An amazing ekiben with 30 different ingredients!

  

An ekiben with 30 different ingredients!

 

Healthy, and yummy! :b

 

Before this recent trip to Japan -- my first ever in the pandemic era -- I wondered if I should eat when on a train.  This even though not doing so would deprive me of something I get quite a bit of pleasure out of: eating on a train while watching the world passing by through the train window; with the pleasure quotient exponentially increasing when one's got a delicious ekiben (station bento) to eat.

 

I didn't eat anything (besides a couple of gummy candies) on the Narita Express from Narita airport into Tokyo.  But that train ride reminded me that the train compartments have about the same amount, if not fewer, people in them as a fairly small restaurant.  So on the next train ride I took -- the first of a number that I'd take on a shinkansen on this trip -- I got an ekiben to eat on it from a specialty ekiben shop with quite the variety of options.

 

Speaking of variety: the ekiben I chose was one that trumpeted its having 30 different ingredients!  The Japanese are taught to eat 30 different foods a day in order to have a thoroughly balanced diet.  I'm not sure how many Japanese people actually do this (regularly) these days though.  All in all, it seems quite the effort to do so -- and I'm meaning eat, never mind make, such meals!  And to have a single meal be made up of 30 different ingredients seems pretty amazing to me; all the more so when I can confirm that the ekiben I had was actually pretty tasty as well as felt healthy too!

Among the ingredients that I could make out are the following: rice (of course); seaweed; shisho (perilla leaf); ume (pickled plum); egg; potato; corn; at least one kind of fish (cod?); fishcake (made of another kind of fish?); shrimp; carrot; radish; corn; chicken; konnyaku (devil's tongue); pumpkin; a number of varieties of green vegetables; and a number of different beans (including edamame, peas and chickpeas)!  And flavour-wise, there were bits that were sweet; others salty; others sour; others umami; and something a little bitter by way of one of the green vegetables -- that was not a bad thing at all, actually!

All in all, a wonderful moveable feast.  And for the bargain price of 1000 Yen -- which, at the current exchange rate, works out to just HK$52 or so.  Would you be surprised to learn that I wish I could eat this regularly?  And I bet I'd feel -- and be -- a lot healthier if I did so too! :)

A Chinese New Year hike with various interesting sightings

A greeting that's still valid as today's just the 3rd day

of Chinese New Year! :)

 

Something many (all?) of us would like to have this year!

 

I went out hiking yesterday, the second day of Chinese New Year.  For a change, I decided to go on on that would take place partly after dark. (I don't usually do this but I know that the Victoria Peak Circuit is lighted -- and, in fact, have been on it in the dark twice before.)  And while my plan to catch the sunset from the Peak wasn't entirely successful (due to conditions being hazier than I would have liked), I did get the views of the city lights that I had hoped -- and more because, as it turned out, I also was treated to the sight of various new year messages put up on the sides of Hong Kong's tallest building, the International Commerce Centre (ICC) over in West Kowloon. 

Along with "Happy New Year"(note: no "Chinese" or "lunar" specified; there's no need since we are in Hong Kong and everyone knows which new year people are currently celebrating!), there were wishes put up for "Good health" along with such as "Good luck", "Happiness" and "Prosperity".  Speaking of good health: Three years ago yesterday was when the Mainland Chinese city of Wuhan went into lock down for the first time as a result of what was then referred to as the Wuhan coronavirus (but now is more frequently referred to as Covid).  

 

And three years ago today was a strange Chinese New Year Eve: one which saw Hong Kong still in turmoil (a reminder: the anti-extradition bill/pro-democracy street protests continued past 2019 and through to July 1st, 2020, the first full day of Hong Kong's national security law era); and also feeling like we were in the calm before the storm phase of a new pandemic.  And so it proved, with things changing really quickly and dramatically on the health front.

 

A measure of how quickly things changed back in January 2020: On the first day of Chinese New Year, 2020, I went out hiking (with a friend) and didn't see anyone wearing a mask out on the trails.  The next day, I went out hiking again -- and on the second day of Chinese New Year, 2020, I saw a number of hikers wearing surgical masks, including up on Mount Butler; a 436-meter-high hill on Hong Kong Island that I have to admit to panting quite a bit whenever I hike up it!    

 

Fast forward to Chinese New Year 2023 and masking is still required in Hong Kong for the most part -- but not in country parks and/or when exercising.  Even so, I saw quite a number of masked folks on the Peak Circuit yesterday.  Something quite different from my recent excursions in the area: the presence of tourists; including those speaking Mandarin but also such as Korean and Western languages other than English.

