Under the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme which started on February 26, as of 8pm today (March 4), a total of about 10 300 persons received their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine in the past 24 hours, including about 4 000 pers… read more
The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced today (March 4) that the new Smart Renewal service will be introduced tomorrow (March 5). The new service will enable persons who submit online applications for visas for further employment of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) to, upon approval of their applications, pay the visa fee through various means and collect the visas by post, so as to spare them the need to attend an office of the ImmD for going through the formalities, which is both convenient and time-saving.
At present, persons who submit the visa applications are required to, upon approval of their applications, pay the visa fee and collect the FDH visa(s) in person or through an authorised representative at an office of the ImmD.
To provide greater convenience for persons applying for employment visas for FDHs, the ImmD will introduce the Smart Renewal service on March 5. With the new service, FDHs who continue to work for the same employer (i.e. FDHs who are to renew the contract with the same employer, are to complete the remaining period of the current contract, or are to apply for a deferral of home leave under the special arrangements amid the COVID-19 pandemic) may, upon approval of their applications submitted through the ImmD’s dedicated “Online Services for Foreign Domestic Helpers” webpage at www.immd.gov.hk/fdh or the ImmD mobile application, pay the visa fee with the General Demand Note (GDN) enclosed with the notification of the application result. Payment can be made by various means, such as the Faster Payment System, Internet banking, the Payment by Phone Service or automatic teller machines, or in person at a post office or convenience store. The details are set out on the back of the GDN. Upon the ImmD’s acknowledgement of the receipt of the visa fee paid by one of the methods specified in the GDN, the visa and/or extension of stay label(s) will be mailed to the correspondence address provided by the employer. The visa and/or extension of stay label(s), upon receipt, should be properly affixed to the FDH’s passport as instructed. In case no correspondence address has been provided, the visa and/or extension of stay label(s) will be sent to the contractual address. Throughout the application process, the applicant or the employer need not attend any office of the ImmD to pay the visa fee or collect the visa label(s).
As for other applications for entry visas, for change of employer or for visas for further employment of FDHs submitted by other means (i.e. by post, drop-in box or in person) and applications requiring in-person submission or an interview due to special or individual circumstances, the application procedures as well as the arrangements for payment of the visa fee and collection of visa label(s) will remain unchanged. The ImmD will review the arrangement of the service concerned in due course and explore extending the scope of the Smart Renewal service.
An ImmD spokesperson appealed to members of the public to submit applications for visas for further employment of FDHs by means of the Smart Renewal service, so that they can enjoy the user-friendly service without the need to attend an office of the ImmD in person. By reducing travelling, they can contribute to the efforts to fight the virus together.
For details of the Smart Renewal service, please visit the dedicated “Online Services for Foreign Domestic Helpers” webpage at www.immd.gov.hk/fdh. For enquiries, please call the enquiry hotline at 2824 6111, or fax to 2877 7711 or email enquiry@immd.gov.hk. read more
The Labour Department (LD) announced today (March 4) that a staff member has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19.
The staff member concerned, who works in the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board on the 10th floor of Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, last went to the office yesterday (March 3). He had no contact with members of the public in his daily work. He had been wearing surgical masks and properly maintaining social distancing with other people while performing duties. His body temperature was normal during temperature screening at work.
The LD has arranged to fully clean and sterilise the workplace of the staff member concerned, including the common areas, in accordance with the guidelines of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP). The service counters of the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board, the Labour Relations Division (Kowloon West Branch Office), the Employees’ Compensation Division, the Occupational Medicine Unit (Kowloon), and the Operations Division (Kowloon Region) of the Occupational Safety Service on the same floor will suspend services until further notice. Members of the public who have made prior service appointments with these offices will be informed of the alternative arrangements individually.
The LD is highly concerned about the case and will maintain close liaison with the CHP in its anti-epidemic work. It will continue to implement various disease prevention measures, and remind all staff to stay vigilant in regard to personal hygiene at all times. If they feel unwell, they should seek medical advice immediately and inform the department. read more
The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) will stage the “New Horizons: Ways of Seeing Hong Kong Art in the 80s and 90s” exhibition from tomorrow (March 5) to present Hong Kong contemporary art from diverse viewpoints.
The HKMoA is devoted to presenting the unique facets of Hong Kong art through curatorial research and exhibitions. In a quest to foster artistic synergy and enrich the interpretation of Hong Kong art, the HKMoA launched the “Hong Kong Art: Co-Creation” exhibition series in 2018. Through calling for proposals, the museum searched for curatorial concepts that would echo and complement the museum’s annual theme on narratives of Hong Kong art. The museum hopes to collaborate with guest curators to illustrate an even richer history of Hong Kong art by expanding and sharing connections and resources with the community, while instilling new energy, new visions and new experiences into the development of Hong Kong contemporary art. Endorsed by a selection panel, the proposal by Janet Fong was first selected by the museum for co-curation of the coming exhibition.
