Picture of the Day: Fight the Virus!

Inside this bag are tools for people to fight the virus!

I missed the volunteers -- or maybe it was Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor or Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu the other day when they were giving out the "anti-epidemic service bag" and was instead left with a notice from the district office telling me to go pick it up at the nearby government primary school.

So that's what I did this morning. After scanning the LeaveHomeSafe app, I was allowed to enter, and inside the gymnasium were staff who first asked people to fill out the form on the notice -- my name, the first few numbers of my HKID card and phone number, and signature.

Rapid antigen tests, KN95 masks and TCM

Once these were completed she gave me a white plastic bag tied in a knot with a giant blue sticker saying, "United, We Fight the Virus!"

Inside are 20 rapid antigen tests, 20 KN95 masks, and two boxes of "proprietary Chinese medicine" -- Lianhua Qingwen Jiaonang. 

Each box contains 24 capsules "To clear scourge, remove toxin, diffuse the lung and discharge heat".

Ah but of course!

The dosage is three times a day, four capsules each time. If each box has 24 capsules, then the traditional Chinese medicine will only last for four days. 

I also received the e-voucher given out by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, but when I went to the MTR station to have the money topped up in my Octopus card, it would only top up enough to the maximum amount of HK$3,000 balance -- not HK$4,000 as promised.

It seems the maximum amount of money the Octopus card will allow is HK$3,000, so my actual deposited amount was about HK$2,930 as I had about HK$70 left in my Octopus card.

So now I need to spend at least HK$1,000 before I can get the rest of the balance owed to me.

Many people were confused today and an MTR staff member had to stand there and explain to each person why they got less than the promised HK$4,000 amount... 

Did no one in the Hong Kong government anticipate this would happen?

Anti-Epidemic Kits Arrive for Three-day Test

Lam asks people to test themselves from April 8 to 10

The Hong Kong government has already begun distributing the anti-epidemic kits to households (though I have yet to receive mine).

It contains: 10 lateral flow tests - sounds like a euphemism for rapid antigen tests (RAT); 10 KN95 masks; and some Lianhua Qingwen Jiaoning capsules.

This govt photo was taken on the carpet!

For the record there isn't any paracetemol.

Today Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor instructed local residents to test themselves everyday from April 8-10 and to report any positive results in a bid for health officials to get a "snapshot" of Hong Kong's infection rate.

And then she added the exercise was voluntary.

"We could only appeal to people's cooperation, riding out their aspirations to resume normal, daily living as soon as possible, and also to be able to travel," she said.

"We need the full cooperation and support of the people; we don't just rely on legal instruments."

So she would like people to test themselves, but it's up to them if they want report the results... how is this exercise going to be useful then?

Lam was hard at work putting the kits together

Lam also said this three-day exercise would not replace the mass testing which she still believes is still "necessary and essential". She did not have a time frame in which it would be carried out either.

Meanwhile today Hong Kong reported 4,457 cases, and 116 deaths, of which 99 were in the past 24 hours and 17 backlogged.

The numbers are slowly coming down, thanks to the peak already having happened in early March, but also with RATs being easily available and relatively inexpensive now, many are testing themselves daily to ensure they aren't spreading the virus at work or to friends and family. 

Thousands More Infected with Covid-19

More than 17,000 people reported infections today

Today Hong Kong logged 8,798 confirmed cases, but there are a whopping 17,279 cases that have been reported -- people either testing preliminary positive through government testing or through rapid antigen tests.

Both these numbers are records and sure to climb even higher in the coming days and weeks. 

In addition 50 people died, only six of whom had two doses of vaccines. One was a nine-year old boy who had a pre-existing genetic disease when he was a toddler, but was not vaccinated.

Hui strongly urges children get vaccinated

"If you are unvaccinated, it is very likely that your condition will deteriorate. With chronic illnesses, it is even more likely that complications will develop. That is why we are asking children to receive vaccines as soon as possible," said Dr David Hui Shu-cheong, a government adviser on Covid-19.

There are also heart-breaking stories of 11-month old babies ]who test positive for the virus but are forcibly separated from their parents and put into isolation. The Hospital Authority will not allow parents who have tested negative to be with the child under any circumstances. 

Another first today was the implementation of the regulation where everyone must scan the Leave Home Safe app that has the person's vaccination status uploaded to enter supermarkets, department stores, restaurants, and wet markets. 

