Two Extreme Reactions to Coronavirus

While there were fewer cases today, the trend is still worrying

Hong Kong recorded 73 new cases today which is a drop from yesterday's staggering 108 cases, but the city is far from being able to curb the virus that seems more virulent than back in March.

This morning top microbiologist Professor Yuen Kwok-yung warned Hong Kong may have to go into a virtual lockdown if the number of cases continue to increase in the next seven to 14 days.

Dr Yuen warned of a possible lockdown in HK

"We might possibly need to lock down, not a lockdown of the whole city, but... close to a lockdown," he told a radio program.

The reaction to the surge in cases has seen polar opposites. There are those who are terrified, and some 4,000 of them rushed to hospitals to get tested even though they had no connection with any of the recently reported cases, or they socialize like they did before the pandemic, and not as stringent about wearing a mask.

Perhaps that's why some of the cases are connected to a giant party on July 9 where some 100 people celebrated the 23rd anniversary of the handover (wrong date, but it was also on a weekday) with dancing and singing (mask-less), a birthday party, and a mahjong parlour.

A mahjong parlour had a cluster of infections

Professor Yuen said the outbreak could be attributed to a failure to control who goes through the border including quarantine exemptions, and that the outbreak happened after Father's Day, when restaurants were back to full capacity.

Meanwhile Dr David Hui Shu-cheong said taking the test without overt symptoms did not give people "any sense of security", and could stretch healthcare services.

"The text will only prove that you are negative at this moment, but it does not mean you will not get the virus the next day, if you have not passed the incubation period," said Hui, a respiratory medicine expert, who is also consulting the government on the coronavirus.

"People should not rush to the hospitals for testing unless you have symptoms or you were close contacts [with an infected person]. It will increase the burden on our health care system," he said.

Hui asks public not to overwhelm health system

"We encourage people with symptoms like respiratory disease and epidemiological linkages with earlier confirmed cases to do a test, but not the general public."

In the meantime, the rest of us should stay at home as much as possible, and as soon as you step outside your flat, wear a mask! We understand it's hot and stuff wearing one, but we all need to protect ourselves and each other together.

108 New Virus Cases, is HK Doing Enough?

Lam announced more measures today to curb virus numbers

Within the period of 4pm to 12am yesterday Hong Kong recorded 108 new cases, 83 of which were local, 25 imported.

This is a new record for the city, where a few days ago it was 67.

Another statistic is that since July 5 there were 519 new cases, 411 of which were local.

Lam and co are exempted from quarantine

As a result Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held a press conference this afternoon -- on a Sunday -- with some of her minsters to announce further social-distancing measures.

Gyms, salons, karaoke lounges, cinemas and such will continue to be closed for another week, while restaurants will extend the measure of only offering takeaway from 6pm to 5am.

Masks are mandatory in all indoor public spaces (wasn't that a given?!) and most civil servants will work from home for a week, with only emergency and essential services available.

In addition there will be more quarantine units, some 2,000 of them built near Disneyland, and AsiaWorld-Expo will be converted to house stable coronavirus patients, as health experts have warned her that there could be another spike in cases this coming winter.

With all these measures, is Lam and her administration doing enough to curb the spread of the virus?

While some of the blame might be on the public getting tired of wearing masks and social distancing, one might want to look at the list the government has issued on those who are exempt from quarantine -- and the list is very long, involving lots of different kinds of people.

HKEX company directors exempt from quarantine

There are 33 categories of people who do not have to go through two weeks of quarantine because they either bring goods into Hong Kong that are daily necessities, or are needed for governmental operations, business, education or manufacturing.

All government officials on official business are exempt from this -- which is why Lam has been seen in Beijing, then in Hong Kong without having to go through a two-week quarantine period.

Cross-border truck drivers, and airline and boat crews going across to China, Macau and Taiwan are exempt, as well as people who work at the slaughterhouse in Sheung Shui but live across the border, and those who work in companies that supply personal protective equipment (PPE) for Hong Kong.

Factory owners or managers who need to oversee their manufacturing operations on the mainland do not have to be quarantined, along with those who have construction projects across the border, lawyers doing work in either China, Taiwan or Macau, and those doing research and development work.

