The Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong

FCC Further Tightens Anti-Virus Restrictions

FCC Further Tightens Anti-Virus Restrictions

Dear Members:

The Hong Kong government is again tightening its anti-virus restrictions; several changes affect the FCC. The club will comply with the measures as follows starting Thursday Dec. 10:

•	Only two people are allowed at tables in all outlets and the number of guests per member is now limited to one.
•	All restaurants will close at 6:00 p.m. every day. Last orders for food will be 5:15 p.m. while last orders for drinks will be 5:30 p.m. Any food or drink should not be consumed in areas adjacent to the FCC after 6 p.m.
•	The takeaway menu is available from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., though last orders must be made by 9:00 p.m. The menu can be downloaded from our website at fcchk.org. Please place orders with the FCC Restaurant at 2844 2806 or [email protected]. Orders will be confirmed by a phone call.
•	The gym, including the sauna and steam room, will be closed.
•	Banqueting will continue except for cocktail parties, and distancing and mask-wearing while not eating or drinking are being enforced. The number of participants per event is limited to 20, with two to a table until 6 p.m. Please contact the banquet team at 2844 2838 or [email protected] to book.
•	Live performances are suspended.
•	All outlets are restricted to 50% capacity. Please book ahead.
•	The workroom is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wearing a mask is required.
•	The FCC has registered a “LeaveHomeSafe” venue QR code from the government and now displayed the QR code at the entrance of the club to facilitate check in by members and guests and keep a record of visits with their mobile phones.

In keeping with government requirements and best practices, all members, guests and staff must wear face masks except when eating or drinking. Hand sanitizer must be used. The FCC will continue the temperature-taking and declaration measures upon entry to the club, as well as the frequent cleaning protocols throughout the building. Please inform the staff if you are concerned that any of the rules are not being followed.

People who have traveled overseas in the past 21 days are not allowed to visit the club, even once the “travel bubble” with Singapore begins.

Thank you for your continued support of the FCC.

9 December 2020

FCC Minimum Spend

FCC MINIMUM SPEND

Please be advised that the FCC Minimum Spend, which was rolled over from September, will now appear on members’ December statements that will be sent in early January. Despite the current restrictions, the FCC is very much open for business and we look forward to welcoming you over the holiday period. The minimum spend can be used for the club’s extensive take-away menu, including drinks. Additionally, vouchers equivalent to any outstanding minimum spend can be purchased and will be valid for use through March 2021.

Thank you for your support of the FCC.

2 December 2020

FCC Minimum Spend

FCC MINIMUM SPEND

Thank you for your support of the FCC.

2 December 2020

FCC Further Tightens Anti-Virus Restrictions

FCC Further Tightens Anti-Virus Restrictions

Dear Members:

The Hong Kong government is further tightening its anti-virus restrictions; a few new changes affect the FCC. The club will comply with the measures as follows starting Wednesday Dec. 2:

•	Only two people — from four — are allowed at tables in all outlets and the number of guests per member is now limited to one.
•	All restaurants will close at 10:00 p.m. every day. Last orders for food will be 9:15 p.m. while last orders for drinks will be 9:30 p.m.
•	The gym is open yet the sauna and steam room remain closed. No more than two people are allowed per station and only four people in the room at a time. Wearing a mask while exercising is required in the gym. Please pre-register with the gym attendant at 2844 2849.
•	In-person events will continue, though two-per-table limits, a limit of 40 per event, distancing and mask-wearing requirements are strictly enforced.
•	Banqueting will continue except for cocktail parties, and distancing and mask-wearing while not eating or drinking are being enforced. The number of participants per event is limited to 40, with two to a table. Please contact the banquet team at 2844 2838 or [email protected] to book.
•	The takeaway menu is available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., though last orders must be made by 9:00 p.m. The menu can be downloaded from our website at fcchk.org. Please place orders with the FCC Restaurant at 2844 2806 or [email protected]. Orders will be confirmed by a phone call.
•	Live performances are suspended.
•	All outlets are restricted to 50% capacity. Please book ahead.
•	The workroom is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wearing a mask is required.
•	As of Dec 2, it will be mandatory for the FCC to register a “LeaveHomeSafe” venue QR code from the government and display the QR code at the entrance of the club to facilitate check in by members and guests and keep a record of visits with their mobile phones.

People who have traveled overseas in the past 14 days are not allowed to visit the club, even once the “travel bubble” with Singapore begins.

Thank you for your continued support of the FCC.

1 December 2020

A Message from the FCC President

Dear FCC Members:

This is a bittersweet note to write. I will be leaving Hong Kong in late December, moving to Bloomberg’s Global Business team in New York as a senior editor helping guide our coverage of the U.S. government response to the Covid-19 virus and the vaccine rollout.

It has been one of the highlights of my professional life to be president of the FCC for the past 18 months and to serve on the Board of Governors before that. This is the world’s best press club and a standard bearer of press freedom — a mission I cherish. I wish I could finish my second term yet this is a professional opportunity I can’t pass up. Family reasons are also calling me back to the U.S. The pandemic has made it difficult to live so far away from my elderly mother and my young-adult sons, without being able to travel.

The FCC will remain in excellent hands. I have been fortunate to work with a top-notch Board of Governors, who I know will make a wise choice in early January as to who will take over the presidency for the five months left after I end my term on Dec. 31. I plan to fully carry out my duties until then. We also are fortunate to have a terrific staff, led by our general manager, Didier Saugy.

I will be around the FCC through the holiday season. I hope to be able to see many of you and raise a toast to the world’s best press club.

