Breaking Out for Easter

People flocked to the beaches at Repulse Bay for the start of Easter break

 

Hong Kong recorded 16 new coronavirus cases today for a total of 989, but with today being the start of Easter, a four-day holiday, there were concerns people were not observing social distancing rules.

And that concern was right, with beaches at Repulse Bay packed with people, many not wearing masks, or hiking up Victoria Peak on Hong Kong island, or Tai Mo Shan, the city's highest peak located in the New Territories.

Dr Chuang (left) is concerned about a new wave of cases

In Tsim Sha Tsui, the Avenue of the Stars was crowded, as was the K11 Musea shopping mall and the food court in the basement that is very cramped to start with in normal circumstances.

What happened?

Turns out people were tired of being cooped up at home these last few weeks and wanted to get out and enjoy the sunshine. But should they really be going out at this time when we are very close to flattening the curve?

"I observed that many people are on the streets," said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection. "If people relax their practice of maintaining social-distancing rules, there may be a new wave of infections by asymptomatic cases."

She added there could be more mild cases in the community that are not being picked up... yet.

Shoppers also went to the new K11 mall in Tsim Sha Tsui

We shall see a week from now if this four-day long weekend will result in an increase of coronavirus cases or not.

In the meantime, Happy Easter?

Warm Lunar New Year

Does a Fire Rooster mean warmer temperatures in Hong Kong this year?

Lunar New Year is usually quite cold -- well cold for us who usually live in over 20 degree Celsius weather.

Temperatures usually dip around 10 degrees and last year it went as far as 3 degrees, with snow on Hong Kong's highest peak, Tai Mo Shan.

We drag out our heaters and bundle up in puffy jackets, boots, and scarves. Some even wear ear muffs, but they are mostly fashion statements...

But today -- the third day into the Year of the Rooster, it was really warm during the day -- it was so warm and humid I wore a T-shirt -- and I even got mosquito bites while in Pui O, an area south west of Mui Wo.

By evening there was some rain and temperatures fell again, but this year is certainly a strange one when it comes to the weather.

Does it have to do with it being the fire rooster this year?

"Frost Tourists" in Hong Kong

Some "frost tourists" checking out frost on the bushes up at Tai Mo Shan

Temperatures in Hong Kong dropped even lower today to 3.1 degrees Celsius and even closing all my windows and bundling up and staying next to the heater was how I survived inside most of the day.

However there were some adventurous spirits who wanted to see if there really was snow on Tai Mo Shan, the city's highest peak. Some "frost tourists" went up there in the early hours, but got a bit more than what they bargained for.

While they definitely did see frost and icicles, the slippery conditions up there resulted in many "frost chasers" falling on the icy roads and injuring themselves. In total 111 people were injured and 45 hospitalized, some with hypothermia.

These people obviously have not experienced very cold weather and were not prepared for what North Americans fondly call "black ice".

Some 85 injured people were rescued on Tai Mo Shan

Because many were stranded on the roads up to Tai Mo Shan, this hampered rescue efforts, four ambulances and three fire trucks were blocked from reaching the top at 9.30am.

The Fire Services Department confirmed 85 injured people were rescued up on Tai Mo Shan, and 130 trapped on Kowloon Peak.

New Territories South divisional commander Wong Ka-wing urged people to stay away from the mountain.

"I would like to take this opportunity to tell the public: do not go up the hill anymore," he said. "The cold weather has caused roads to be covered in frost. Whether it is vehicles or people, anyone passing through is likely to face slippery and dangerous conditions."

There's a video on Apple Daily's website of a young woman arguing with a policeman about wanting to continue her trek even though police had cordoned off the area. While he was trying to tell her it was not safe and she had to turn back, she felt it was her right to keep going.

Really?

She sounds like those skiers who like to ski out of bounds just because they think they can...

Other videos showed people sliding in the car park up on the mountain, a new novelty for them.

From the sheer numbers of people injured up on Tai Mo Shan indicates how selfish and naive they are when it comes to dealing with cold weather. While temperatures drop, Hong Kong is still relatively humid, which means moisture will be on the roads, which will freeze overnight and create icy conditions. Obviously they had not thought of that possibility.

Even more crazy was that on Tai Mo Shan, the Vibram Hong Kong 100 trail run race was held today and wasn't called off until the race was already underway. It seems some runners were completely unprepared for the frigid conditions, while others were bogged down by "frost chasers" they encountered on their path.

Perhaps race organizers should have just cancelled or postponed the ultra-endurance race? While 3.1 degrees is not a record low temperature -- the lowest was 0 degrees in 1893 -- it's still damn cold and slippery to be out there running 100km...

The next few days will continue to be cold... brrrrrrrrrr