HK Records over 1,100 Covid-19 Cases

Men desperate to get a last haircut in before barbers shut

This morning it was shocking to find out via Bloomberg that Hong Kong had more than 1,100 cases today.

It was almost double yesterday. As the infectious disease experts had predicted, the infection numbers have shot up in a short period of time.

The goal of reaching "zero Covid" seems like a mirage in the distance.

Vegetables have disappeared from shelves

Today men and women, but mostly men rushed to hair salons and barbers to get their last proper hair cut before they shut at midnight. Many do not think hair salons or religious venues will re-open on February 24.

Meanwhile some report zero access to fresh vegetables in their supermarkets with pictures of empty shelves. Some sarcastically noted only coriander was left behind, while another said it was turnips where they were. Frozen vegetables are also a hot commodity.

There was a picture of a woman stocking up on toilet paper again... are we seriously repeating 2020?

Then there are long, long lines of people waiting to get tested in various areas around town. Some 20,000 people need to get tested in Discovery Bay after sewage tests showed up positive for Covid-19. Anyone who spent two hours or more there between January 26 and February 8 must get tested. 

People worried being in line would result in them being infected and felt the sewage tests were not helpful.

Despite high case numbers, Lam is still maskless

Many residents are incensed that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor continues to speak at press conferences without a mask when her own health experts have advised everyone to wear a mask except when eating and drinking.

Some are beginning to think Lam is exacting revenge on Hongkongers by flouting the rules because... she's the chief executive. 

If that is the case, is she really committed to getting the city back to "zero Covid"? Or is she happy to have Hong Kong in a mess, stressing people out about having to comply to the latest restrictions on top of avoiding getting infected? 

By the way don't even think about meeting more than one person on the street at the same time -- you could be fined HK$5,000 on the spot and the police are out in force and gleefully handing out tickets.

One person sarcastically suggested on social media this was perhaps the government's way of paying for the HK$26 billion for the anti-epidemic fund.

Then there appears to be some power plays by the Executive Council... Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee claims Exco announced the latest social-distancing measures yesterday before Lam could...  Maybe that explains why she deferred to the 4.30pm press conference for further details...

Two families being fined by police today

The one good thing that happened today was that more elderly people got their first jabs.

About 1.19 percent of seniors aged 70-79 got inoculated, the highest percentage for any age group in a single day since the start of the vaccination program.

Also just over 1 percent of people 80 years and over got jabbed too.

In the meantime it looks like Valentine's Day is cancelled for restaurants. With the number of cases doubling every two days or so, the chances of someone wanting to eat out are very slim now. No one wants to get infected or dragged into Penny's Bay for quarantine.

What has Hong Kong turned into? It's absolute madness and we're into the ninth day of the Lunar New Year. The Year of the Water Tiger is not doing well at all, let alone the start of 2022. 

Can we start over again?

 

Over 600 Infections Recorded Today

Today's media briefing revealed 614 infections today

When Hong Kong health officials warned the number of Covid-19 cases would be exponential, they were correct. Today the number of infected cases jumped from 342 to 614.

The Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu Chee's solution -- stay home, everyone!

She seems completely unaware that some people must go to work in order to put food on the table. Some of us can work from home, but it is not the most efficient way of working. 

People continue to be tested in various districts

A colleague worried about the possibility of a lockdown, but we reassured him that logistically this would be impossible to execute effectively. The government also does not have enough capacity to test 7.5 million people within a short period of time.

There will be more social-distancing measures announced tomorrow, and people in the restaurant industry wonder if a complete shut down of eateries will be implemented, or only have two diners per table and then have to close by 3pm. A mandatory closure of all restaurants again would be unfeasible, but also with two per table, some places may give up and just close because it isn't even financially viable anymore.

However there is one silver lining. The shock of the over 600 cases motivated many seniors to get jabbed today, 5,790 of them received their first dose. 

Overall some stats today via Joel Chan on Twitter:

72,987 doses administered in one day is an all-time high;

22,731 first doses administered is the most since September 4, 2021.

21,067 second doses is the most since September 25, 2021.

29,189 boosters is the most ever so far.

The vaccination rate for those aged 70-79 is 61 percent.

The vaccination rate for those aged 80 and over is 32.5 percent.

