Peter Atwater, a professor of economics at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, began popularizing the idea of a “K‑shaped economy” shortly after the pandemic began. Analysts were debating on social media what the recovery would look like after the self‑induced coma into which GDP had been plunged, and they floated the usual options: an L (a plunge followed by stagnation), a V (a rebound as sharp as the drop), a W (a renewed recession after a brief uptick)… Though he wasn’t the first to suggest the K. An unknown user — now rebranded as Ivan The K — argued on X (still called Twitter at the time) that the final letter would be a K: meaning some things would recover and others wouldn’t. For Atwater, 65, that message was a revelation that went much further: the more privileged social groups would emerge from the pandemic strengthened in several aspects of their lives, while those at the bottom would be worse off relative to 2019.

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Global mental health has eroded. A study published this Thursday in the journal The Lancet estimates that about 1.2 billion people — 14% of the planet — suffer from mental health problems. That is, in absolute terms, nearly double the number recorded in 1990. Experts attribute the rise in part to improved detection, but also say entrenched poverty, wars, the impact of natural disasters and disruptive events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have driven up the incidence of some disorders. Adolescents aged 15 to 19 and women of all ages are the hardest hit: they bear the highest levels, especially of anxiety and depression. According to the study, mental disorders are already the leading cause of disability worldwide, surpassing cardiovascular disease, cancer and musculoskeletal conditions.

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The Legislative Council (LegCo) has confirmed that the Designated Demonstration Area at the complex, along with the surrounding LegCo Square, is being used as a car park.

In a response to HKFP earlier last month, the LegCo Secretariat said that the revamp was part of the renovations which took place after the number of lawmakers was expanded from 70 to 90 for the 2022 legislative term.

The Secretariat said: “Since the completion of the expansion project of the Legislative Council (“LegCo”) Complex, all 90 LegCo Members and their staff as well as staff of the LegCo Secretariat have moved into the Complex and have been working under one roof.”

It added, “To meet operational needs, the LegCo Square and the whole area (including the Designated Demonstration Area) outside the main entrances to the Complex have been used as a parking area for Members and visitors to the Complex. The Legislative Council Commission will keep the use of this area under review from time to time.”

It did not respond when asked when the car park work was completed, but according to a LegCo fact sheet, major expansion works were completed at the complex last year.

Status of protest area ‘clear,’ says LegCo

The Designated Demonstration Area was intended as the only authorised location for petitions and protests at the legislature. However, it was closed during the 2019 pro-democracy protests and unrest.

After the turmoil and the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions that followed, then-legislative president Andrew Leung hinted that the protest area could reopen in early 2025 at the latest. He dismissed concerns that the extended closure was for political reasons, stating that it “can only reopen when we get rid of the glass and can ensure it is safe,” according to the Standard in 2023.

Leung may have been referring to the brief occupation of the building on July 1, 2019, by pro-democracy protesters, who broke windows to access the complex and vandalised it.

Last August, Leung said the reopening was still under consideration, adding that the “scale of current petition activities had become smaller, and it is necessary to consider whether such a large space is still required,” according to NowTV.

HKFP asked the LegCo Secretariat multiple times last month whether the Designated Demonstration Area was still available for those who wished to submit a petition or stage a protest.

They did not directly confirm whether it remained open, but they referred HKFP to their earlier response, adding that it was already “clear,” and did not “amount to a refusal to confirm if the Designated Demonstration Area is still operational.”

A Legislative Council handbook for lawmakers, dated this February, suggests that the protest area is still available for applications, despite the new car park.

The application form for using the area is still online, as are the guidelines – both from 2018.

They state: “Members of the public are allowed to stage petitions or demonstrations at the LegCo Square, subject to the terms set out in the ‘Guidelines for staging petitions or demonstrations by individuals and groups at designated demonstration areas in premises managed by The Legislative Council Commission’.”

‘Doors always open’

According to its website, the purpose-built Legislative Council complex at Tamar in Admiralty was opened in September 2011 and included architectural features to showcase transparency.

The website states: “The Tamar Project has been designed with the main theme of ‘Doors Always Open’, ‘Land Always Green’, ‘Sky Will Be Blue’ and ‘People Will Be Connected’.”

No major mass protests have been held in Hong Kong since the onset of the 2020 national security law.

