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?

Political Elites Reveal True Colours

The restaurant where the party was held now has a reputation

Birthday-gate is getting bigger, with now the possibility of 200 guests who came and went at Witman Hung Wai-man's celebrations and not all of them used the Leave Home Safe app.

One offender was Dr Daniel Chu Wai-sing, husband of RTHK host Joyce Yeung who was later found to be a false-positive case.

Chu admits he did not use tracing app

He admitted on a radio show on Monday that he did not scan the Leave Home Safe app, saying he did not see it, and questioned the radio hosts of they were indeed "law abiding" when they were out and about.

Sounds like someone trying to dismiss the government-mandated app, and also make it sound like it's normal to not obey the rules?

It's turning into an intense investigation into who was where at what time, and guests having to prove it through their Leave Home Safe app. But if they didn't use it, then they look foolish, particularly if they are pro-establishment and supposed to be setting a good example and following government guidelines.

Meanwhile if police find ordinary people have not used the app when raiding a bar or restaurant, they are fined HK$5,000. Will these guests of Witman's be fined as well as quarantined?

Close contacts will quarantine for 14 days now

And domestic helpers enjoying their precious day off on a Sunday are subjected to checks by officers, telling them to sit 1.5 metres apart and a maximum of four to a group -- outdoors. 

At the moment space at Penny's Bay is quickly filling up to capacity, and health experts have suggested that close contacts should only be quarantined for 14 days instead of 21, which the government has finally agreed to. However, those arriving into Hong Kong will still have to quarantine for 21 days.

"We have seen many more confirmed cases lately and therefore many more close contacts, putting pressure on the capacity of quarantine centres. We also considered the fact that the incubation period for Omicron is quite short, within 14 days for most local and imported cases we have seen in Hong Kong," Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said this afternoon at a press briefing.

Last week 350 people were sent to quarantine, including the infamous birthday party, a dancing cluster, and church-going domestic helpers, and patrons in two restaurants.

Chuang says incubation for Omicron is short

Some of these infected cases can be traced back to Cathay Pacific crew not following their internal quarantine rules, and so there are hints Beijing wants Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to discipline the airline even further.

Cathay is pretty much on its last legs, trying desperately to stay alive as well as keep its cargo flights going to bring food, vaccines and other necessities into Hong Kong. If the government shuts down Cathay, then are we supposed to depend on Air China? 

The heat is on, and it's not going to be good for anyone, except maybe for the partygoers who may escape  punishment because of their political allegiance... or maybe not...

Scary Omicron Predictions

Yuan predicts up to 250,000 infections if no measures taken

Health experts are sounding the alarm that the fifth wave is emerging in Hong Kong and more social-distancing measures need to be adopted to prevent a prediction of up to 250,000 infections within six months. 

A medical professor from Chinese University said the city was facing a "critical" moment in the coming weeks and there was still a chance of preventing transmission chains if schools were closed and employees worked from home, the number of projected infections could go down to 12,500 with 700 severe cases.

People need to work from home, close schools

How Dr Sean Yuan Hsiang-Yu, assistant professor in the department of biomedical sciences at CUHK came up with these numbers through modelling are staggering, but he also demonstrates how contagious the Omicron variant is, and that residents should not let their guards down.

Meanwhile there are discussions of how the Hong Kong government was complacent all this time and did not aggressively push for higher vaccination numbers when the city had zero cases for about 80 days. 

But how do you get people inoculated if they do not see danger lurking? Vaccination rates in other countries are much higher because people there have seen first hand what happens when their friends and loved ones get Covid-19. 

ICAC's Peh left Penny's Bay this evening

And then the government was caught flat-footed when it announced it would offer boosters for residents, but did not anticipate so many people would want to get the jab and had closed many of the community vaccination centres already. Now people have to wait in line for ages which is not ideal while we are in the Omicron wave.

And then there is the Witman Hung Wai-man party saga that continues. The latest is that some 80 people involved with the party do not need to quarantine further when it was found tests of one of the guests was false positive. It helps when your husband is a doctor and botches your Covid test...

So people like Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu, and Independent Commission Against Corruption Commissioner Simon Peh Yun-lu were among those who were allowed to leave Penny's Bay. 

However the other 100 in attendance of the party held in a Spanish restaurant in Wan Chai, including home affairs chief Caspar Tsui Ying-wai and immigration head Au Ka-wang will still need to undergo 21 days' quarantine as they were deemed close contacts.