People need to have at least one jab and scan the QR code of their vaccination record onto the Leave Home Safe app. That way when someone scans the QR code of a premises, the person's vaccination QR code pops up to show they have been vaccinated. 

Diners must upload vaccination status on app

However, according to some restaurant owners, many elderly people did not do this -- they either didn't know or didn't know how to it -- and so restaurant staff had to help them sort this out, or worse, turn them away. People can still get takeaway food if they don't want to scan the app.

Nevertheless, some restaurants have already seen a 40 percent drop in business today. There is also the issue of only having two per table. But another reason is no one wants to inadvertently become positive during universal testing which will begin in the coming weeks.

It probably won't be until after April 20 when the mass exercise is over when people will feel safer to go out to eat. It's a terrible situation, but so is some 17,000 possible infections reported in one day.

Today was also the start of further restrictions, where everyone exercising outside must wear a mask, even in country parks. This evening on my usual walk along the harbourfront most people complied -- only a handful of people had put their mask on their arm as they ran. 

I was shocked to find out today that one of my colleagues hasn't left his flat for two weeks. He is completely paranoid about stepping onto public transport. Another has also sequestered himself inside his flat too, and seems less witty in his messages. 

People must wear a mask exercising outdoors

It isn't really good to be holed up in your home mentally or physically. This fifth wave has made some people extremely scared, and very irrational. On the other hand my relatives still continue to refuse to get the vaccine despite the exponential numbers. I'm amazed they still haven't gotten infected yet. 

They have stashed up as much food as their flat can hold and then maybe when the cupboards and fridges (they have two) become bare then maybe they will get jabbed.

Their inability to rationalise the necessity of getting vaccinated to avoid serious health issues if infected continues to confound me. 

HK Sees Spike in Covid-19 Cases

As Lunar New Year holidays come to a close, cases will spike

Early this afternoon there was breaking news that the Hong Kong health authorities would report a record 351 infections today, compared to 131 cases yesterday. Talk about exponential jump.

Secretary for Health and Food Sophia Chan Siu-chee trotted out at a press conference at 4.30pm and again recommended that people get vaccinated, reduce their "activities", work from home, and do whatever they can to "cut people's flow".

Chan urges people to curb activities

"We are in a state whereby silent transmission chains in the community, Omicron being a very strong virus whereby its transmissibility is very high, so transmission is very fast. And therefore we must cut down people's flow, we must stop the activities," she said.

The wet market near where I live was busy -- we need to eat, right? But public transport seemed quieter in the evening following her press conference. Will vaccination rates go up again in the next few days? We hope so. 

But it definitely demonstrates how the government is falling behind in trying to stop the virus from spreading, and its punitive measures of threatening people with quarantine in Penny's Bay, and if infected being stuck in a hospital for another 14 days after getting the all clear, are not helpful.

As one person sarcastically joked on Twitter: "Your family is sent to hospital and you quarantine for so long, that when you come back home, there's a new family living there as you've been unknowingly been made bankrupt and bailiff seized your flat".

People are being tested over and over again

Even though it sounds absurd it's not inconceivable in today's Hong Kong where nothing seems to make sense anymore.

In the meantime there are fears the number of cases could triple to over 1,000 a day, according to former hospital authority chief Leung Pak-yin. As most people get back to work following the Chinese New Year holidays, it is possible to see cases spike even further.

With the impending onslaught of infections, there won't be enough space in Penny's Bay to quarantine everyone, so the health authorities are looking at asymptomatic and mild cases to quarantine at home if the living environment allows it, though they can't have visitors (obviously) and must wear a wrist band and be subject to frequent tests.

Is this all the government has in terms of a game plan to shut down the virus in Hong Kong in order to maintain "zero-Covid"? What other social-distancing measures can be taken other than locking down the entire city and forcing the elderly to get vaccinated?

Will Lam finally keep her mask on?

It should be noted that during the press conference, Chan wore a double mask to speak to reporters, whereas her boss, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor boasted how she used the rapid antigen tests daily and that she was standing far enough from reporters that she didn't need to wear a mask...

Perhaps it's time she take her minister's advice and don her mask as well?

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.

Lam Wants us to be Empathetic

Lam takes off her mask before speaking to the media

Poor Carrie.