Finally a big jump in seniors getting jabbed today

As it stands the numbers for seniors are still pretty pitiful, but decent jump today.

Will the momentum continue? We can only hope.

There are expectations the number could jump to 1,000 cases tomorrow. Health officials are blaming gatherings during Chinese New Year for the over 600 cases. But they knew families would meet up, right? 

So what contingency plans did they have in place? And knowing it would be over 600 cases today, why not have an emergency meeting Sunday night and announce social-distancing measures today and not tomorrow? Time is of the essence, is it not?

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her administration have been caught flat-footed and can't run fast enough ahead of this virus.

It is ironic their slogan at press conferences is: "Together, We Race Against this Aggravating Epidemic". Some of us have already run ahead and been triple vaccinated. How about getting the slow pokes jabbed? Or is the government too scared to drag its support base, the elderly, to put needles in their arms?

A socially-distanced dragon and lion dance

Hopefully the government's ineptness has spurred seniors to realise the authorities are not going to save them and that they have to protect themselves and get vaccinated.

Well that's our hope.

No one wants to see a Covid-19 fatality in the next few months. But with the exponential rise of infections, it's very possible.

In the meantime anyone willing to take bets if Lam will wear a mask tomorrow morning while speaking to the media?

Another Record Number of Cases

Large numbers of people being tested in Yuen Long today

Things are not looking good in Hong Kong at the moment with another record 342 infections reported today, yesterday having 351 cases.

Most concerning are 320 untraceable cases (so far), 80 percent of which involve the Omicron variant, said Director of Health Dr Ronald Lam Man-kin at today's press briefing, and warns of a potential super-spreader event.

"We could not track how many generations of transmission were spread," he said. "We could not make an accurate estimation on when the peak would arrive but we are certain that the number has not peaked yet."

Lam is concerned about 320 untraceable cases

Lam said because the Omicron variant is very contagious, 320 untraceable cases meant at least 320 other people had been infected as well...

Health authorities observed that "a lot" of the latest patients had been to Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island and Che Kung Temple on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first two days of the Lunar New Year. Some infected people had also been to Yuen Long Plaza, where 13 employees were among the confirmed cases.

Sogo department store in Causeway Bay also shut on Saturday and Sunday after two employees there tested positive. 

Lam has advised people to avoid shopping malls and for organisers to hold off having events for the time being.

Some banks have temporarily closed some branches, and retailers Ikea and Citistore have shut some outlets for disinfection after preliminary positive cases were found there. 

Sogo in Causeway Bay closed over the weekend

Meanwhile patients who have recovered from Covid-19 in AsiaWorld-Expo near the airport have complained about not being allowed to leave despite being given their discharge notice and having to wait two or three days more.

There are also horror stories of the toilets not being clean with the rubbish bins overflowing with tissues. Also just as bad is no hand soap for three days for people to wash their hands after going to the washroom. 

The government is completely overwhelmed with the logistics of running a health treatment centre, barely keeping the place hygienic which is crucial when a virus can spread so easily.

Is the problem understaffing or underpaying? This is work that should not be undervalued. And we all know the government has money to pay...

Covid-19 Cases Could Jump Exponentially after CNY

There may be a spike in Covid-19 cases after Chinese New Year

The number of Covid-19 cases keep climbing in Hong Kong, with 142 cases recorded today, and 160 preliminary positive.

Most worrying are the untraceable cases with experts stunned as to how to track down their sources. And with the Lunar New Year public holidays coming to a close, in the next few days there could be a possible explosion of cases after people gathered with their families during the most important festival in the calendar.

Chuang (left) urges people not to meet for CNY

"We are worried because we may see hundreds or more cases as the Omicron variant is more transmissible. It poses a huge burden on the health care system," Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, of the Centre for Health Protection said today in the media briefing.

"We also have seen some airborne transmission reported from some family gatherings, and we urge people to stay at home."

In general this is true -- some families have opted not to meet up, while others have had muted gatherings. There are also reports of people receiving fewer laisee or lucky money than in previous years because they are worried about meeting people.

However, respiratory disease specialist Dr Leung Chi-chiu finds the number of untraceable cases worrying and suggests the government should hand out more fast-testing kits in the community, saying the city doesn't have the capacity to do large-scale testing.

