Paul Chan's Short-Term Sweeteners

Chan's budget aimed at fighting Covid, helping businesses

Following Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's announcement that universal testing will happen next month, those with means started booking the next flight out of Hong Kong. In the coming weeks there will be a massive exodus of people -- local, expat -- who have had enough of the government's half-hearted measures in dealing with this exponentially rising fifth wave and want out.

Why not, when the leader of Hong Kong has declared that as of next week children are on "summer break" and back to school in late April and will finish the rest of the school year in August, and a week or two later begin the new academic year.

Lam announced universal testing last night

The next generation have been hurt the most by this pandemic, now in its third year. And their long suffering parents having to work from home, now have to some how find things for their brood to do on their "summer break", but not meet any friends or take any classes.

Ah but wait -- Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has come up with some sweeteners for people today in his longest budget speech.

One of the first things he announced was all permanent residents 18 years and older, and new immigrants from the mainland will get HK$10,000 in electronic vouchers -- but in two stages. While that is great, again it will not benefit the small mom and pop shops, nor the wet markets. 

And it also sends a confusing message, as one economist says: "On the one hand, the government tells everyone to stay home for social distancing, but on the other, it asks you to go and spend. The policies are conflicting."

Permanent residents will get HK$10,000

There are many businesses that are on the verge of shutting down and giving out these vouchers will not save them.

Chan will make it easier for first-time home buyers to get a mortgage on 90 percent of the property's value, the maximum amount is HK$10 million, but who is left to buy them? Does anyone have the appetite, unless they know they are going to stay in the city for the long term?

To fight the pandemic, the financial secretary earmarked HK$22 billion to bolster its screening capacity and purchase rapid antigen tests, while another HK$10 billion will be invested in life science technology.

The city's 340,000 small and medium-sized enterprises will get access to a special loan scheme for another year from June, but is that enough to keep them afloat?

But meanwhile the police get to beef up their resources even more with HK$508 million for more gear and vehicles, while a whopping HK$5.1 billion will be spent on prisoners. Currently that amounts to HK$677,000, or maybe the government is expecting more people will be behind bars in the coming year?

More money spent on fighting Covid-19

As the government depends on land sales to fill its coffers, it is reasonable to see Chan propose a progressive rating system where those buying pricier flats will pay more in property rates. This, he says, could bring in HK$7.6 billion annually.

But what about education? Children have lost so much in the past two years. What is the government going to do for these students in terms of helping them get the resources and teaching they need? And in terms of healthcare, was there any talk of hiring more people to come to Hong Kong to help with caring for the sick?

Some economists felt the budget while it may help in the short term, does not have any long-term foresight in how the government will help Hong Kong's economy get out of the pandemic and restore its status as a financial hub.

"Some senior management of multinational corporations are leaving Hong Kong and they have alternatives, such as Singapore," said Simon Lee Siu-po, of Chinese University. "As far as the economic outlook in the medium term is concerned, it really depends on whether Hong Kong can restore free flow of people."

Not many are waiting around to find out.

Youngest and Oldest Hongkongers Die from Covid

Thousands waiting, is this the most efficient way to fight Covid?

It was tragic to find out a three-year-old girl who was in critical condition with Covid-19 and no underlying health issues has passed away, the youngest victim of the virus so far, while a 100-year-old chronically ill woman also died, being the oldest fatality in Hong Kong.

And yet Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said today: "It is not an option to surrender to the virus", despite the healthcare system being completely overwhelmed. 

Even her deputy, Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu now needs to be isolated after his domestic helper was found to be infected with the virus, while pro-Beijing lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee's chauffeur tested positive too.

Lee is isolating after his helper tested positive

Despite Lam's insistence on achieving "dynamic zero infection", she has not shown any indication of earnestly trying to fight the fifth wave as quickly and effectively as possible.

During the media briefing this morning she suggested that 3,000 flats from three public housing estates could be used as well as 10,000 hotel rooms to isolate people who have tested positive for the virus. Lam did not invoke emergency powers to demand the hotels give up the rooms as soon as possible, but instead has chosen to approach "industry leaders" to expedite the process.

After over two years, how many hotels are going to be willing to be turned into isolation facilities? Who among the staff -- who have no medical training -- would be willing to service these people knowing there would be a high risk of getting infected as seen from quarantine hotels?