She desperately wants Hongkongers to understand her feelings.

We're all going through a very tough time now, with the coronavirus pandemic going into its third year, there are strict social-distancing measures in place, intense lockdowns happening in a Kwai Chung housing estate where residents there heckled her and spewed profanities at her, and there's all these former lawmakers and activists in jail, some remanded in custody, three major news outlets shut down, and countless small businesses having to shutter for financial reasons.

Lam wants people to feel her emotions

And yet Carrie wants people to know how she feels.

The question had to be asked sooner or later. At several press conferences, Lam has chosen to take off her mask when health experts have warned people to wear a mask -- or even two to keep the Omicron variant at bay. Other speakers attending the event all wear masks except her.

Finally a reporter asked her why she did this and this was her reply:

"The people of Hong Kong have to hear very clearly from the chief executive and what messages she is conveying to the public. The people of Hong Kong may even have to feel my emotions," Lam said on Tuesday.

"Now I am very sombre, because I am very worried," she said, arguing a mask would not allow the public "to see for themselves" what she was feeling.

"I am the chief executive of the special administrative region; people need to understand and feel my feelings. 

Yuen is bold enough to wear ducky masks

"I want the people of Hong Kong to understand exactly the situation that Hong Kong is in, and put in their effort to support this important fight against Omicron," she said. "This is nothing personal. This is really performing my duty as the chief executive."

Dr Yuen Kwok-yung, who has advised people to wear up to two masks, and that leaders should set an example, declined to comment on Lam's remarks, and so has Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection.

Maybe they know better how Lam feels?

Omicron Infections Worrying

Sorry little fella, you need to go... some 2,000 hamsters culled

Hamster-geddon has been the talk of the town today, as we watched news coverage of people giving up their rodent pets to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department to test them for Covid-19, and regardless if they are negative or positive, they are "humanely handled", but we all know what that means...

One father interviewed outside the AFCD said it was not fair, having to get rid of the animal when it was a living thing, and having to explain to his children that the hamster had to be destroyed because of the pandemic. But at the same time he said for the safety of the family the hamster had to go.

A mother said her children had been talking about getting a small pet for a while and then they finally got the hamster on the weekend, but now she was taking it to be culled.

AFCD asked people to surrender their hamsters

But others reported in other news articles have refused to hand over the animals, saying they would rather die than surrender their hamsters. Some saw this as an act of resistance against the government, and others even organised a system to take in hamsters as fosters; it reminded some of when strangers would taken in protesters for their safety back in 2019.

It has even gotten to the point where death threats have been sent to infectious disease experts like Dr David Hui Shu-cheong, and Dr Yuen Kwok-yung, but he brushed off the ominous messages, as he'd received them before...

In any event, seeing headlines like "Killing Hamsters Drives Hong Kong to New Low in Meeting China's Zero-Covid Dream", and "Hong Kong hamster massacre: Residents resist 'zero-Covid' city's pet project" give a horrific impression of the city, especially when no other animal-to-human transmission has been found around the world for the past two years.

While experts are still trying to find out if it was animal-to-human transmission or the other way around, Yuen believes the hamsters that came from the Netherlands, were most probably infected while in the warehouse in Tai Po, which is why he still thinks the cull was necessary.

Can you get infected with a mask on? Possibly

Today there is a report that one could possibly be infected with the Omicron virus just by passing by an infected person -- and everyone is wearing masks.

This is the plausible explanation of how a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher tested positive after passing by two infected people while walking in an MTR tunnel at a Mei Foo exit.

CCTV footage and her Octopus card transaction history showed she went through a tunnel exit at almost the same time -- just nine seconds apart -- as the two infected people last Friday. All three wore masks, and the teacher did not have contact with the pair.

Hui says this shows that the Omicron variant is four to eight times more transmissible than the Delta variant.

"If the index [patient] was near the kindergarten teacher, the wind direction could carry droplets [containing virus] to the teacher," he said. "Although a surgical mask could protect you from large droplets, it could still reach your eyes or leak in when you rub your eyes and nose."

He added that short-range airborne transmission could also occur if they stayed at a close distance, through gaps at the sides of the masks. He suggested residents wear glasses, plain spectacles, or face shields on top of face masks for extra protection.

Hui says Omicron droplets can get into the eyes

Oh no. Here we go again with people going over the top with a face shield on top of masks and those goggles usually worn in laboratories.