But Chuang refuted this, saying the current lockdown of certain buildings was effective enough and that the authorities would continue to identify high-risk areas through confirmed cases and sewage tests.

Jeff Leung first senior official to get Covid-19

Of the new infections recorded today one was identified as Jeff Leung Wing-yan, Deputy Commissioner of Labour (Occupational Safety and Health). He is the first senior government official to be infected with the coronavirus.

In addition, people trying to get their business completed with government departments will have to be more patient, as the work from home arrangement will be extended for all 170,000 civil servants aside from those serving essential and anti-epidemic services until February 11.

As a result a number of government departments will limit services, such as inland revenue, labour, civil engineering and development, information services, building, drainage services, social welfare, and electrical and mechanical services, as well as the Housing Authority, Education Bureau, and Hongkong Post.

In the case of the last one, air mail stopped for many countries anyway, but this just shuts the city down even further.

Tonight the government issued another notice, concerned about Covid-19 spreading in Hong Kong.

Dr Leung suggests more testing kits to people

"The Delta and Omicron mutant strains are spreading in the community at the same time, posing unprecedented threat to Hong Kong," said a government spokesman. 

"The epidemic situation of the fifth wave may be more severe than that of the previous four waves. Members of the public are urged to stay vigilant, wear masks properly and get vaccinated as early as possible in order to greatly reduce the risk of falling seriously ill and death when infected. With the concerted co-operation of the public in fighting the epidemic, Hong Kong will surely overcome the current epidemic situation."

Sounds like a hunker down in the bunker kind of message...

Hong Kong to Continue the Same Path

Lau again picked a neutral fortune for Hong Kong today

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the prophecy for Hong Kong is drawn through fortune sticks at Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin.

Early this morning, Heung Yee Kuk chairman Kenneth Lau Ip-keung got on his knees and shook a bamboo container filled with fortune sticks at an angle until one fell out.

It was number 38, considered a neutral fortune. By the way the two previous times he has picked neutral fortune sticks -- perhaps it's time to give the job to someone else? 

Lau got number 45 last year and number 92 in 2020.

Warning for Lam who may run for CE again

In any event the fortune read: "Men up above seek the fruit of truth. I head to the low ground to pick ginger and Chinese mustard.

"An altar may well be a kitchen. Act not as a hero to teach hunting," it added. The omen came with a brief explanation telling the city to "stick to the old ways on everything.

Everything?

If anything the city needs to innovate if it wants to survive...

Lau interpreted the fortune as continuing on the same path in battling the on-going Covid-19 pandemic.

More groans can be heard all over Hong Kong.

"My understanding is that as the pandemic rages on, everyone should keep up their work. One should not expect the city would be able to end it in one go. We step out of difficulties one step at a time."

Meanwhile fortune-teller Chan Tin-yan said the message was also directed at Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who has yet to disclose if she will run again for the top post or not.

Che Kung quashed uprisings and plagues

"It said one should not act like a hero. It was telling the chief executive not to act like a hero," Chan said, adding the prophecy also suggested that any other entrants into the March leadership race should be more experienced than Lam "so that the economic and pandemic situations in Hong Kong will stabilise."

Interesting to note that Che Kung Temple was built over 300 years ago and named after a Song dynasty commander who was known for quashing not only rebellions, but also plagues...

CNY Hike to Cape d'Aguilar

The dramatic landscapes are quite the sight at Cape d'Aguilar

With Chinese New Year basically cancelled because of Covid-19 social-distancing restrictions, it was time to hit the hiking trails. My friend and I went to Cape d'Aguilar, a place we had never been to, which is near Shek O.

After arriving at Shau Kei Wan MTR station, we took the number 9 bus to Cape d'Aguilar which entailed a long and winding road that passes Cape Collinson where the military cemetery is, and also the start of Dragon's Back hiking trail where many people got off.

Different rock formations are in this area

Cape d'Aguilar is "hok tsui" in Cantonese and named after Major-General George Charles d'Aguilar, a British army officer who served as Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong from 1843-1848.

During that time he lived in Headquarter House, which was built for him in 1846 and is now Flagstaff House in Hong Kong Park. D'Aguilar was also an accomplished watercolour artist.

Meanwhile, the 14th bus stop is Cape d'Aguilar and we headed off down the road with the same name. It's a gentle road with many shacks and low-rise houses. After a while we came to a dramatic view looking over towards Stanley.