And then Lam has suggested that 400 taxis be chosen specifically to ferry infected people to designated medical clinics that will process Covid-19 patients. Again, who is willing to drive these people around, knowing they have tested positive for the virus?

Some 400 taxis will ferry patients to clinics

This plan does not seem feasible, thanks to the government being caught seriously flat-footed knowing Omicron is an easily transmissible virus and seeing how it has affected people overseas -- just looking at Singapore -- and anticipating the worst-case scenarios and preparing for them.

In addition there are another 30 nurses and doctors in 28 hospitals and eight clinics and care homes that have also come down with Covid. Does Lam think that healthcare professionals are limitless? Many already migrated in the past year so there was already a serious shortage.

If that wasn't all, there were pictures circulating on social media of to 60 patients in gurneys outside the Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po around 2pm, and at Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long, about 40 patients treated outside on gurneys or in tents while others sat on chairs. They were given foil blankets if they complained about the cold.

How is this even acceptable in Hong Kong?

Patients in Sham Shui Po treated outside hospital

The best thing people can do to protect themselves and their loved ones other than wearing masks is to get vaccinated. The government is too overwhelmed to help anyone, so it up to all of us to look after ourselves and getting inoculated is the fastest (and cheapest) way to do that.

In the meantime spare a thought for the three-year-old girl's family. We have all been through so much, and yet we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet...

Middle-Aged Hongkongers Can't Quit Yet

People retiring soon don't have much saved in their MPF

 

Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund, or MPF is a compulsory savings scheme for retirement. Both the employee and employer contribute a maximum of HK$1,500 each per month and the employee decides which mutual funds to invest in.

As a result, a maximum of HK$36,000 as a principal is added to the MPF per year, and since it was only started in 2000, people who are now in their 50s feel the amount in their MPF accounts is hardly enough to financially cover them in retirement, and as a result many want to continue working.

HK$36K per year is invested in the MPF

In a survey commissioned by the Hong Kong Retirement Schemes Association, a group that promotes pension schemes in the city, nine out of 10 middle-income earners reaching retirement age don't want to stop working because they feel their pension is hardly adequate.

Many also worry that because of the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare costs will rise.

The MPF on average can only provide about 40 percent of a person's salary after retirement. 

"Many people in Hong Kong don't plan for retirement and fail to make a long-term plan," said Doris Ho, chairman of the Hong Kong Retirement Schemes Association.

"The MPF is not going to be enough for those who are now in their 50s. The middle-class individual may either need to continue to work or they will need to accept a lower living standard if they are forced to retire at 60," said Kenrick Chung, general manager of employee benefits at Realife Insurance Brokers.

HK should encourage more mature workers

"This will be bad news for restaurants and retailers in the city as Hong Kong has an ageing population. Many people are entering retirement age. If they are unemployed and need to tighten their belts, they will spend less on dining out or shopping. It is inevitable."

However the opposite is true for younger employees, who have had more time to contribute to their MPF and as a result will have a bigger sum when they retire.

Hong Kong is one of the fastest-ageing populations in the world. Between 2018 and 2038, the number of people aged 65 and older will almost double from 1.27 million to 2.44 million, and their age group will increase from 18 percent to 32 percent, according to government estimates. Life expectancy in the city is also the highest in the world at more than 85 years, according to the World Bank data from 2018.

HK has the fastest-aging population in the world

While Hong Kong does not have an official retirement age, many companies require staff to retire at 60 or 65, similar to civil servants -- but they have much higher salaries and more benefits than others.

These days retiring at 60 is very young and Hong Kong employers can't just kick out employees who have a lot more to offer in terms of knowledge and experience, especially to the younger generation. This is particularly true in trades, but it applies to all kinds of companies. 

Will the government read this report and take it seriously? Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor herself is 64 years-old. She says her administration is concerned about social welfare. Time's ticking, Carrie...

Govt's Incompetence Fighting Covid-19 Leads to Frustration

Outbreaks in housing estates in Kwai Chung and Ma On Shan

Hongkongers are getting tired of the coronavirus pandemic, and their patience with how the government has handled it is wearing threadbare thin it could snap any day now.

Swimmers are desperate now beaches closed

Starting tomorrow all dining establishments -- with only two per table -- must close by 6pm, while gyms, museums, concert halls, stadiums, beaches, and massage parlours are shut down, and infectious disease experts keep reminding people to stay home, as the number of new cases rose to 104 today.