We are so exhausted by the whole pandemic and now we are told to be even more paranoid. 

"When is this going to end?" people keep asking openly, and there's no definitive answer.

Now that Omicron can possibly be caught so easily, restaurants are definitely going to see a drop in dine-in business, and who wants to even eat with a friend anymore?

It's all too much to bear. The impending Year of the Tiger is not looking good...

Picture of the Day: Crystal Jade Encourages Mask-Wearing

The mask holder at Crystal Jade shows a dumpling with mask

Tropical storm Rai threatened to bring in heavy rains today, but they never materialised and instead brought clear blue skies that haven't been seen for a few days.

However, yesterday was a washout in terms of trying to get some exercise done.

My friend and I had hoped to do some walking after work, but by the time we started, the rain drops increased and we quickly gave up and took the bus to Central where we walked around each floor of IFC mall twice. 

Then I tempted my friend with the suggestion of eating dinner at Crystal Jade which is in the mall.

We waited for about 15 minutes before getting a table, not bad considering it is the dinner rush.

As soon as we sat down I spied the mask holder -- actually a sheet of paper folded in half. 

On it was this cute cartoon drawing of a dumpling man?! Mr Dumpling wearing a mask!

"Together we fight Covid-19" it says. 

Love it!

While there are zero Covid-19 cases in the city for the past 74 days, there are 28 imported Omicron cases.

Who knows when this pandemic will end or if it will ever end...

But in the meantime, wear your mask! Mr Dumpling will thank you!

Convicted Protester Defiant at Sentencing

In November 2019 students clashed with police at CUHK

Yesterday five former Chinese University students were jailed for up to 59 months each for rioting and flouting a ban on wearing masks at public gatherings during clashes with police on the university campus in November 2019.

When handing down the sentences to the five at West Kowloon Court, Deputy Judge Kathie Cheung Kit-yee said the defendants must have chosen to remain at the scene either to take part in the violence or abet the criminal acts of their comrades.

She said the lack of evidence over the defendants' level of involvement was no reason to reduce their jail sentences, because all participants in a riot shared the same culpability regardless of their roles in it.

5 were arrested at the bridge near CUHK entrance

"Hong Kong is a place which upholds the rule of law, and a peaceful and tranquil community which shows no tolerance aimless acts that seriously disturb the peace, especially those targeting law enforcement officers," Cheung said.

Three men aged 23 and one aged 20 were all sentenced to 57 months in jail, while one female defendant, Foo Hoi-ching, 23, was handed a 59-month sentence.

The five were arrested near the bridge near CUHK's entrance where protesters hurled objects at police. At the time protesters had just thrown 23 Molotov cocktails and other hard objects at police.   

Foo, a nursing student, remained defiant during mitigation, saying she was not sorry for what she had done and found Cheung's ruling unreasonable.

She wrote a letter to the court that was quickly translated on Twitter by Tsui Lok-man, a former assistant professor at CUHK's School of Journalism and Communication:

Foo says authorities free to interpret the law

"First of all, this letter of plea is not intended to gain the mercy of the judge.

"In asking for the background report, I honestly have no regrets for my actions, and I also have nothing to say to the judge in my plea, because I do not agree with the law itself, nor do I feel I have done anything wrong.

"Simply put, I do not think this is a reasonable sentence. In the eyes of some people, 'the law is the law, and if you break the law, you need to bear responsibility'.

"Others may also believe that the court's ruling proves that the protesters' behaviour is wrong, and their actions in vain. But I believe that authority does not equal correctness.

"First of all, the laws of Hong Kong today are not recognized by its people, nor does society have any space to discuss whether the law is reasonable or not. Second, the Public Order Ordinance is vague by design, to enable the authorities to freely interpret and control it.

She says the law controls people, not for justice

"After 2019, riot cases have increased rapidly, and the courts have given a new interpretation to the definition of a riot, such that increasingly more behaviour is now classified as "illegal behaviour", enabling more and more people to get convicted, and allowing the authorities to further repress dissidents.

"Under a totalitarian regime, the law is only a bloodless but violent tool of the authorities to control the people, and the court is not a place of justice.

"In such a place, only attention is being paid to social order on a surface level, but the root cause of what is tearing the society apart is ignored.