Further down we started seeing a secluded beach (though today was too chilly to hang out there) and then we spotted our end goal -- the marine reserve. There are different rock formations, some are smooth, others are jagged, with different colours. 

There's also The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, a building very close to the water, with a slope built to have boats go into the water. The building looks relatively new and we wondered what they were studying there.

The waves constantly crash into the rocks

As we made our way towards the water, it crashed violently against the rocks. Swimming is prohibited here and it's easy to see why. Then we found it -- Crab Cave -- though many people were taking photos there so it was hard to take a nice photo.

It's a natural rock formation that looks like a cave, but again the waves crash in from behind and one could easily get wet if standing too far in.

Then we went to explore other areas that also had good views to avoid getting wet. However, one domestic helper got parts of her legs and feet wet and complained about being cold. The perils of trying to get the perfect picture...

In fact most of the people there were domestic helpers, enjoying their holiday. My friend YTSL who regularly hikes has observed that many domestic helpers like to go hiking in the Shek O area. 

Many people taking pictures at Crab Cave

After we wandered around, we turned back and went back the way we came and had a few minutes to spare before the bus arrived to take us back to Shau Kei Wan -- and it was the same bus driver too!

Home Affairs Secretary Resigns Over Birthday-Gate

Tsui resigned today over attending the January 3 birthday party

The political fallout from the January 3 birthday party of Witman Hung Wai-man has resulted in one senior Hong Kong minister resigning today.

Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai resigned this morning, and in his letter stated he would take responsibility for his actions.

"As one of the principal officials taking the lead in the anti-epidemic fight, I have not set the best example during the recent outbreak," he wrote.

Lam said Tsui behaved in appropriately

"I made the wrong decision to attend a banquet on January 3 and behaved in an inappropriate manner when all efforts should have been devoted to controlling the spread of the virus."

Indeed -- it is his department that enforces all Hong Kong residents to use to the Leave Home Safe app! And days before the party, Tsui's colleagues in the health department had warned Hongkongers not to gather in big groups -- even though the banquet number was well within government guidelines -- it was still not a good idea to be at the event.

Due to contract tracing, when two women were found to be infected with Covid-19, it was uncovered that Tsui and several other officials and lawmakers attended Hung's party, where there were pictures of the birthday boy singing karaoke, and many of them not wearing masks.

While some officials and lawmakers came and went in less than an hour, Tsui was found to have been at the party for two hours -- but worse -- he didn't use the Leave Home Safe app!

Some experts say Hung (left) should resign too

Needless to say Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was mightily disappointed with him, and said so during a press conference Monday afternoon, the day before the Lunar New Year.

"He didn't wear a mask while chatting with others at the party. What he did was disappointing and violated the code for politically appointed officials," she said.

"Tsui was a member of the government's core team tackling the pandemic. He should have had better awareness than other officials on pandemic controls."

Lam added that politically appointed officials should not do anything to embarrass the government or cause negative perceptions among the public.

However, others who attended the party only got verbal warnings: Allen Fung Ying-lun, political assistant to the development secretary had stayed for four hours and didn't even remember if he wore a mask because he was so inebriated. 

Au seems to have escaped punishment...

Another was Vincent Fung Hao-yin, deputy head of Policy Innovation and Coordination Office, who did not comply with the compulsory testing order on the day it was issued, and was an infection risk when he returned to work the next day before going for a test.

Then there is immigration chief Au Ka-wang who also did not scan the contact-tracing app, but Lam seemed satisfied that he spent 15 minutes outside of the Wan Chai restaurant without entering.

Independent Commission Against Corruption chief Simon Peh Yun-lu also got away with punishment too, and Lam claimed he was there "to have official dealings with a private individual".

Uh huh.

So it seems Lam had it in for Tsui from the beginning. The 44-year-old was a rising star in the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, but it seems someone had to take the fall, and perhaps he was the weakest of the high-profile partying bunch.

... and so has ICAC chief Peh

Some experts say the host of the party, Hung himself should also resign from his position as principal liaison officer for Hong Kong at the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority and a city delegate to the National People's Congress because his reputation has been severely damaged.

Who's next? Stay tuned.