But people are tired of staying home and it's going to be Christmas in two weeks. 

Restaurant owners, chefs and wait staff are disappointed -- it is during this period in December when they rake in the most money, and considering they've had it tough all year, they were hoping to recoup some of the losses these few weeks but now that's gone.

Does the government really think it can seriously clamp down on the virus by Christmas Eve? Why not just tell us that Christmas is cancelled and be done with it? Fireworks won't be exploding in the sky December 31 anyway.

Now the frustration is turning on the government for mishandling the pandemic. There have been so many missteps from the beginning.

Healthcare workers docked pay for striking

The first is not shutting down borders with the mainland until hundreds of healthcare workers protested for several days and then Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor relented. And now those same healthcare workers are being punished for striking by docking their pay.

Then there were several loopholes where airline staff were tested at the airport, but didn't have to wait for their results. One airline staff went sight seeing with his luggage on the Peak Tram. Questions were raised and then finally loopholes were tightened.

Also, why do directors of listed companies and those planning their IPOs, get to be exempted from quarantine? It makes absolutely no sense. Everyone needs to take a test, regardless of who they are.

Restaurants desperate for business, now shut at 6pm

And now the main source of the fourth wave with over 600 cases are dancing clubs and why aren't they closed? Why are they allowed to remain open and yet karaoke lounges, entertainment centres and cinemas forced to shut instead?

Finally why has Hong Kong not procured enough Covid vaccines for everyone, and not until late 2021? Not only that, but also the flu jab as well. The government was warned well in advance the winter season would be even more severe, and yet only about 200,000 are available in the city of over 7 million.

Why is it that Hongkongers are forced to pay for the mistakes made by the government?

Gym owners are angry they will be shut again tomorrow, and even though the government stipulates it is for two weeks, the last time gyms were closed, it was at least six weeks later until they were allowed to reopen.

Meanwhile Lam claims she is too busy working to even talk to her husband, and boasts of having piles of cash at home because she can't open a bank account.

How about sparing a thought for the hundreds of thousands of people who have been financially affected by the pandemic and lost their jobs or had to take pay cuts for the foreseeable future? 

Why are dancing clubs still not closed?

Infectious disease experts have hinted many times the government is not moving fast enough to clamp down on the pandemic when time is of the essence.

Two housing estate blocks in Kwai Chung and Ma On Shan have clusters of infections and yet the government has not exercised its powers to lock down those buildings to test everyone; many families have moved out elsewhere, possibly spreading the virus to other areas.

Is this deliberate so that Hong Kong will never be able to reopen its borders with the mainland and Macau again? Or is it because of the sheer incompetence of the government to follow expert advice and make decisive decisions?

Because the number of cases is so high these days, the chances of the travel bubble with Singapore restarting again soon is a far from possible.

Lam is one of the highest paid leaders in the world and yet her performance rating is so low. 

It boggles the mind how Hong Kong ended up with Lam. Do the 777 people who voted for her in 2017 regret doing so?

 

 

China's Rich Get Even Richer

The poor might be less poor, but still not catching up to the rich

A quick follow-up to yesterday's blog post about Ted Hui Chi-fung's financial predicament -- suddenly -- on a Sunday -- HSBC unfroze his bank account and that of his family and the latest report is that they have moved their money elsewhere.

However, as many have pointed out on social media, the trust in the bank has broken, making them wonder how safe their money is.

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China announced late last month that it has eradicated extreme poverty, a goal President Xi Jinping had pledged in 2015, to complete this year.

832 counties are not in extreme poverty anymore

He made it in the nick of time on November 23, with the 832 counties that were identified as extremely poor are not in dire straits.

However, Caixin reports this does not mean these counties are completely poverty-free. 

"Because the policies are based on raising average incomes, the results often smooth over the circumstances of individual families or communities that continue to live in penury."

Meanwhile on the other end of the spectrum, China's rich have gotten much richer thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, according to lists compiled by Forbes and Hurun Report.

"The world has never seen wealth created at this speed before," said Rupert Hoogewerf, founder of Hurun Report that tracks China's richest.

Nongfu owner Zhong is US$52billion richer

Forbes reports China's 400 richest people now have a total wealth of US$2.11 trillion, a 64 percent surge from US$1.29 trillion last year.