"When the penalties for political cases gets heavier, some defendants will please guilty or appeal to the judge, in order to reduce their sentence, but this does not necessarily mean they agree that the current law is moral or just.

Foo no longer believes in the HK judicial system

"The judge may point out that if you are not satisfied with the ruling, you can appeal. However, I no longer believe in Hong Kong's judicial system, and even the highest courts may not listen to the voices of dissidents.

"I just want to take this opportunity to express my dissatisfaction. If the court hears what I have said, and believes that it is justified in giving me a heavy sentence to make me regret and reflect, then it will be just as it is."

 

法官閣下：

首先表明，我無意以這封求情信來博取法官閣下的憐憫。

我索取背景報告時，我坦言對於自己的行為並無後悔，亦沒有說話要向法官閣下求情，因為我並不認同法例本身，亦不覺得自己有做錯的地方。簡單而言，我不認為這是合理的判決。

在某部分人眼中，示威者「犯法就係犯法，就係要負責」，有些人亦可能認為法庭的裁決證明了示威者的行為是錯誤，是徒勞無功的。但我認為，權威並不代表正確。

首先，香港現時的法律，並非由人民共同認可，社會並沒有空間討論現行法律合理與否。其次，暴動條例的定義本來就模糊不清，以便政權靈活解釋和操控。2019年後暴動案件急升，法庭時而重新詮譯暴動定義，令更多行為被列為「法律不認可的行為」，從而令更多人入罪，令政權得以打壓異見者。

極權下的法律只是政權用以規範人民行為的不流血暴力手段，而法庭也不是一個彰顯公義的地方。這裏只會流於表面地關注社會秩序，並不會著眼社會撕裂的根本原因。

當政治案件的刑罰日益加重，有些被告會選擇認罪或向法官求情，以減輕刑期，但或許並不代表他們認同現行法律具有道德正當性。法官閣下可能會指出，若不滿閣下裁決，大可以申請上訴。然而，本人已不再相信香港的司法制度，再高級的法庭亦不見得會聆聽異見者的聲音。

我只是希望藉此機會表達我的不滿。如果法庭聽畢本人以上的言論，認為可以用重判形式令本人從而後悔及反省，那便悉隨尊便。

 

Moving the Goal Posts to Immunity

Surge in vaccinations bookings still doesn't reach 90 percent

 

The goal posts keep changing when it comes reaching herd immunity in Hong Kong which is becoming more and more frustrating.

For the longest time we were told it was 70 per cent and currently the city is at 29.9 percent fully vaccinated, 40.5 percent with at least one jab. Yes, a ways to go...

Yuen says more people need to get the jab

But now microbiologist and government advisor Yuen Kwok-yung now says we need 90 percent herd immunity before we can relax social-distancing measures.

"It is not safe even if you reach a vaccination rate of 70 percent, because that means you have 30 percent of the population not yet inoculated, that's over 2 million people, there could still be major outbreaks," Yuen warned.

He noted there had recently been imported cases slipping into the community, but that Hong Kong had been able to avoid a new major outbreak due to face mask wearing, hand hygiene, and improved contact tracing capabilities.

Despite Hongkongers diligent about masks and all that, it's still not enough for Dr Yuen. A colleague says she's gotten her two jabs to do her bit to help Hong Kong get back on its feet. What about everyone else?

Elderly can walk in for vaccination

Needless to say patience is beginning to wear thin and even more so now with the need to get to 90 percent immunity...

Ominous Warnings on Fourth Wave

More pandemic fatigue will set in with the fourth wave coming

University of Hong Kong infectious disease expert Yuen Kwok-yung is sending ominous warnings that social distancing measures may have to stay in place until September 2021, when mass vaccinations will be available.

"If we don't have targeted measures on the coronavirus, then we could see tens of thousands of people infected," he said during a radio program. "Deaths could easily exceed 1,000."

Yuen said loopholes needed to be plugged, and that bars and restaurants need to take infection-control measures more seriously.

Yuen warns there could be 1,000 deaths in HK

Seven new cases were reported today, including two men at the care home for the disabled, two women related to previous cases, and three imported from the Philippines, the Netherlands and Nepal.

Basing his predictions on overseas experiences, Yuen said places like Europe and the United States had large swathes of infections in the winter, as the virus transmits quickly in cooler temperatures.

