus did not emerge in China.“It is clear from a public health perspective that you start your investigations where the human cases first emerged,” he said, adding that any evidence gathered in China might then lead the inquiry to elsewhere in the world.
Besides trying to redirect the narrative on the origins of the coronavirus, Wang highlighted China’s contribution to the global effort to combat the pandemic. “Made in China has become a continuous supply line in the global fight against the pandemic. We were the first to pledge to make vaccines a global public good.”

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#chine#pandemie#globalisation#santeglobale#oms#santepublique

Hong Kong parents who travelled to Britain to see their kids ‘marooned’ by sudden flight ban | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3115003/hong-kong-parents-who-travelled-britain-see-their-kids-marooned

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2020/12/22/0e54cab4-443d-11eb-be92-09cd005df0bf_image_hires_235324.JPG?itok=0fwRngcS&v=1608652416

For some parents of Hong Kong children studying overseas – most of whom have not seen their kids for months due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions – the festive season seemed like a good opportunity for a family reunion. But for the parents who managed to travel to Britain to make good on that opportunity, the season’s cheer has curdled into worry, as they now find themselves stranded after the government banned all passenger flights from there following the discovery of an especially transmissible strain of coronavirus sweeping London and the country’s southeast.Shirley Wong, a 45-year-old medical professional who works in a private hospital, arrived in Oxford on December 17 to visit her 17-year-old daughter, who studies in a boarding school.She promised her colleagues she would be back by January after completing her quarantine, as the hospital was short on manpower, and she was even prepared to cut short her trip if the pandemic situation worsened.But the sudden flight ban was “completely shocking” to her, leaving her no time for even last-minute preparations. Now stuck in limbo, she said she felt guilty that she cannot return on time.“I’ve told my bosses about the situation, but we are all feeling helpless. As a professional, I feel guilty, and I want to go back to help my patients and colleagues,” she said.
Wong said she had tried asking many parties for help, including contacting the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office to see if charter flights could be arranged for stranded residents who needed to return for work, but nothing could be done.“I don’t mind paying extra for quarantine hotels, or even being isolated for 28 days,” she said. “Please, just allow me to come back.”
Some parents have also reached out to education consultancies for assistance, according to Samuel Chan Sze-ming, founder of the Hong Kong-based Britannia StudyLink.“These parents are anxious and nervous, but many of them are understanding – they know it is out of our control,” he said.Local district councillor Anthony Sheik Bux, who is stranded in Britain himself, also wanted the government to organise a few flights for desperate residents to come home, and to inform them of the plans in advance.“There needs to be a schedule [from the government], as there are many logistical issues to take care of, including booking for tests and hotels in advance,” Bux said.Some Hongkongers in Britain have reached out to the government about the possibility of organising charter flights home. Photo:
Bux came to Liverpool in early December to visit his two sons and wife, all of whom are British citizens, after going some 10 months without seeing them.Also surprised by the sudden ban, he said he was taking things in stride and working remotely, and hoped to leave Britain by mid-January.
Kevin Bowers – a lawyer who has been organising a consortium of companies to help Hongkongers with a new BN(O) visa application process set to launch in January – said he knew of several people who have been “marooned” in Britain as a result of the ban.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#angleterre#singapour#sante#etudiant#quarantaine#test#retour

Coronavirus: Singapore tightens travel rules for Hong Kong visitors amid surge in cases | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3113668/coronavirus-singapore-tightens-travel-rules-hong-kong

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2020/12/12/ccef8d68-3bcf-11eb-9b80-f4f1a4017c77_image_hires_035925.jpg?itok=YiR46UqL&v=1607716772

Singapore’s border controls for people coming in from Hong Kong will be revised given the “deteriorating” Covid-19 outbreak in the Chinese city, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday.Travellers who have been to Hong Kong in the last 14 days and are entering Singapore from next Monday will need to serve a two-week stay-home notice at dedicated facilities.
From December 19, travellers from Hong Kong planning to enter Singapore must take a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 72 hours before departure and present a valid negative test.
The PCR test does not apply to Singapore citizens and permanent residents. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced earlier this month that the launch of the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble has been delayed to next year, with the exact start date to be reviewed in late December, given the Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#hongkong#chine#singapour#sante#test#voyageur#bullevoyage

Three-test coronavirus travel rule satisfies China’s need for strict control but Indians question necessity | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3110369/coronavirus-three-test-travel-rule-may-satisfy-chinas-need

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2020/11/18/f6e4b42a-295c-11eb-bf26-f2b76f37a526_image_hires_180542.jpg?itok=fxR1B5FS&v=1605693950

China requires travellers from India to have three Covid-19 tests before boarding a plane. While the approach reflects China’s strict control mentality to detect every case, in India getting all tests done in three days could be a challenge, experts say. Under the protocol that started on November 7, passengers in India must take their first nucleic acid test up to three days before boarding China-bound flights, followed by a second nucleic acid test and an IgM antibody test up to 36 hours before boarding.The new rules were introduced after 23 Indian nationals who flew from New Delhi on October 30 tested positive in Wuhan, the initial epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#inde#chine#sante#test#protocolesanitaire#frontiere#circulation#epicentre

Hong Kong reveals plans to step up border controls to shield city from Covid-19 rebound, as warning signs of new wave emerge among drivers | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3109334/hong-kong-step-covid-19-border-controls-city-put

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2020/11/11/24395ea8-23d1-11eb-8a46-f186a810a22a_image_hires_233157.jpg?itok=3tBjjSeQ&v=1605108730

Hong Kong risks a winter surge of Covid-19 if it lets its guard down, Sophia Chan says. New Covid-19 measures:
•Four regular testing centres to operate long-term, offering free service for those at high risk of infections, and paid screening for those requiring certification to travel, especially for Singapore-Hong Kong bubble
•A virus notification app will be set up for users to record their travel history and notify them of exposure risks
•A multi-pronged strategy will be adopted to close border loopholes for people exempted from quarantine, including a mandatory negative test for those from high-risk countries, and point-to-point pickups instead of public transport
Hong Kong revealed plans to step up border controls against Covid-19 as possible new infections among taxi drivers emerged on Wednesday, sparking concerns that the next wave could be starting.Health minister Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee moved to close quarantine loopholes to prevent another onslaught of cases during the winter flu season, saying the city had to remain vigilant.“If we let down our guard, a fourth wave can start anytime and can become more severe with the flu season in the autumn and winter,” the secretary for food and health said. “Externally [we must] guard our border well, and internally stop the spread.”

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#hongkong#singapour#sante#mesuresanitaire#frontiere#grippe#bullevoyage#tracking#politiquesante

Rapid Covid-19 test on trial at Hong Kong airport may miss some infections, University of Oxford professor admits | South China Morning Post
▻https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3107873/rapid-covid-19-test-trial-hong-kong-airport-may

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/og_image_scmp_coronavirus_generic/public/d8/images/methode/2020/10/31/3f01e16c-1aab-11eb-8f67-a484f6db61a1_image_hires_141622.jpg?itok=gbfhb3FG&v=1604125001

A rapid Covid-19 test returning results within 30 minutes and currently on trial at Hong Kong International Airport could miss some infections with very low viral levels, one of its developers has admitted.The University of Oxford designers of the test say it can correctly identify more than 90 per cent of positive cases, but medical experts warn more trial data is needed to determine its sensitivity rate.Called the Oxsed RaViD Direct, the screening method draws on established analysis technology called RT-LAMP and is developed by the British university’s spin-off company Oxsed, which Hong Kong start-up Prenetics has acquired.

#Covid-19#migrant#migration#hongkong#test#aeroport#sante#mobilite