Vulnerable Hongkongers are being urged by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) to get their Covid-19 jabs before current stocks expire.

The renewed call comes after the government confirmed two severe paediatric cases of Covid-19 infection, involving a one-year-old boy and a 19-month-old boy.

The CHP said last week that the two children were in critical condition and neither had received a Covid vaccine.

CHP Controller Dr Edwin Tsui warned that “certain high-risk individuals, especially young children, who have not received their initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and have not developed immunity through natural infection, face a higher risk of serious complications if they become infected.”

He urged that those who have not yet received their initial dose of the vaccine, including children aged six months or above, should get vaccinated as soon as possible and that high-risk individuals, especially the elderly and those with underlying comorbidities, should also receive a booster dose.

For children aged between six months and 11 years old, vaccination services will be available until July 10. Services for those aged 12 or above will continue until September 5.

A new batch of the LP.8.1 mRNA Covid-19 vaccines will be available in the final quarter of 2026, according to the CHP.

“During this transition period, eligible individuals will not be able to receive free COVID-19 vaccines through the Programme for a short period. As such, those in need are advised to make appointments as early as possible,” the CHP said.

Initial doses are free for residents aged six months and older.

Currently, priority groups eligible for a free booster under the Government Vaccination Programme include those over 65, residents of elderly care homes, people aged 50 to 54 with underlying comorbidities, anyone aged over six months who is immunocompromised, pregnant women and healthcare workers.

Dr Mike Kwan, president of the Asian Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday that it takes a fortnight for the body to fully develop immunity after getting the jab, so high-risk individuals should act now.

“Pending the new strain of the vaccine coming to Hong Kong at the end of this year… there will be a gap where there will be no Covid vaccine available in Hong Kong,” Kwan said after a Commercial Radio programme, according to RTHK.

“If any individual, especially those high-risk individuals, including small children, elderly and compromised people, if they have not yet received the Covid vaccine or their vaccine was received more than six months ago since the last dose, please [get your] vaccination as early as possible to increase your immunity to protect against Covid infection,” he said.

Visit the CHP website for more information or details on where to book a jab privately.

Major French luxury department store Galeries Lafayette closed its first China flagship branch on Wednesday, over a decade after opening, pointing to sluggish domestic consumption and shifting spending habits.

A steady stream of shoppers browsed for last-minute deals as employees packed away unsold merchandise and mannequins on the penultimate day of Galeries Lafayette operations in Beijing, which has been open for 13 years, AFP journalists saw.

The six-floor emporium three kilometres (1.8 miles) west of the Forbidden City was being emptied of handbags, clothing, shoes and children’s toys before it locked up indefinitely.

“Don’t be sad, this is not goodbye forever,” the store said in a social media post this month announcing its Beijing closure.

“Beijing, until we meet again!”

When the French chain opened its doors in mainland China in 2013, it was at the beginning of a huge growth period for the Chinese luxury market.

China’s burgeoning middle class became a significant part of the global luxury consumer base as brands that were once only aspirational were now within reach in the world’s second largest economy.

But since the Covid-19 pandemic and property market woes dampened domestic consumption in China, the luxury sector has struggled to adapt.

“In response to… shifting market dynamics, Galeries Lafayette will refresh its business formats moving forward,” the chain said in a press release announcing the closure of its 48,000-square metre Beijing location this month.

“Consumer expectations regarding the traditional department store model have evolved significantly. Modern shoppers are increasingly prioritising greater convenience, elevated service, more meaningful experiences, and a greater sense of wellbeing,” it said.

Its Beijing branch was too large, while the Covid pandemic, a slump in domestic consumption spurred by a property crisis and a slowdown in the luxury sector added to its plight, the chain told AFP separately.

The chain is still operating its two other locations in mainland China — in Shanghai, which opened in 2018, and in southern China’s Shenzhen, which opened in 2023.

Finance worker Qian Linlin, whose office is steps away from the Beijing flagship store, said she was surprised to learn the mall she visited occasionally during lunch breaks would shut down.

“I noticed there weren’t many customers, but I never imagined that one day it would suddenly close down and then leave,” the 40-year-old said a day before its curtain call.

“After it opened, at the time, it was also a landmark building, and us young people would all come over to shop,” she said.

“We can only look back on memories.”