He cited New York City as an example, that had more than 10,000 deaths and a 20 percent infection rate in its population at the start of the local epidemic .

"What happened in New York can happen in Hong Kong," he said.

Is this too much scare mongering? For starters practically everyone in Hong Kong is wearing a mask. How can this be compared?

Where are police to break up groups at Pier 10?

Today in parts of Hong Kong island there were several groups of police wandering around. However, at the Central ferry piers, they should have been at piers 9 and 10 where lots of partygoers (many of them non-Chinese) were getting on and off boats for the day. They were not social distancing nor were they all wearing masks.

Or is it because the police officers' English skills are so terrible that they can't tell them to mask up? Or fine them for not social distancing at four to a group?

While there are some bars and restaurants not strictly adhering to regulations of four per table, and spreading them 1.5 metres apart, and having separate staff for cleaning tables and serving guests. This is just not possible in many Hong Kong establishments, where they are too small to hire so many people, or they are trying to cut costs.

But Yuen says, "I think they need to understand that if the epidemic continues, all restaurants will lose customers and may have to close. So why don't they do a better job?"

Barriers at restaurants may not be enough

Ouch. Many restaurants are doing the best they can under the circumstances. They don't want to close, but some restrictions are too much.

As for mandatory testing, Yuen doesn't rule it out, and that it may have to come to that if the number of infections surge to the tens of thousands.

"Of course the most ideal situation is it doesn't have to be mandatory," Yuen said. "But if we need to do it, then it should be those who have shown symptoms."

He said government and private clinics found 46 to 84 patients with symptoms for every 10,000 people, while the universal testing scheme only found 42 cases out of 1.78 million.

In addition, Yuen also suggested people should take pictures of the license plates of vehicles they use, record who they socialized with, where and when to help with faster contact tracing.  

His predictions are going to make people even more fatigued about the coronavirus pandemic. 

This is not what any of us thought 2020 would be like at all!

Increasing Threats on Joshua Wong

Joshua Wong says Hongkongers will not easily surrender

 

Day by day the level of absurdity in Hong Kong rises a notch or two higher. Earlier this week it was the Hong Kong police determining who was a real reporter and who was "fake" to ensure smooth operations.

And then yesterday Joshua Wong Chi-fung was arrested for allegedly breaching the anti-mask law last October 5, when people were banned from covering their faces during protests.

The irony is that wearing masks is mandatory these days because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He was also arrested for allegedly taking part in an illegal assembly that day as well.

Koo Sze-yiu is a veteran social activist

The force said the October 5 protest was not authorized under the Public Order Ordinance, hence the charge. The 23-year-old Wong was arrested along with 74-year-old Koo Sze-yiu, a veteran social activist who has was recently diagnosed with cancer and is in hospital, according to fellow activist Nathan Law Kwun-chung.

After Wong was released on bail, he told the media waiting outside the Central Police Station that the timing of his arrest and prosecution were politically motivated.

"The government wants to produce a chilling effect on Hong Kong people to frighten people away from the October 1 march," he said, referring to the planned National Day rally.

"But I can declare that I will continue to resist and we should also let the world know Hong Kong people will not easily surrender. They can't censor our commitment to fight for freedom. The chilling effect will not work and is not the way out -- they cannot force us to surrender."

Many opposition politicians, rights groups and the European Union weighed in on Wong's arrest.

Richardson says authorities want to silence Wong

Alan Leong Kah-kit, chairman of the Civic Party said: "It's so ridiculous for the government to arrest people over participating in an anti-mask law rally when everyone now in Hong Kong has to wear masks in public places [under coronavirus measures]."

Human Rights Watch said the Hong Kong government should stop prosecuting pro-democracy activists.

"The Hong Kong authorities keep dredging up dubious cases against Joshua Wong in a heavy-handed attempt to silence him," said Sophie Richardson, China director. "Hong Kong and Chinese authorities should realize that people in Hong Kong have responded to attacks on pro-democracy voices with ever greater resolve in calling for human rights."

Law, who is currently in exile in London, is concerned that while the authorities have not yet arrested Wong for breaching the national security law, it will only be a matter of time. 

"By arresting him and charging him once more, it sends a strong signal to Joshua that, basically telling Joshua that [he should] not do anything, otherwise we will arrest you under the national security law which is much more draconian and the maximum penalty will be life-long sentencing. I think that kind of intimidation is clear," Law told CBC Radio's current affairs show As It Happens.