Chinese New Year Cultural Appropriation

Don't decorate a CNY dish with funeral paper

Late last night, a former colleague now based in London had a freak out on Twitter when she saw the UK newspaper The Guardian post recipes for the upcoming Lunar New Year, but the accompanying pictures demonstrated no Chinese person was consulted to see if the decorations were culturally appropriate.

One picture shows a plate of pork and crab potstickers -- they should really be boiled dumplings -- on a piece of batik fabric -- not really Chinese -- but worst of all decorated with joss paper that are usually burned to pay respects to ancestors when grave sweeping.

Funeral envelopes mixed with lai see packets...

In addition, the chopsticks look like joss sticks, another not really good thing to do, and what's with the ancient Chinese coins?

Meanwhile BBC Food also posted recipes by School of Wok founder Jeremy Pang. One of them is lo mein with scallops and tenderstem broccoli. While it's fine to have the lai see envelope as a decoration, next to it is another envelope -- given out by the grieving family to funeral attendees, which usually includes a coin, tissue and a piece of candy.

May we also point out the turquoise chopsticks are really ugly?

These ignorant gaffes sparked or rather led to an explosion of complaints from Chinese people about how everyone else is so ignorant of Chinese culture, sometimes even stabbing a dish of noodles with chopsticks that again look like joss sticks.

One person remarked: "I'm absolutely horrified by this. This is like putting up a Christmas tree at a funeral."

Stabbing dish like joss sticks

Others also remarked how whenever Thai or Filipino food is styled, chopsticks are always placed next to the dish, when they typically eat with a fork and spoon.

For me at least, this incident just shows how there is a lack of diversity in these two news organisations, and no one bothered to check to see if these pictures were culturally correct.

The people who created the recipes were Taiwanese and a second-generation British-Chinese. Or if they weren't available, how about some professors in Chinese sociology or culture?

The Guardian has since apologised for the mistake, and BBC Food is looking into its gaffe.

Wonder how the Year of the Tiger will turn out for them...

Paul Chan Improves e-Voucher Scheme

Chan says he listened to feedback and tweaked the handout

Remember the Hong Kong government decided to give every permanent resident HK$5,000 (US$644) -- but in installments of HK$1,000 e-vouchers? And they had to be used up first before the next batch was handed out?

There will be fewer installments for the e-voucher

But after listening to public feedback, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has gone back to the drawing board and revised the parameters of the HK$5,000 handout in a bid to stimulate the local economy.

He promised more flexibility, with registration for the e-vouchers beginning in the summer (which is literally around the corner), and the electronic handout would start in August and would be valid until the Lunar New Year.

The e-vouchers will benefit 7.2 million people and cost the government (or us taxpayers) HK$36 billion, of which HK$600 million will be for administrative costs.

That's a whopping amount for the latter if everyone gets their money through either Octopus, AlipayHK, Tap & Go, or WeChat Pay HK.

Will wet markets finally accept digital payment?

And what's everyone going to spend this HK$5,000 on?

It'll be interesting to see if this e-voucher exercise really does help local businesses, especially wet market vendors who don't accept any kind of electronic payments. Will this actually push them to move in this direction? Or are the big supermarket chains going to laugh all the way to the bank (again)?

 

Experts Criticize Govt's Tactics in Battling Covid-19

Ambush lockdown in Sham Shui Po a few days ago

 

Today Hong Kong reported 32 new coronavirus cases, and tonight there are lockdowns with mandatory testing in Sham Shui Po, and Ferry Point near Jordan.

But is this tactic of shutting down buildings and forcing people to take tests actually effective?

Some infectious disease experts in Hong Kong disagree with how the government is battling Covid-19 and they are not afraid to speak out.

Dr Keiji Fukada says lockdowns are "hostile"

Last week it was Dr Keiji Fukada, director of the University of Hong Kong's school of public health and a member of the government's Covid-19 advisory panel.

"The very term itself -- ambush-style lockdowns -- sounds awful, militaristic and hostile. The onus is on the government to explain what it is doing, and why, and in ways that the general public can understand."

Then the authorities re-framed it as "restriction-testing declarations" which sounds rather ridiculous as a euphemism. One newspaper calls it "guerilla lockdowns" which is pretty accurate, as they seem to pick an area at random and whoever is in the vicinity is stopped in their tracks and must get tested.