Ho complaining about quarantine situation

Lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu is still in Penny's Bay. It's quite amusing to see on social media that he even brought brand new clothes for the occasion, as there are pictures of tags still on his clothes. He complained in a video that it took hours for the Centre for Health Protection to contact him and that he only arrived at the quarantine camp at midnight.

Then he complained he didn't get any dinner and that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's strategy in fighting Covid-19 are "castles on the beach" and is holding her and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee responsible.

If he is not careful, Lam may keep him in Penny's Bay indefinitely, and in which case it was wise of him to bring new clothes with him...

Birthday Party Political Fallout

170 people from the party now have to undergo quarantine

The 170 guests who attended Witman Hung Wai-man' s 53rd birthday party in a Spanish restaurant in Wan Chai are all considered close contacts and must undergo up to 21 days in quarantine at Penny's Bay after a second preliminary positive case was identified.

This celebration has now evolved into a public health scandal with political fallout too.

Immigration chief Au must go to Penny's Bay

Not only was Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai there, but also Director of Immigration Au Ka-wang, police chief Raymond Siu Chak-yee, ICAC commissioner Simon Peh Yun-lu, and lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu -- known for his combative and at times misogynist comments.

Needless to say many Hongkongers were giddy with glee to see these top officials sent to Penny's Bay, a bare bones quarantine centre on Lantau that has barely any wifi, lukewarm food and no air conditioning or heating.

One person on Twitter sarcastically remarked that the after party was now at Penny's Bay.

On Friday, immigration chief Au issued an apology over his conduct.

"Regarding the additional burden to the epidemic prevention work and the disturbance to the public as a result of my personal behaviour, I offer my sincere apology to all people of Hong Kong. I have reflected on this incident and shall be more vigilant in the future," he said.

But the fallout is not over.

The 13 officials who will be sent to quarantine have been temporarily relieved of their duties because they will be investigated, and that their subordinates will take over. 

Police chief Siu also attended Hung's party

This means the deputies from police, the ICAC, and Immigration departments will be acting chiefs, while Secretary of the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen will take on the additional role of Home Affairs, and Secretary for Commerce Edward Yau Tang-wah will also head the finance and treasury department.

It seems Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is using this opportunity to assert her power and possibly kick out the incumbent ministers, even though they were handpicked by Beijing. One wonders if this is another sign of Lam gunning for a second term...

Top Official Sent to Quarantine After Birthday Party

Hung (left) sings at his own birthday with over 100 guests

Just as Hongkongers were dreading today would be the last day to have dinner in a restaurant before more severe social-distancing measures would be imposed tomorrow, there was news that 10 government officials attended a birthday party where a person was infected with the Omicron virus.

Over 100 people were at a party hosted by Witman Hung Wai-man, principal liaison officer for Hong Kong and the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority. Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai was among one of the guests and will be sent to quarantine at Penny's Bay along with Allen Fung, political assistant for Hong Kong Secretary for Development.

Lam disappointed at Tsui for attending the party

Pictures of the party at a Spanish restaurant in Wan Chai show attendees not wearing masks, and Hung holding a microphone and belting out a tune while putting his arm around a maskless woman.

At a press conference this afternoon, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed her dismay at Tsui and the other officials for not following the advice of their health colleagues warning people to limit their gatherings, though she was quick to add some of the officials may have just gone to the party to pass on their greetings and then leave soon afterwards before the infected person arrived at 9.30pm.

"I am very disappointed, because this anti-pandemic work has persisted for so long, so many of us have been working so hard to fight against the pandemic, so as principal officials of the administration, we should lead by example and refrain from taking part in private events," Lam said, adding, "this is clearly a private event, and not a function required by public duty."

Tsui apologised and will be sent to quarantine

Reporters pointed out a day earlier Lam was looking into making Cathay Pacific legally responsible for its crews for spreading the Omicron variant in the community, and asked if she would bear the responsibility for her ministers for attending this party. Lam replied:

"A leader has the responsibility to lead, and should be accountable even if they are not aware of the event. However, this system of accountability does not mean that I am responsible for personal decisions a colleague of mine took."

So if taken in that context, does that mean she won't be punishing Cathay further?

Less than two hours later Tsui took to Facebook and apologised to the central government, the chief executive, the governing team, his bureau colleagues, and Hongkongers for "failing to hold fast to his position at a critical time", adding he would "reflect sincerely and deeply" during quarantine. His profile picture was changed to a black circle.

Meanwhile Lam said the government offices at Tamar would be disinfected and cleaned overnight.

Hung's birthday party invite

This fiasco is exactly the kind of thing Lam does not need right now, but how would Tsui have known an infected person was coming to the party? Nevertheless, it's about setting a good example, and Tsui may not last much longer in this administration.

