Briefs | Couples to pay more for being old

An elderly couple from Sichuan province was required to pay a “seniors’ fee” in addition to the normal fee for a package tour to travel to Australia, according to a mainland report earlier this week. The couple tried to apply for the package tour at different travel agencies in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province. However, Mr He, 72, and his 68-year-old wife were asked to pay an extra RMB1,200 each because of their age. According to Mr He, staff from the travel agencies which they visited, told the couple that customers younger than 28 or older than 59 would be charged an additional fee depending on the destination of travel. This so-called additional fee was abolished in 2009.

More local nursery places needed

Choi Sio Un from the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) claimed during a television interview that IAS expects the number of students enrolled in local nurseries to reach 10,000. Choi advised that IAS is complying with the legal procedures that allow the establishment of new nurseries, as well as the expansion of existing ones. He affirmed that he realizes the concerns of parents of children at preschool age. “I understand that the parents want their children to gain a sense of independence before going to school,” said Choi. He believes that IAS can attend to the needs of 90 percent of the children who will be in nurseries this year. There are currently 50 nurseries in Macau taking care of 8,400 children. Thirty-three nurseries are funded by the government. The enrollment period will see a peak during April and May. Eighty percent of the 33 nurseries funded by the government started the first phase of enrollment today.

New sand supply for land reclamation

The Infrastructure Development Office announced the establishment of a new dredging site – with the support of the authorities of Guangdong Province – to supply sand for the land reclamation work relating to the new urban zone known as Area A.  The new dredging site is located south of the Y-Bridge. However, Sand extraction at the new site is technically more challenging than in the area  in which it was previously used. The Office said it would strive to develop new solutions in the coming months to ensure a stable supply of sand for the Area A land reclamation project.  Land reclamation works for Area A were originally due to be completed by December 2015. The schedule however was affected by the February 2015 closure of the dredging site that supplied sand for the works.