Thank you,

Jodi Schneider
Hong Kong
Dec. 1, 2020

FCC Membership Promotion

FCC Membership Promotion

The FCC prides itself on the diversity and vibrancy of its membership. Our Correspondent and Journalist members represent the core of the club, while our Associate, Diplomatic and Corporate members bring a vast range of talents and backgrounds that make the club such an important cornerstone of Hong Kong life. In order to encourage membership and maintain that diversity in all categories, the Board of Governors has approved a promotion through which existing members who introduce new applicants in any of the five categories will receive a HK$ 1,000 food and beverage credit to their account upon the successful acceptance of the applicant and payment of their joining fee. Application forms are available from the Club reception desk or can be downloaded from the FCC website.

Invite to join the FCC’s Disciplinary Panel

FCC Minimum Spend Period Extended

FCC Minimum Spend Period Extended

While the FCC has remained open during the restrictions imposed in Hong Kong as a result of the coronavirus, the Board of Governors is aware that it has been more difficult than usual for some members to enjoy the club’s facilities. The board has therefore decided that the minimum spend due on members’ September accounts will be rolled over for another three months. This means that no minimum spend charge will appear on members’ September bills and the minimum spend will be HK$ 1,800 for the six-month period from 1 July, to appear on December bills.

Once again, the club will offer the opportunity to purchase vouchers for any minimum spend not used by 31 December. We would also like to remind members who purchased vouchers to cover the minimum spend for the first six months of this year that those vouchers expire 30 November.

Thank you for your continued support of the FCC.

22 September 2020

FCC Restrictions Further Relaxed

FCC Restrictions Further Relaxed

Dear Members:

The Hong Kong government starting Friday October 30 will further ease anti-virus restrictions. The club will comply with the new measures as follows:

•

Operating hours for all restaurants and bars will revert to their previous hours (see timetable below). Last orders for food can be made by 10:50 p.m. while last orders for drinks can be made 30 minutes before closing.

Venue	Monday – Saturday	Sunday	Public Holidays
Bert’s	Mon –Thu/Sat: 12:00–24:00 Fri: 12:00–01:00	closed	closed
Main Bar	Mon–Wed: 10:00–24:00 Thu–Sat: 10:00–02:00	10:00–24:00	Sun–Wed: 10:00–24:00 Thu–Sat: 10:00–02:00
Lounge	Mon–Wed: 07:30–24:00 Thu–Sat: 07:30–01:00	10:00–24:00	Sun–Wed: 10:00–24:00 Thu–Sat: 10:00–01:00
Dining Room, Verandah & Chinese Restaurant	Luncheon: 12:00–14:30 Dinner: 18:30–24:00	12:00–21:00 (Dining Room)	closed

•

The takeaway menu is available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., though last orders must be made by 9:00 p.m. The menu can be downloaded from our website at fcchk.org. Please place orders with the FCC Restaurant at 2844 2806 or [email protected]. Orders will be confirmed by a phone call.

•

Up to six people will be allowed at tables in all outlets and the number of guests per member will be extended to three.

•

All outlets will be extended to 75% capacity.

•

Live performances will resume in Bert’s on Friday nights.

•

In-person events can resume, though in keeping with all required measures such as mask wearing while not eating or drinking. We will soon plan speaker events, as well as food and beverage events.

•

Banqueting can resume as well. Please contact the banquet team at 2844 2838 or [email protected] to book.

•

The gym is open yet the sauna and steam room remain closed. No more than four people are allowed at a time. Wearing a mask while exercising is no longer required in the gym. Please pre-register with the gym attendant at 2844 2849.

•

The workroom will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wearing a mask is required.

In keeping with government requirements and best practices, all members, guests and staff must wear face masks except when eating or drinking. Hand sanitizer must be used. The FCC will continue the check-in, temperature-taking and declaration measures upon entry to the club, as well as the frequent cleaning protocols throughout the building.

Thank you for your continued support of the FCC.

28 October 2020

FCC Continues Anti-Virus Restrictions

FCC Continues Anti-Virus Restrictions

Dear Members:

The Hong Kong government is again tightening its anti-virus restrictions; a few changes affect the FCC. The club will comply with the measures as follows:

•	All restaurants will close at 11:59 p.m. every day. Last orders for food will be 10:50 p.m. while last orders for drinks will be 11:30 p.m.
•	The takeaway menu is available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., though last orders must be made by 9:00 p.m. The menu can be downloaded from our website at fcchk.org. Please place orders with the FCC Restaurant at 2844 2806 or [email protected]. Orders will be confirmed by a phone call.
•	Up to four people are allowed at tables in all outlets and the number of guests per member remains at three.
•	All outlets are restricted to 50% capacity. Please book ahead.
•	Live performances are suspended.
•	In-person events will continue, though four-per-table limits, a limit to 40 in the room, distancing and mask-wearing requirements are strictly enforced.
•	Banqueting has resumed except for cocktail parties, and distancing and mask-wearing while not eating or drinking are being enforced. The number of participants per event is limited to 40. Please contact the banquet team at 2844 2838 or [email protected] to book.
•	The gym is open yet the sauna and steam room remain closed. No more than four people are allowed at a time. Wearing a mask while exercising is not required in the gym. Please pre-register with the gym attendant at 2844 2849.
•	The workroom is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wearing a mask is required.
•	As of Dec 2, it will be mandatory for the FCC to register a “LeaveHomeSafe” venue QR code from the government and display the QR code at the entrance of the club to facilitate check in by members and guests and keep a record of visits with their mobile phones.

People who have travelled overseas in the past 14 days are not allowed to visit the club, even once the “travel bubble” with Singapore begins.

Thank you for your continued support of the FCC.

25 November 2020