AsiaWorld-Expo will take stable virus patients

Directors of listed companies or applying to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are exempted too, academics involved in coronavirus research, and secondary students who live on the mainland and cross the border to come to Hong Kong for classes.

It's a long list, isn't it? Each category could range from a few to lots of people. If any of them were asymptomatic and carrying the virus into Hong Kong, they could be the ones spreading the coronavirus in the city without knowing it.

The fact that these people aren't even tested is a serious problem -- they must at least be tested, but no, they are allowed to go back and forth albeit for work or education purposes, but they could also be socializing with others and possibly passing on the virus.

Otherwise how else can you explain why there are so many cases that cannot be traced in the community?

Lam said today it was not feasible to test every single person in Hong Kong, over 7 million, which is why they are targeting high risk groups, but there are asymptomatic carriers who must be found.

More Covid-19 Cases than SARS

Social distancing was practiced at Repulse Bay beach today

Hong Kong has just surpassed a grim milestone -- more coronavirus cases than SARS 17 years ago. The city reported 64 new cases today, 60 of which are local, for a total of 1,777 cases. That is two more than the number of SARS cases in 2003.

The high number of cases of Hong Kong is highly concerning, with people still continuing to socialize in large groups. I walked with a friend from Ocean Park to Repulse Bay to have lunch and while the beach wasn't packed, there were many people congregated around The Pulse, a mini mall that has restaurants, cafes and shops.

People having too much fun on July 9

There are also reports of a "handover celebration dinner" held on July 9 where over 100 people without masks were singing and dancing together in a hall. Four people from that party tested positive for the coronavirus.

Up until a few weeks ago, Hong Kong was the envy of the world with its single digit cases (on some days there were none). That's because of the pretty strict protocol it established when people flew into the city, and disseminated lots of tips to the public on how to keep safe.

But then what happened? Complacency settled in and people got tired of social distancing.

The Hong Kong government needs to move faster to clamp down on the number of cases as soon as possible. This cannot wait another day. The vast majority of the cases are not traceable, making it harder to find the sources of the virus.

More testing needs to be done too. For example, while test kits are made available free of charge to taxi drivers, doing the test is not mandatory. How could that be? It seems like a half-hearted measure. While it is understandable people are anxious about finding out if they are positive or not, it would be better to know earlier than later in terms of treatment?

Why not make testing mandatory for taxi drivers?

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor must allow a good portion of the civil servants to work from home (the ones that can). There is no need for everyone to be in the office now. That would also allow private companies to follow suit. The less interaction with others at this time would be better.

Mixed messages makes it harder for the public to understand and respect the government's thinking. A muddled response only reveals its indecisiveness and gives the impression fighting the virus is not a high priority.

More Covid-19 Cases More Concerns

Perhaps the authorities could check Pier 3 for social distancing?

Hong Kong recorded at least 60 new local cases today, including a bus driver who drive from North Point to Pokfulam, and a large cluster of 42 staff and residents in an elderly home in Wong Chuk Hang.

Also an editor at Hong Kong Economic Times became positive too, as a member of her family caught the virus earlier. Staff working near her have asked to self-isolate and check for symptoms.

Cheung says civil servants won't work from home

Despite the relatively high number of cases for Hong Kong, particularly yesterday's record of 67, the Hong Kong government says it is not ordering its civil servants to work from home.

This evening Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-cheung told the media there were enough face masks to go around for civil servants to use to protect themselves.

He said in late January, masks were in short supply, and so civil servants were sent home, though this impacted public services.

However, Cheung said department heads could decide on home working arrangements for staff, provided public services were not affected.

This announcement has frustrated many employees in the private sector, who cannot work from home as their company follows the government with regards to work arrangements.

A very quiet Central MTR station at 9.34pm

May we ask health officials or the police to check out Pier 3 in Central? This evening it was one massive party around 6.30pm... perhaps that may change their minds?

But in general the streets are very quiet in the evenings, even the MTR has a fraction of the passengers that it usually does on a Friday night. With the high number of cases it is highly likely these measures will continue at least for another week.