By comparison, America's 400 richest are now worth US$3.2 trillion, only 8.2 percent more than a year ago, according to Forbes numbers.

How China's rich became many times more richer is thanks to IPOs and stock market jumps. Other factors are post-epidemic economic recovery, and fast-booming digital and technology industries. 

One company that profited from its IPO is Nongfu, the water bottle brand. When it went public in Hong Kong in September, founder Zhong Shanhan became US$52 billion richer, which made him the third richest in the country.

The pandemic resulted in a surge in sales in the e-commerce and healthcare industries. Wang Xing, founder of food delivery company Meituan, quadrupled his wealth to US$25 billion. 

Meanwhile Chongqing-based vaccine producer Zhifei saw the wealth of its chairman Jiang Rensheng almost triple, after Chinese regulators approved human trials of the company's Covid-19 vaccine.

Li of Winner Medical prospered during pandemic

And Li Jianquan, the head of Winner Medical that makes PPE and face masks, saw his wealth grow a staggering 11-fold to US$5.6 billion.

Not only those areas are doing well, but also the automotive industry, such as electric vehicles and autonomous driving companies.

Electric vehicle or EV startup Xpeng's IPO in New York this summer helped its founder He Xiaopeng grow his wealth by 80 percent to US$6.6 billion.

And China's biggest lithium battery producer CATL's head, Zeng Yuqun, tripled his wealth to US$17.6 billion this year.

So while Xi met his goal to lift 832 counties out of extreme poverty, that doesn't mean the wealth gap has narrowed significantly...

Review: Coronation by Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei's documentary is about the pandemic in Wuhan

 

Let's face it -- 2020 has been completely shot -- thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and we still haven't tamed the virus thanks to people in parts of the world refusing to wear masks, or governments that didn't take it seriously in the beginning.

Over 1.29 million people have died since the pandemic began December 1, 2019, when the first case emerged in Wuhan, China.

Since then it spread to over 200 countries and now there are over 52.3 million cases.

Ai and his team edited 500 hours of footage

Artist and activist Ai Weiwei documented what happened in Wuhan with the help of intrepid volunteers who managed to get unprecedented access into hospitals to record first hand what was happening on the ground months after the pandemic gripped the Chinese city.

Called Coronation, the almost two-hour documentary is a series of vignettes and interviews with Wuhan citizens who had to come to grips with the reality of the virus and the decisions local and central governments made.

I saw the documentary last night with my friend YTSL, and also in the audience was former chief secretary Anson Chan Fong On-sang, Eric Wishart of the Foreign Correspondents' Club, and lawyer and author Antony Dapiran. We were in good company.

The opening image of Coronation is stark, viewers overlooking the high-speed rail lines in Wuhan that were paralyzed by the virus, completely empty, and the dreariness of the city. Three videographers record themselves driving back to the city and encounter a lot of police checks and frozen gas pumps.

A nurse helps an elderly patient with Covid-19

There are scenes in hospital patient rooms, watching an elderly patient in critical condition because one of the machines he is hooked up to is malfunctioning, others have faces as white as a sheet and are gasping for breath while breathing in oxygen. 

One gets access to the construction site of Huoshenshan Hospital, the emergency field hospital that was built within days to house 1,000 patients. Once it's completed, one of the doctors goes inside to report to work and he walks and walks along corridors until finally he reaches his locker.

Then there is the tedious task of putting on layers of personal protective equipment. He grabs a rubber glove with air in it to make sure there are no holes before putting it on. Very smart. Another person writes with a felt tip marker on his hazmat suit that he is a doctor and what his name is.

No wonder doctors couldn't go to the bathroom with all that stuff on.

A construction worker talks to his niece

Taking the PPE off too was another routine carefully monitored by someone in another room, instructing him what to do to avoid getting the virus on his own clothes and skin. Talk about an intense and stressful procedure.

One wishes the doctor would talk to the camera, but perhaps he was too hungry, as we watch him eat. Maybe we are already lucky to have such close access that we shouldn't demand much more.

However there are other stories, like the construction worker who helped build the hospital but is stranded in Wuhan and can't get out. He is stuck living in his car and charges his phone in a car park. He calls his young niece who reminds him to disinfect himself before they see each other.

It's light moments like these that keep Coronation not too sombre.

Perhaps one of the funniest vignettes is when a videographer stays with his mother, who is a die-hard revolutionary. She insists as long as you do what you are told, you will be looked after and shows off she has won many awards. 

