Community, not Government, Fights the Virus

The stress of the pandemic is having a toll on Hongkongers, two months on

Imagine in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, you are born to the world and six weeks later you contract the contagious virus.

That's what happened to a baby boy at a celebration for him on March 30. He is the youngest known infected patient in Hong Kong and health officials are trying to track down who came into contact with the baby.

On this day 17 years ago we lost Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing

"The person might have held him, thereby infecting him," said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection at a press conference today.

Dr Lau Ka-hin, chief manager of quality and standards at the Hospital Authority, said the baby had a fever of up to 38 degrees Celsius, but was in stable condition. He was tested for other illnesses like meningitis, and the tests were normal.

His parents tested negative for the cornavirus.

The child is being given a cocktail of anti-viral medication on the advice of experts.

We hope the baby will pull through and get better soon, and we can only imagine his parents in shock and fear at the situation they have put their child in. Major guilt complex for sure.

What would goh goh think about our world today?

This being April 1 is also a sad anniversary -- the death of Cantopop king Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing who committed suicide on this day in 2003 in the midst of the SARS epidemic. He was 46 years old.

Seventeen years later and we are experiencing something worse than SARS that is affecting the entire world.

On social media, many people posted pictures of him to remember "goh goh". My friend YTSL told me there would be no gathering at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong where he died, due to the coronavirus. Every year lots of bouquets of flowers are placed by the hotel by fans who still miss their idol deeply.

What would goh goh think about where Hong Kong is now? We have all been through so much in the intervening years, and yet this pandemic as well as the anti-government protests are far from over.

Long lines for masks in the early stages of the epidemic

Luckily the number of cases in the city is relatively low compared to others, as the community has been quicker to respond than the authorities by wearing masks and social distancing at an early stage; meanwhile the media continue to press the government on why it is not enacting tougher measures faster to prevent people from gathering.

Finally today karaoke lounges and mahjong parlours must shut for 14 days after a lot of questions from reporters yesterday. Beauty and massage parlours may be next. But the government should really be implementing tougher measures right from the beginning; why is it waiting for an uproar from the public and the media before finally shutting establishments down temporarily?

No wonder some 70 percent of people believe Hong Kong has managed to avoid a large-scale epidemic due to the efforts of the community, in a recent survey conducted by Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Karaoke lounges and mahjong parlours are finally shut down

Over 60 percent of respondents are dissatisfied with the government's immigration measures since the outbreak, as there were many calls to completely shut off the border with the mainland, but the authorities refused.

When it comes to the government procuring protective equipment, some 67 percent of people are dissatisfied, as evidenced by the massive lines for masks and the exorbitant prices for them. The government promised more masks for the community, particularly the elderly and those in seniors' homes, but that promise doesn't see to have been kept. Healthcare workers have also protested about not having enough protective gear.

One would think that showing leadership during this pandemic would be a good opportunity for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to redeem herself after her pathetic performance during the eight-months of protests (which are still on-going by the way). But she squandered that chance and seems to be constantly playing catch-up and reacting to issues than being pro-active about them.

Perhaps she doesn't care much about the upcoming Legislative Council elections in November?