The authorities are even looking into breaking into people's homes if they don't respond to conducting the mandatory test. Again, hostile comes to mind...

Anyone caught in a lockdown must be tested

Today it was Dr Ho Pak-leung's turn to unleash his criticism. The HKU microbiologist says the lockdowns are targeting the wrong people and are conducted days after there is a case. He says this is ineffective, and instead the lockdowns should be done as soon as possible, or focus on clusters, and for him the construction sites are a concern.

Ho says it's strange that no lockdowns have been ordered for construction sites, even though transmission chains have emerged at a number of sites for a month.

He added that officials have never inspected any construction sites, including the airport's third runway project where there has been an outbreak.

Meanwhile he says having construction workers take Covid-19 tests to show a negative result in order to enter the site is not productive -- and that instead these workers should be tested right away to find out the source of transmission.

Dr Ho says construction sites should be tested

Ho also criticized the government for exempting mainland pharmaceutical company Sinovac from having to publish data from late-stage clinical trials in a medical journal before its Covid vaccine can be considered for emergency use in Hong Kong.

He said publication is one of the more than two dozen requirements listed by the World Health Organization before a vaccine can be cleared for use.

Ouch.

And then on the weekend it was reported that Chinese University gastroenterologist Dr Joseph Sung Jao-yiu, who led the fight against SARS back in 2003 is leaving Hong Kong to become dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.  

Hong Kong has over 10,600 Covid-19 infections and 186 deaths. Sung says the Hong Kong government's efforts to contain the virus was "not doing too bad, but it can be better".

He says the U-turn on allowing the Lunar New Year flower markets to open contradicted the current gathering ban in restaurants of two per table, and closing at 6pm, while students were barred from having in-person classes.

Dr Sun says govt U-turns are confusing for public

The U-turns, Sung said, made people confused.

And when it came to possible discrimination against different groups in society, Sung said, "We could have done better with the dancing group. That's all I can say."

A lot can be inferred from his comment. If more was done to force this group to reveal more contact tracing information, this fourth wave may not have been as prolonged and widespread...

A Very Quiet Year of the Ox

Victoria Park used to be packed for Lunar New Year fairs

 The upcoming Year of the Ox is going to be duller and duller.

In a not-so-surprising announcement today, the government said the annual Lunar New Year fireworks would be cancelled, the second year in the row because of the coronavirus pandemic; last year it was because of the anti-government protests.

People can't make wishes this year in Tai Po

Not only will there be no fireworks to light up the sky and scare off the evil spirits, but also the traditional new year fairs held in places like Victoria Park will not be organized this year, as well as the night parade and the Well-Wishing Festival in Lam Tsuen, where people throw a wish tied to a mandarin orange and hope it hands on a branch of the wishing tree in Tai Po. 

However, there is still no clarification on whether events will go ahead at Wong Tai Sin Temple and Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin. Usually diehards will be in the front of the line to rush to the alter to make the first offerings of the new year at midnight (this year February 12) at Wong Tai Sin Temple, or the following day at Che Kung Temple. 

What is there left to do really except stay at home and eat radish cake and new year puddings? 

In more uplifting news, lawyer and district councillor Daniel Wong Kwok-tung was finally released on bail after 40 hours in police custody. The 72-year old spoke to reporters, saying: 

Lawyer Daniel Wong free after 40 hours detained

"I will continue to use my professional knowledge and work on what I profoundly believe should be done. A lawyer will never break the law so I don't know why they come after me," he said.

Wong said no evidence was taken, and will continue his work tomorrow morning of visiting those detained. 

A man on a mission.

Challenging Year of the Rat Ahead

Medical staff in Wuhan in protective gear... that they are running out of

Again the Hong Kong government is being caught flat footed in dealing with the Wuhan coronavirus that is baffling health experts because many of the first few people who died did not have elevated temperatures.

While many cities in China have gone into lock down in a bid to slow the spread of the virulent virus, Shanghai Disneyland is closed, cinemas shut, and temple fairs have been cancelled. Even Macau has made some prudent decisions, including the possibility of shutting down casinos, and keeping schools shut an extra two weeks.

Carrie Lam seems more interested in wooing elites in Davos

This would have been an excellent opportunity for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to show some leadership, but instead she's been busy in Davos, Switzerland, serving dim sum to world political and business leaders to tell them Hong Kong is open for business.