Her son eggs her on to show them to him and she gathers a stack of red fabric books and dumps them unceremoniously on the table. There are certificates too that are rolled up like scrolls, though one is ripped and he jokes it's because it has Lin Biao's name on it.

A videographer (right) with his mother

Then there are people angry at the government regulations for not allowing them to be with their loved ones before they passed. This was not just happening in Wuhan, but around the world. Here, people openly complain in front of the camera, telling the world that they could not say good bye, or hold their hand as they lay dying.

One middle-aged son believed the government when it said there was no proof of human-to-human spreading of the virus and brought his elderly father back to Wuhan. He was soon infected and died; his son regretful, but wishes to do his duty to give his father a proper burial.

However, his father's danwei, or work unit refuses to allow him to retrieve his father's ashes alone; he must be accompanied by minders and he is adamant that this not happen. The danwei people realize they have not handled this carefully, but at the same time the son knows they are only doing their job, but he respectfully insists that he must not be accompanied by strangers who did not know his father at all.

The government tries to "disinfect" Wuhan

It's like a cat-and-mouse game that must have been infuriating for the son to deal with, let alone his regrets and mourning. He says that the government is so big there is no way one person can beat the system.

In a way Coronation is a warning for Hong Kong. We may laugh at the ridiculousness of the bureaucracy mainlanders have to deal with, but the reality is that Hongkongers will have to face this in real life very soon. In fact things are changing so fast that it is happening now, with Beijing destroying the veneer of "one country, two systems".

The mainlanders deal with authoritarian rule everyday, and some in the film know very clearly what is going on, others blindly following along. For some the pandemic has revealed the authorities' inability to humanize the situation, that everything is for the good of the state, even though it insists it is ruled by the people.

Coronation was remotely directed by Ai; the access the videographers got was impressive, though at times the camera is blurry and there are no second takes. It is a gritty film, though not as well produced as his previous work, Human Flow, about the refugees from Syria, Lebanon and Iraq who make their way to Europe.

Nevertheless, Coronation is an excellent record of what it was like in Wuhan, something the Chinese government cannot completely whitewash.

Coronation

Directed by Ai Weiwei

1hr 53 minutes

Hong Kong Hospitals Almost Full Capacity

A makeshift emergency field hospital has been set up in Central Park

In the news there are pictures of large white tents set up in Central Park in New York City, a makeshift emergency field hospital that will hold 68 beds. So far New York has over 33,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, and over 770 people have died.

Dr Lau Ka-hin warns isolation wards are in short supply

Meanwhile in Hong Kong, health officials are warning there soon will not be enough beds, particularly isolation wards. Could there be a field hospital set up in say, Victoria Park? We should not be surprised.

Today in a press conference, Dr Lau Ka-hin, the Hospital Authority's chief manager in quality and standards, warned that isolation beds were increasingly in short supply, revealing that 39 of the infected cases out of 41 cases today were still waiting to be admitted into hospital.

He added the occupancy rate of isolation wards in some hospitals was already at 100 percent as of noon today. Currently there are 489 positive cases being treated in 14 hospitals. While patients are being discharged, Lau added it took time to completely disinfect the bed and area that the patient had occupied so it wasn't as if another patient could take the bed right away.

Some 39 positive cases are waiting to be admitted to hospital

They will determine those without a fever for 48 hours, no breathing problems, infection symptoms or diarrhea could be moved to "second-line" isolation wards, or general wards that had been converted to have isolation functions.

Everyday there are on average over 40 positive cases, the majority of them from overseas, and Hong Kong must accept them if they are residents of the city, so we must care for them too.
This is why people in Hong Kong need to take social distancing very seriously. If there is no particularly reason for you to go out, don't. Best to stay at home and stay clean.

One bar/cafe with this sign on its door

In any event, several restaurants and cafes are shutting down temporarily to protect not only their staff, but also prevent gatherings in their establishments -- they don't want to be in the media to be known for having positive cases.

So there are many signs like this now. And it's true, we're all in this together so we need to work together. Stay home, stay safe.

China's Propaganda Machine in Overdrive

Medical staff in full suits looking after coronavirus patients in Wuhan

The Chinese government is anxious to show it is doing everything to battle the coronavirus, which means all hands on deck in the propaganda department.

