Long-lived Lana faces challenge

A veteran celebrity showed the urge to sweep Covid-19 out of Hong Kong for the Year of the Tiger.

That was yesterday as 91-year-old actress Lana Wong Ha-wai was dressed as a tiger in Tsim Sha Tsui to deliver Lunar New Year blessings.

But Wong had hoped for more. She has joined the first incense offering at Wong Tai Sin Temple for years while dressed in a costume of the animal that was arriving, but yesterday she spoke of being disappointed about the event's cancellation because of the coronavirus.

Yesterday also saw the chairman pf the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Henry Tang Ying-yen, wish for economic, political and cultural blooms in the new year.

"I hope the border between Hong Kong and the mainland will reopen again and allow the SAR's economy to come back to life," Tang said.

He added that the next chief executive, to be elected on March 27, must focus on citizens' livelihoods and solve deep-rooted conflicts to give Hong Kong a fresh start.