The development of Hong Kong art reached a critical juncture in the 1980s and ’90s. Numerous young artists, having graduated in Hong Kong or returned to the city after studying aboard, dedicated themselves to exploring new artistic forms and expressions through their creations. This enabled the rise of installation art, new media and contemporary photography, etc, and brought vibrancy to art creation in Hong Kong. Echoing the museum’s “Hong Kong Experience‧Hong Kong Experiment” exhibition that showcased the breakthrough of artistic creation in different traditional media as well as the creative achievements of local artists over half a century that fused different cultures, the “New Horizons: Ways of Seeing Hong Kong Art in the 80s and 90s” exhibition examines the new trends and breakthroughs in contemporary art in Hong Kong during the era. With a two-year project of interviews, research and consolidation, the HKMoA worked closely with guest curator Janet Fong and her team, and invites visitors to look at the breakthroughs and accomplishments of Hong Kong artists in a new light. This was achieved through showcasing artworks by seven representative artists and artist collectives, restaging iconic art spaces of the time, and presenting archives and documents.
The exhibits include a new edition of Chan Yuk-keung’s mixed media installation, “Vertical Rye Field”, which was presented at the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Australia in 1996; both 1989 and 2016 versions, as well as a 2021 new version of May Fung’s video installation work, “She Said Why Me”; a series of black and white photographic works, “Shenzhen”, by Joseph Fung who was among the first group of Hong Kong photographers to enter the Mainland after the open door policy, along with works that he shot around the globe such as “Boston/Yanggong Series” and a series of 3D digital images, “The Butterfly Dream Series”; Ellen Pau’s iconic work, “Recycling Cinema”, which was showcased at the first Hong Kong Pavilion at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001 and is now presented in a 245 degree format for the first time; and Choi Yan-chi’s reinterpretion of her installation work “Butterfly Dream as Smoke”, as well as presenting her video of an avant-garde art installation performance.
In addition to innovative creations by artists, the exhibition has rebuilt the site-specific project “Coffee Shop”, created in 1998 by the founding members of Para Site (formerly Para/Site), including Tsang Tak-ping, Leung Chi-wo, Sara Wong, Patrick Lee, Phoebe Man, Leung Mee-ping and active member Anthony Leung. By turning the art space into a makeshift café, the artists display their experimental works in the venue to invite viewers to interact with the work and the site. The exhibition also has reconstructed the art space of NuNaHeDuo Centre of Photography in the 1990s and showcases the photographic works by the five co-founders members Lee Ka-sing, Holly Lee, Patrick Lee, Lau Ching-ping and Blues Wong.
The exhibition researcher Lo Yin-shan compiled an archival unit entitled “Discourse of Reimagined Hong Kong Art Communities”, showcasing records, documents, publications, images and historical objects that she collected from different channels and art participants, as well as a photo diary from 1994 to 2000 presented by Professor David Clarke. The archival unit illuminates Hong Kong contemporary art in the 1980s and ’90s from diverse points of view.
The exhibition will run from tomorrow until April 24 next year at the HKMoA (10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon). According to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F), visitors are required to scan the “LeaveHomeSafe” QR code or register their name, contact number and the date and time of the visit before being allowed to enter museums for necessary contact tracing if a confirmed case is found. Appeals are made to members of the public to download the “LeaveHomeSafe” mobile app in advance and scan the QR code with the app before entering. Members of the public who opt for registering their personal information at the scene are reminded to arrive earlier to avoid delaying their visits as a longer time is required for such registration.
In view of the latest situation of COVID-19, the museum will apply a quota to limit visitor flow. Visitors to the museum will need to use hand sanitiser and will be subject to temperature checks before admission. They also need to wear their own masks. Children under 12 will only be allowed to enter the museum and exhibition facilities when accompanied by an adult. For details of the exhibition and the admission arrangements, please visit the website at hk.art.museum/en_US/web/ma/exhibitions-and-events/new-horizons-ways-of-seeing-hong-kong-art-in-the-80s-and-90s.html or call 2721 0116 for enquiries.
The Government announced today (March 4) that the application deadlines of the Travel Agents Incentive Scheme (TAIS) and the Green Lifestyle Local Tour Incentive Scheme (GLIS) would be extended for one year to March 31, 2022. T… read more