There are video clips of mostly men who are seen dashing into police stations or government offices and dropping off boxes of masks or lots of cash and then running away.

It's meant to show people's selflessness, that they are willing to give away their life savings to the authorities to fight the coronavirus. If they ran away, how would they know all these details? Or maybe these people just robbed a bank beforehand?



The first video seemed shocking but sweet, but now there are about 41 different video clips which makes them even more staged. Why would so many people run into a police station or government office, dump bricks of cash on the counter and then run off again? It boggles the mind.

Then today CCTV has a clip of apparently two nurses decked out in full hazmat gear complete with plastic shields and blue suits yellow shoe covers in a coordinated dance outside of the hospital. Apparently they were trying to make light of the situation and enjoying a fun moment.



Really? From the clips I've seen of nurses having mental breakdowns, them dancing like children is completely off the wall and ridiculous. It's so obvious this clip was begging for sympathy.

But then there are uncomfortable video clips of more than a dozen nurses in Gansu province having their heads shaved, calling them "the most beautiful warriors!" in a bid to show their devotion to fighting the coronavirus. These women are crying, which seems to indicate they were coerced into doing this. Why didn't the men go bald too?



And there are horrific stories of nurses being forced to take birth control pills so they wouldn't menstruate (as going to the bathroom would be too much trouble), and they were chastised for asking for sanitary pads and tampons, saying they "lacked the spirit of devotion".

While the propaganda army was hoping these clips of the nurses would make the public sympathize with them, it actually enraged people that the women were being treated this way and vented their wrath online.

Young people in particular have had enough of the propaganda machine, as they can access a lot of information and clips via WeChat or going over the Great Firewall to see what people outside of China are saying about the coronavirus in their own country.

People are still very angry about Dr Li's Wenliang's death

They were particularly angry following the death of Dr Li Wenliang, who tried to warn his former classmates about the coronavirus, and were angry that the police accused him of spreading rumours.

"In the past month, many young people have been reading a lot of firsthand information and in-depth media reports about the epidemic on the internet," says Stephanie Xia, a 26-year-old in Shanghai in The New York Times. She says they are angry and confused about what they learned.

"There's some gap between what the young people are really like and what the government believes what they're like," Xia adds.

For young people today, this coronavirus and how they experienced it is much like other seminal events, like the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, the Wenzhou train crash in 2011, the downfall of Bo Xilai in 2013.

How China's next generation is influenced by how they went through this year's coronavirus crisis will forever shape their perceptions of the Communist Party of China and their trust in the government.

One gets the feeling it's not going to be very solid...

Liaison Director's Delayed Response

Luo Huining says troublemakers are the virus, but they won't succeed

Hong Kong's new liaison director Luo Huining has hit out at Hong Kong's healthcare workers for going on strike.

He criticized them for striking to demand the closure of all borders with the mainland, saying such action was a "political form of coronavirus".

Earlier this month healthcare workers went on strike

"What we need to do is isolate the virus, not people's hearts," he wrote in a letter to Hong Kong delegates of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Luo also said a minority of people in Hong Kong were creating all kinds of conflicts, and the hospital staff held their "strike to save Hong Kong" for political gain.

He said people who try to take advantage of the current situation to "spread dissatisfaction" and deliberately undermine relations between Hong Kong and the mainland will not succeed.

"More and more Hong Kong people would agree, no one is an island, and Hong Kong shouldn't become and island," he said.

Strikers demanded all borders be closed to contain the virus

First of all it's bizarre that Luo spoke out now about the five-day strike that happened on February 3-7. Why is he condemning the healthcare workers now? Either his superiors took too long to approve his letter, or he only decided now to say something.

Either way it's late and if he wasn't aware, the strike didn't amount to much since the local government ignored them so the healthcare workers voted to go back to work. End of story.

Talk about not striking while the iron is hot.

Secondly, Luo is the one making the push for border closings political. Most Hongkongers are not separatists, they accept that the city is a part of China. But for the past month when the coronavirus is blind to boundaries is spreading over the region, and it was suggested strongly by infectious disease experts to close all borders as soon as possible, closing the border would only be temporary.

How about gaining good will by supplying masks to HK?

That didn't happen, as three border crossings are still open, so now we have 67 cases in Hong Kong and two deaths as of yesterday.

With a lame duck local government, it would be more politically savvy for the liaison office to ensure a good supply of masks and protective equipment to healthcare workers.