Law with former HK governor Chris Patten

The Civil Human Rights Front had applied to the police to hold a rally on October 1 to protest against the mainland authorities for detaining 12 people who allegedly attempted to flee to Taiwan. However, the police rejected the application, citing social-distancing measures where a maximum of four people may gather in public, and that a large crowd could constitute a "grave threat" to public health and public safety.

The front has said it will appeal, and if rejected again, will think of other ways people can protest.

By the way there were only two new coronavirus cases today...

Yes, You can be Reinfected With Covid-19

We may be wearing masks for a long time with the possibility of reinfection

Hong Kong recorded nine new coronavirus cases today, the first time in single digits since July 3.

While this was good news, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection cautioned it was too early to tell if restrictions on social distancing should be lifted, such as allowing customers to eat dinner in restaurants.

Chuang says it's too early to lift social-distancing restrictions

She hinted there were already 10 preliminary positive cases for tomorrow.

Nevertheless, there was one curious case -- the world's first -- that shows even if someone has recovered from Covid-19, they can be reinfected again.

Case #564 is a 33-year-old IT worker who was infected with the coronavirus in April but only had mild symptoms and then recovered.

In early August he flew to Spain for a trip and when the man returned to Hong Kong he had no symptoms but tested positive for the virus again.

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong wanted to find out if he was a "persistent carrier" from his previous infection. But it turns out from gene sequencing that the second strain was markedly different from the first. The second strain matched those found in Europe during July and August.

"Many believe that recovered Covid-19 patients have immunity against re-infection because most developed a serum neutralizing antibody response. However, there is evidence that some patients have waning antibody level after a few months," the researchers said in their study that was accepted by the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal.

A HK man was reinfected with Covid-19 while in Spain

"Our findings suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 may persist in the global human population as is the case for other common cold-associated human coronaviruses, even if the patients have acquired immunity via natural infection," they said.

The researchers suggested recovered patients should continue wearing masks and should also consider getting vaccinated.

This new development puts a damper on hope that once this was all over we'd all be fine. Nope. The possibility of re-infection is real and possible.

Get used to wearing masks, folks. This virus is in it for the long haul.

I just got an update that Thailand will be open to visitors in October, but they would still have to quarantine for two weeks before being let loose in the Kingdom of Smiles... how many visitors are actually going to go?

New Measures Overlook Blue-Collar Workers

A man holds an umbrella in the rain as he eats his lunch

Today was the first day of tighter regulations kicking in, with everyone having to wear masks outside, including those exercising, while meals cannot be consumed in restaurants or cafes -- the food must be taken back to the office or home to be eaten.

Of course the government did not consider blue-collar workers who don't have an air-conditioned office space or home nearby to eat lunch or dinner. As a result lots of construction workers, cleaners, and others had to find park benches, stairs or even the covered bus terminus for a space to eat.

A man kneels while eating his lunch today

The media recorded pictures of people crouching, even an old man kneeling to eat his meal outdoors. Another, a cleaner, resorted to holding an umbrella while eating as it was pouring with rain during lunchtime.

If you can pay, some enterprising offices in Central offered a room for up to two people to eat in for HK$50 an hour, HK$30 for one person.

But there were some in the community who opened up their spaces to people, like a salon that had chairs in front of its shop, and a church -- Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church -- which is incidentally Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's parish -- offered people space to eat from 7am to 10pm, and they won't be proseletized either! Bonus!

Now the government will open 19 facilities for people to eat their meals. This is absolutely ridiculous because it is just like eating in a restaurant then.

Eat in Central for $50 for two people, $30 for one

Meanwhile on the jogging front, it was nice to see almost everyone mask up on the waterfront this evening, though there were a handful of people who refused to comply to the new regulations. If caught by the authorities, they can be fined up to HK$5,000 (US$645).

However, there were varying degrees of joggers wearing masks. There were those who had it tucked under their chin (of no use at all), or just covering their mouth and not their nose (again not helpful), or one creative Caucasian woman who had the mask covering her nose and then the bottom part was folded up and tucked just under her upper lip. But again that's not very effective either.

Most people though jogged with masks, some still insisting on sprinting, but on the whole it was a relief to not have to worry so much about runners breathing heavily near me.