Local media are questioning whether Lam should be hobnobbing with business and political elites when people back home are panicking because they can't get a hold of any masks, and if they do the price is several times what they are usually sold at.

There are no definitive decisions being made by the government. It is only when the public and media complain are the authorities pressured to do something... or wait. But in a medical crisis like this, time is of the essence.

Hongkongers desperate to buy masks, a repeat of 2003

Did the Hong Kong government not learn anything from when SARS hit Hong Kong in 2003?

Borders need to be shut down, not allowing cars to go on the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhu Hai bridge free of charge for a week, and making everyone traveling into the city write down their contact details, while setting aside more than just holiday campsites for quarantine.

How about shutting down Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park? Lam and her administration seem to have no idea what to do.

The timing of this coronavirus is particularly bad now with Chinese New Year and millions of people in China are traveling around the country.

Shanghai Disneyland is shut... what about Hong Kong's?

Meanwhile it is painful to hear the stories coming out of Wuhan. Medical staff are desperate for fresh supplies of gowns, masks, and eyewear to protect themselves. There's video footage going viral of a medical personnel breaking down in hysterics in the staff room as others try to relax on their break.

There are stories of people in Wuhan trying to get into hospitals because they know they are ill and yet they are not being admitted and forced to go back home because it's already crowded. This is not a good way of managing the crisis either.

Lam will definitely face a barrage of questions from the media when she gets back, and also how will President Xi Jinping quell people's anger and frustration at the spread of this coronavirus?

The latest news is that 40 medical personnel from the People's Liberation Army have been dispatched to Wuhan tonight and more to follow. Hopefully they are bringing in more supplies too.

Wuhan is building a makeshift hospital in six days

But perhaps even more crazier is that Wuhan is trying to build a makeshift hospital in six days to house 1,000 patients. However, this is exactly what was done 17 years ago outside of Beijing for the PLA to treat almost 15 percent of SARS patients in China for two months.

We have now started the Year of the Rat with a coronavirus that has at least 918 cases worldwide and 26 deaths. Not exactly a good start, but we can only hope things can get better?

Picture of the Day: Gearing Up for CNY

Lots of festive Chinese New Year decorations at an incense shop in Sheung Wan

We're less than two weeks away from the start of the Year of the Pig and I'm hardly ready -- I've been so busy at work that I haven't had much time to think about what I will be doing for the first two days of the Lunar New Year.

Even though I have been receiving lots of new year puddings and turnip puddings that are stuffed inside my fridge, as well as lai see envelopes to give away (with money in it of course), I am not mentally in the Chinese New Year head space yet.

However, millions of other Hong Kong residents are gearing up and this picture of an incense shop in Sheung Wan encapsulates how people are getting ready for this most festive time of year.

Peppa the Pig Politically Rehabilitated

Peppa the Pig and her family celebrate Chinese New Year

The Chinese Communist Party has from time to time, banned certain things or people and later on decided they are kosher again and rehabilitated them politically.

Such is the case for a cartoon pig -- Peppa the Pig.

Earlier this year in the spring, the Chinese government banned Peppa the Pig, from tens of thousands of cartoon clips, to even the hashtag #PeppaPig, claiming the porcine character was associated with 社会人 or "society people", a slang term for lowlifes and gangsters.

Back in May Peppa the Pig was banned from China

According to state media outlet Global Times, people who upload videos of Peppa Pig tattoos and merchandise, and make Peppa-related jokes "run counter to the mainstream value and are usually poorly educated with no stable job. They are unruly slackers roaming around and the antithesis of the young generation the [Communist] party tries to cultivate."

So that was the end of Peppa... until now.

With Chinese New Year around the corner -- guess what? It's the Year of the Pig!

And just in time for the Lunar New Year holiday, one movie that will be released is called Peppa Pig celebrates Chinese New Year.

She was a symbol for slackers that the government didn't like

The film will feature traditional Chinese customs during the festival, including a dragon parade and fireworks.

Interestingly the film, co-developed by Alibaba Pictures and a Canadian media company called Entertainment One, will feature the entire Peppa Pig cast and two new characters called Dumpling and Glutinous Rice Ball...

Wonder what happens to these two characters in the end...