Because after all, we are part of the motherland, right?

Everyone Needs to Wear a Mask. Everyone.

Labour and welfare minister Law claims he hasn't work a mask for 22 days

Hong Kong government officials continue to be completely out of touch with the residents they are supposed to serve.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor continues to refuse to wear a mask in public events, and Law Chi-kwong, Secretary for Labour and Welfare has followed his boss, and even bragged about being mask-less.

Lam says her masks are going to healthcare workers -- really?

In his blog, Law wrote he had not worn a mask in the past 22 days. He said he had driven to work, attended meetings everyday at government headquarters in Tamar.

"Most of my colleagues at the Labour and Welfare Bureau have been working from home these days. But they still have to come back for meetings when necessary. For me, apart from attending meetings, most of the time I was in my office alone," he wrote.

"I haven't been to any crowded places over the past 22 days. I have been driving to the government headquarters myself and have not used public transport. I haven't used a single face mask, and thus, I was in a way saving the masks for those who needed them."

We'll get to the question of having enough masks in the city, but what is Law trying to prove?

That he is a privileged person in Hong Kong who has his own car and office that he doesn't need to wear a mask? The vast majority of us need to take public transport and so we are all wearing masks as soon as we step out the door. Needless to say we are all fuming behind our masks.

A guy wears ski googles, mask and gloves

Thankfully infectious diseases expert Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan helped us tell off Law and put on a mask regardless.

"Of course he doesn't have to wear a mask when he is driving. I am also sure that he has his own office. But he still needs to take the public lifts. Mainland expert Zhong Nanshan has said that the lifts are high-risk facilities. A lot of people use the lifts," Tsang said.

"I'd suggest that once [Law] is back at the government headquarters, he has to wear a mask."

Tsang explained everyone should wear a mask because some infected people may not have started showing symptoms and so they may not even know they are infected.

Meanwhile, these government officials including Lam keep saying their stash of masks should be given to front line healthcare workers but they don't seem to have received them, as they keep clamouring for more.

Where have the masks gone?

Most people wear masks in Hong Kong in public spaces

Some people on social media have called for an investigation into where the masks have gone... some masks made by prisoners were found to be on sale online! It's absolutely indefensible for front line healthcare workers to not have enough proper equipment to protect themselves on the job when Hong Kong has so much money in reserves.

Perhaps Lam should personally donate her stash of masks to a hospital. Or does she dare not show up in person?

Hongkongers' Coronavirus Concerns Grow

Even the MTR is very quiet, with not many people using public transport

Hong Kong is very quiet.

There aren't many people out on the streets, on the MTR, in shopping malls.

It's really eerie.

Yesterday I overheard some women in the gym discussing if Hongkongers' reaction to the coronavirus was an overreaction or not. One thought it was, the other not. Interestingly they were diplomatic about it and didn't get heated like the protests that had consumed the city months earlier.

Shopping malls like Times Square have few customers

Maybe it's because the epicentre is in Wuhan and not Hong Kong.

In the evening my relatives who were here during SARS are taking every precaution to protect themselves as much as possible.

When they heard the news that a Chinese doctor claimed to have contracted the coronavirus through his eyes, my relatives stopped wearing contacts and only wears glasses now. If there is a period where the coronavirus is so virulent that they can't go out for a few days, they have bought enough cup noodles and noodles to keep them alive.

However their biggest worry is sourcing masks. Not just any mask, but masks not made in China. "Do you dare to wear one made from China?" my uncle asked.

They are heading to Japan for a trip they had planned months ago and will scour every stop they go to for masks. This is their main mission now.

Almost everyone wears a mask out in public

Then today a friend and I met up for brunch and he is mentally overwhelmed by it, probably exhausted after dealing with eight months of protests and seeing the economic impact it has had on Hong Kong and now the coronavirus.

He wants to take a break and leave Hong Kong before more countries make it harder for us living here to get out. The United States, European Union, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore have all banned or restricted the entry of Chinese citizens and foreigners who have visited China recently. The list could keep growing thanks to the World Health Organization declaring a global public health emergency.

As we were discussing this, we heard gales of laughter and shrieks coming from the tables behind us, diners who seemed completely unaware or oblivious to the health crisis in the city.