RTHK reported some runners in Victoria Park earlier in the day couldn't stand wearing a mask and one middle-aged man suggested government officials should try running with a mask on to see how difficult it is.

"It's not reasonable. It's an aerobic exercise! If we wear a mask it stops us from taking in oxygen. It's completely opposed to the goal of exercising," he complained. "Who thought of this? Ask them to put a mask on, come out and run. Let them see what it's like!"

Joggers had to mask up today, with mixed results

But he may be stuck having to wear a mask for a while, with another 118 new cases reported today that put Hong Kong at 3,002 coronavirus cases, a grim milestone, along with 24 deaths.

Is there no end in sight? While I am not one of those people impatiently waiting to travel elsewhere, the news everyday about the triple-digit cases and the healthcare system overloaded is causing anxiety and stress, and surely for every other person in the city...

Government Imposes New Measures to Fight Virus

Cheung (third from left) announces new severe measures

Hong Kong recorded a record high of 145 coronavirus cases today, the sixth straight day of triple digits. It was enough for the government to finally impose tougher measures from Wednesday -- why Wednesday? -- of mandatory mask-wearing outdoors, including for exercise, and a ban on dining in restaurants for a week.

This was hinted this morning, followed by an afternoon press conference led by Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung and a phalanx of ministers. If the pro-establishment lawmakers blamed the pan-democrats for filibustering, the government is pretty good at doing that too.

Every time Cheung answered a question, he said so-and-so minister can give you further details, and after he spoke (at length), then that minister would follow up with supposedly more details.

This frustrated the reporters from not having enough time to ask more questions, or their queries were not exactly answered.

Chuang said there were 145 new cases today

One asked if one must wear a mask while exercising outside, and the minister in question cited the regulation code, but did not say yes or no (it is yes). There were questions about it being safe for lots of people to be eating their takeaway food outside in parks, but it seems the government didn't really think about that, that the majority of people would take their food home to eat or stay in their office to eat.

Cheung said having restaurants only do takeaway was a compromise as a way to keep these establishments afloat, but also feed Hongkongers at the same time, as a number of them don't cook or don't have kitchen facilities.

However, it seems the government has no idea that doing takeaway for some restaurants is completely not worth the cost or the cuisine is not suitable for takeaway. Supermarkets continue to be the big winner.

Also only two people at most can gather in public places from Wednesday, down from four, but if you're in a family, then it's ok. It's mind-boggling the policies the authorities make up. Someone joked on Twitter that you have to carry a family photo around to prove that you're a family and can stick together in public...

No dining in restaurants from Wednesday

But I have to say I'm relieved that everyone will have to mask up from Wednesday. No more runners gasping for air as they graze past me. It's a very unsettling feeling having someone breathing heavily on you.

Soon after the government press conference was the regular update from the Centre for Health Protection and Hospital Authority. They reported a record three more elderly people passed away, apparently with existing health conditions.

There are still over 100 people who have tested positive and are waiting to be admitted into hospitals, and more cases of seamen contracting the virus as well as in restaurants, wet markets and elderly homes. And another case from the July 12 junk trip...

Dr Sara Ho from the HA said if people are waiting at home to be sent to hospital, all family members should wear a mask, eat separately and ideally use separate toilets. However, living in such close quarters, there is a high chance of other family members being infected.

There is no ideal temporary solution to isolate these people, while others are still waiting for their test results to come back, several days after they initially sent in their saliva samples.

Exercising outdoors? You must wear a mask

It is obvious the health system is completely overwhelmed and at this rate no relief in sight yet. What happened? For months Hong Kong was doing so well with single-digit cases and then suddenly it exploded. As a friend pointed out it's lucky the case numbers haven't increased exponentially, but that might be because testing is severely backlogged.

This is not a good situation for Hong Kong to be in, and many are pointing at the list of exemptions from quarantine as the reason for the sudden surge in cases in the last two weeks. However, the government refuses to acknowledge it is to blame, saying lots of people are getting the virus because they are not wearing masks while eating in restaurants.

So we shall see if shutting down dining in at restaurants really does lower the number of cases, while exemptions for quarantine continue.

The lack of trust in the government continues to grow, making it even harder to believe what it says in trying to control the pandemic narrative in Hong Kong...