Perhaps one good thing to come out of this would be for Tsui to experience first hand what it's like to quarantine in Penny's Bay and understand the hardships involved. 

Maybe then some changes will be made to the facilities there? Or are we being too hopeful?

Hong Kong Phil Musicians Test Negative

How does the HK Phil move forward to have concerts safely?

 

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra issued a press release this afternoon saying that apart from the one clarinettist who tested positive for the coronavirus, and is in stable condition in hospital, everyone else tested negative and are out of quarantine after two weeks.

Flautist plays husband's trombone in quarantine

It is a relief for the 90 orchestra members, who were suddenly forced into quarantine, some wondering what to do with their young children (taking them with them), or being separated from their spouse for that period of time. 

They all quarantined in at Penny's Bay, where there was no wifi, and some were scalded by water that was too hot for the showers. Many brought their instruments with them to play, though the ones with bigger instruments were not allowed to, owing to space restrictions.

Some reported the food tasted horrific and opted to fast, while others just ate boiled eggs.

Earlier in the week they had a virtual meeting with the orchestra's management, expressing their frustration at all of them being forced into quarantine, and there was no proper protocols on how to deal with the pandemic. 

How about starting with chamber concerts?

Some had no contact with the infected musician, or even sat near him and questioned why they needed to be quarantined.

"We can't perform again until something has been worked out and approved in advance, because there is no way we can risk being sent back here. We just can't perform again if the CHP [Centre for Health Protection] isn't engaging with us to develop a plan," said one orchestra member who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The orchestra's management suggested testing everyone weekly, with musicians handing them deep saliva samples in bottles before the first rehearsal of each week.

Some musicians also felt it would have been better to start the season with chamber music than a full orchestra.

Leung says tests prove live concerts are safe

Nevertheless, first associate concert master and violinist Leung Kin-fung says the musicians all testing negative "proved once and for all that the orchestra is not a high-risk environment and that live concerts are perfectly safe".

Until the CHP works with the Hong Kong Philharmonic to develop a specific protocol for them on how to hold concerts safely, we won't be able to listen to any of their live performances anytime soon, and that would be a pity; we are starving for music to soothe our anxieties in these unsettling times.

Hong Kong Government Backpedals... Again

The Penny's Bay site on Lantau Island where quarantine camps will be built

The Hong Kong government is now opening a tender to build the second phase of a quarantine camp after it was criticized for handing the construction contract to a state-owned enterprise, which is not the normal procedure.

The site on Penny's Bay on Lantau Island involves building 500 rooms and construction is expected to start in April and be completed in July.

The camps are for those in close contact with confirmed cases

The Architectural Services Department confirmed the contract will be awarded through a bidding process. Last week the department was under fire for giving the first-phase contract, worth HK$194 million (US$25 million) to state-owned China Harbour Engineering without going through a selection process.

Officials claimed urgency because of the coronavirus was the reason and stressed due process was followed.

"To deal with the epidemic, government works departments acted swiftly to make appropriate commissioning arrangements based on practical circumstances, whilst complying with the government's sourcing requirements and guaranteeing the quality of construction," a department spokesman said.

Uh huh.

The Penny's Bay camp is one of several quarantine centres being built to accommodate those who have been in close contact with confirmed cases of the coronavirus, which is now at 109, and two fatal cases.

Luo Huining visited one of the completed quarantine camps

Interestingly another quarantine camp at Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village was awarded to another state-owned enterprise, China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong).

Eyebrows were raised last week when Luo Huining, the new director of the liaison office had a photo-op when he visited construction workers at the Lei Yue Mun camp that was completed four days early. Luo praised the firm for "demonstrating its commitment".

Ngai Hok-yan, a veteran civil engineer, said while splitting the Penny's Bay project into two had the benefit of hiring specialist firms to do each part, but that the government was under pressure to make the second phase contract open to bidding.

"Many people were asking why the first phase cost about HK$190 million when the quarantine camp at Lei Yue Mun cost only HK$70 million in total," he said.

Carrie Lam has finally come round to wearing masks

The government's rush to hand out contracts to particular companies is infuriating when Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor insisted in a press conference that when it came to sourcing masks, money was not an issue, and yet the government went through the tendering process so it was unable to secure enough masks.

Back then she probably didn't see masks as a priority to purchase, but now she's been wearing masks in public. Stubborn Carrie, but at least she's finally gotten round to following health experts' advice.

Perhaps we need to stop paying these civil servants too much money as they are completely out of touch and oblivious of how their actions result in bad optics.