The Young Reporter

Training for China’s Olympic volunteers is in full swing as the country prepares for the Winter Games while unveiling strict COVID-19 precautions.   Around 27,000 volunteers selected from more than 1 million applicants will be part of the Olympic bubble in Beijing that will isolate staff, athletes and others connected to the event from the rest of the country.   China’s measures are much stricter than those in Japan, which wrapped up its Summer Olympics with more than 400 reported COVID-19 cases.   “The Winter Olympics are expected to be held as scheduled, but it will be blocked to a certain extent,” said Wu Yifei, chairman of the Hebei Tourism Investment Group Co., Ltd, who is responsible for constructing hotels for the volunteers. “This will lead to a decline in the income of the Winter Olympic industry, but the safety of athletes always comes first.”   Hou Peiqi, a student at Hebei Medical University, signed up as a volunteer because she said she wants to contribute to her hometown. “Since the end of 2019, I have received volunteer training on etiquette, skiing, English, first aid and so on,” she said, “Now I'm good at skiing. The Winter Olympic Games have prompted my interest in ice and snow sports.”   “We will show the world China's style again,” Miss Hou said. “Many people in China are now looking forward to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.”  

Since the beginning of this month, Covid precautionary measures in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province have forced the closure of cinemas, and cancellation of face-to-face classes in kindergartens and tutorial schools. Some events have been cancelled and department stores have stepped up their disinfection routines.   However, there has not been a single case of Covid in Shijiazhuang for more than five months.   A staff member of UME cinema answered the hotline and said that the policy was implemented with very short notice. They do not know whether they will be paid during the closure.   “We are still waiting for a further plan from our company,” she said.   Party officials explained that the city should act as a “moat” to protect Beijing from the pandemic. Geographically, Beijing is surrounded by Hebei province. For years, Shijiazhuang and Hebei province have seen themselves as the “capital political moat”, safeguarding the stability of Beijing.   On August 5, Wang Dongfeng, the secretary of Hebei provincial Party committee, said at a conference dealing with COVID-19 that Hebei would do a good job in pandemic prevention and control, and resolutely acted as the moat of the capital with practical results. The policy is leaving some cinema-goers baffled. According to an announcement posted by China Film Administration on August 4, cinemas in medium and high risk areas should be closed temporarily, but in low-risk areas attendance can be up to 75%.   Kang Hongming, a university student living in Shijiazhuang thought that it was not reasonable to close the cinemas. “Beijing has 23 confirmed cases now but the cinemas there are still open. Shijiazhuang has zero cases but all the cinemas are closed. It's weird,” he said. “ Sometimes the local government considered Beijing first instead of its own citizens,” he added. Wang …

Water World, Ocean Park’s new attraction, will open on September 21, the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival.   The initial signs are that people are looking forward to trying out the new water rides as "early bird discount" tickets for the first week were sold out in the first 17 minutes after sales opened online at 5 pm today (August 9).   Originally scheduled to open in 2017, Water Park is expected to boost the fortunes of Ocean Park, which has suffered financial losses in recent years because of falling numbers of local and overseas visitors due to the social unrest in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020.    The amusement facility was saved from financial collapse by a $5.4 billion bailout by the government last year. A subsequent $6.4 billion rebirth plan was approved by the Legislative Council in March.   Built near the sea, Water World is the first facility of its kind in Asia that opens all year round. It has five theme zones and 27 indoor and outdoor attractions, including the city’s first-ever surf rider, nine dynamic water slides and several water play zones.   A visitor to the park, who would only be identified as Ms. Wong, said that she would definitely take her two children to Water World as they both like playing in the water very much.   “(However) I won't do it for the time being because I'm still worried about the spread of the (Covid-19) virus,” she said.    “We know that many people are looking forward to it and many people will go there, but epidemic prevention in the water is difficult to guarantee. You can't swim with a mask."    Ocean Park officials say tourists will be required to wear masks on leaving the pools and moving …

After completing the mandatory coronavirus test, passengers on China Eastern flight MU507 from Shanghai, one of the few flights arriving today from mainland China, gradually exited the arrivals hall around 5:30 p.m., reluctantly ready to accept latest quarantine requirements of the Return2HK scheme. "The government did not give us time to respond,'' said Xindy, a passenger on the Shanghai flight who came to work in Hong Kong and will stay in a hotel for her quarantine. "People who do not have a place in Hong Kong have to book hotels to quarantine, but many hotels are fully booked and many don't provide the quarantine service. The time left for us was too short, and the government did not provide any help." The Hong Kong government announced yesterday that due to the sudden increase of coronavirus infections in mainland China, from midnight today (Aug. 5), Hong Kong residents returning from the mainland, except Guangdong Province, are subject to 14-day compulsory quarantine at home under the Return2HK scheme. They are also required to be tested five times for a coronavirus infection during and after the quarantine period. "The previous policy, even if it is urgent, is usually implemented from ‘next Monday.’ It's on short notice this time," said Xindy, who was unhappy with the sudden change and only provided her first name. The new quarantine policy also affects university students arriving from the mainland. Many students who returned to mainland China during summer holiday have to adjust their return plans. "I originally planned to return to Hong Kong after August 20, but now I may go to Shenzhen these days," said Charlotte Wang, an undergraduate film student at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) who is now in Xi'an. "Since I have to either stay in Guangdong for at least 14 days or …