Meanwhile I had dinner with another friend who is hoping that not all the shows for the upcoming Hong Kong Arts Festival will be cancelled. But the Boston Symphony Orchestra which was supposed to open the festival on February 12 and 13 has bowed out due to concerns of the coronavirus, and with a number of Leisure and Cultural Services Department venues closed indefinitely, it's hard to tell if the festival will continue at this rate.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has cancelled its Asia trip

After dinner we walked through IFC mall and at 8.15pm it was a ghost town. Most of the shops were already closed. I wandered through the supermarket CitySuper and usually it's busy with people getting their food shopping done for the week, but there was less than half the crowd.

For Hong Kong this is only the first week of the coronavirus. The statistics are staggering, with so far over 14,500 confirmed cases globally, 305 deaths, including one in the Philippines.

A Whatsapp message is going around today, a voice message apparently from Dr Ho Pak-leung recorded yesterday, who says the coronavirus could be transmitted through faeces and that people should close the lid of the toilet before flushing.

He also suggests pouring some water in the drain in the bathroom floor everyday, though I couldn't understand the reasoning except perhaps to ensure the pipes are functioning?

This just adds to more anxiety for everyone with more things to do and worry about.

Meanwhile Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor refused to meet with members of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance today, and so the strike will go ahead tomorrow. This is contrary to what Lam has said before, that she would be willing to listen to what others had to say.

The health care union said Carrie Lam didn't come to meet them

The fact that she didn't even want to meet the union suggests she is not interested in trying to understand the healthcare sectors' concerns, even if they are complaints about how the government has handled this crisis so far. It is the least she can do.

But perhaps she has other things to do, like get her hair done.

Everyone is frustrated by the government's inaction. My friend at brunch kept saying how the Macanese government was decisive in making sure it sourced 20 million masks for its residents and they could get 10 masks at a low prices every 10 days, while the Hong Kong government has done nothing of the sort.

At the same time he upset by the price gouging by opportunistic businesses, or having to wait in line for hours.

And this is only the start of the coronavirus crisis... it maybe a few months yet before Hong Kong and the rest of the world are in the clear...

Healthcare Workers Vote to Strike

Health secretary Sophia Chan wipes tears during a radio show today

A newly formed union made up of doctors, nurses and hospital staff have voted overwhelmingly to strike starting on Monday to press the government to shut all border points with China in order to stem the possibility of more coronavirus cases in Hong Kong.

The pro-democracy Hospital Authority Employees Alliance voted 3,123 for the strike, 10 against and 23 abstained. Eight votes were invalid. The union has about 13,000 members, but many of them were unable to vote today because they were either working or not in Hong Kong.

The healthcare union voted overwhelmingly to strike Monday

This strike will be yet another headache for the Hong Kong government, which so far has done little to allay the public's fears. Which is perhaps why Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee broke down in tears before the vote while speaking on a radio show.

"I'm worried about the emotions of healthcare workers," said Chan, who paused for a few seconds to compose herself. "As well as our services."

She said her biggest concern was the safety of frontline healthcare staff.

"We must protect all our frontline workers," Chan said, noting that she understood they faced immense pressure.

So... how about meeting their demands and protecting them by closing the borders?

DAB's Starry Lee hands out masks to residents

Or has Chan begged Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to do this and she refused? Or is this a sign that Chan has failed in her job? Or are these crocodile tears in the hopes medical workers will feel sorry for her?

Regardless, the strike is going ahead, though it is unclear at this point how much services will be impacted and how many people will be participating, but it is important for them to show how serious they are about their demand, and at this point most of the public would probably support them too.

The government is not taking the coronavirus and its potential to spread seriously enough, leaving the public terrified and having to fend for themselves. They are so worried about not being able to secure enough masks that they have cleaned out supermarket shelves of everything from rice to vegetables to instant cup noodles, bread and vitamins to be locked down in their own flats for several days, maybe weeks.

Long lines to pick up masks from pro-Beijing political groups

Memories of SARS 17 years ago have not faded for Hongkongers, but perhaps for Lam and her ministers it's a distant past.

In order to salvage their political skins and garner some good will from voters, several pro-Beijing legislators handed out 80,000 free masks to people in Kowloon, though they were in ziplock bags, only a few in each bag. But will those grateful mask receivers vote for these pro-establishment politicians come November during the Legislative Council elections?

Even they are demanding that Lam close the borders and she hasn't listened to them either...