 

I know that the tourist influx to Hong Kong is by no means at the level that it was prior to 2020 but I must say it was a shock to see so many people at the Peak yesterday.  And while the bus I took up to Victoria Gap yesterday was not full, the queues for transportation going down were far longer than I would have liked -- and yes, part of me regrets having gone up to the Peak yesterday (and, also, not hiking down from it like is actually what I do -- be it down to Kennedy Town, Pok Fu Lam, Aberdeen, etc.)!     

Ah well, at least I did get in some cool sights yesterday evening -- which, by the way, included my first wild boar spotting of 2023!  (For the record: it was a young boar; and I sincerely hope that it will be okay -- rather than hunted down by the authorities.)  On the other hand, I've yet to come across any Chinese New Year flowers this year.  Maybe (hopefully) I'll be able to remedy this situation on my next hike! :) 

My first hike of 2023 (Photo-essay)

I seem to be on a roll with regards to avian spottings.  On the second day of the new year, I went on my first hike of 2023.  It's been some months since I last went along it but the trail that takes one from Braemar Hill to Tai Tam Road (via Sir Cecil's Ride and Quarry Gap) is one I've been on multiple times over the years. 

 

On previous hikes, have seen snakes, wild boars and amorous stink bugs along sections of this route. This time around, it was too cold for snakes and too early in the day for wild boar spottings.  So I had to content myself with bird spottings and beautiful vistas galore -- which is pretty good consolation, all in all, I reckon! ;b

 

Not the most auspicious sight: an elderly hiker being attended 

to by Emergency Services near my trail head! :O

 

The thing with a lot a Hong Kong hikes is that they begin 

with an ascent up stairs or an incline of some sort... :S

 

A less usual visual: the moon in the afternoon sky!

 

Sunlight on the water of the Tai Tam Upper Reservoir

 

 

Lots of birds of the same feather perched on branches of a tree

 

White wagtails are so cute!

 

The Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir is 

almost always beautiful to me

 

Three "moon gates" in the water ;)

Trying to be hopeful at the beginning of a new year (the way my hero, Funassyi, surely is!)

 

My calendars for this new year

 

A new year is upon us and I sincerely hope that 2023 will be better than 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.  I'm going to wish everyone -- and the world at large! -- a happy new year, as per tradition.  But truth be told, I'm not feeling super confident that it will be; especially early on -- this not least because, despite what some people think, the pandemic still very much NOT being over; with fears that what's going on in Mainland China is very bad and that another Covid wave (and possibly even some variants) will spread out of it to the world.

 

At the same time, hope springs eternal -- and seeing long lines outside a community vaccination center offering BioNTech/Pfizer vaccinations makes me hopeful that many Hong Kongers have learnt lessons from what happened here in early 2022.  Still, the question is whether people in many other parts of the world have done the same.

 

I used to think that the world would look upon Hong Kong as the canary in the coalmine with regards to things emerging from (Mainland) China; be it diseases or political repression.  Sadly, the events of recent years has shown me that that doesn't seem to be the case; with people not caring what's happened to/in Hong Kong and not thinking that the lessons of Hong Kong can (also) apply to them.  

Still, there's time for people to make amends and learn; this because Hong Kong is not "over" or "dead" (despite what many doom-mongers have been pronouncing... for years, decades even).  In fact, even while mass protests no longer take place on the streets, even the resistance and dreams of a free Hong Kong remain alive.

For physical proof, look at two of the calendars in the picture at the top of this blog post.  Both of them were distributed freely by members of the Yellow Economic Circle.  With regards to the larger one: they once again feature the works of artists who had had a hand in producing calendars for 2022 and 2021, and I'm glad to see are still actively creating.   

Of the calendars I paid for, the one from Hong Kong also is a Yellow Economic Circle product.  And while the All Things Bright and Beautiful calendar may, at first glance, appear to have a super pessimistic theme, it's worth noting that the January page of their We're All Going to Die One Day(!) calendar has the following upbeat message on it: "Everyday is a miracle. When the moon goes back to bed, we rise from the dead"... of sleep that is!

 

Finally, we have the Funassyi calendar.  And while the unofficial mascot from Funabashi, Japan, is not "yellow" in the Hong Kong way, it is physically predominantly yellow -- a color that I associate with happiness and optimism (even before I came to know of Funassyi's existence)!  

 

It's become a "tradition" of sorts for me to have a Funassyi calendar on my desk.  Before 2020, I would buy one on a fall trip to Japan.  In recent years, I've had to rely on friends living in Japan to get and send me one.  On a different charitable note: I think it's worth pointing out that the big-hearted Pear (Fairy) donates its share of the proceeds from the sales of the calendars to charity.  

 

For a number of years, the recipient of Funassyi's largesse was the Michinoku Mirai Fund that supports children who lost a parent (or two) in the Great Tohoku Earthquake (and Tsunami) of March 11th, 2011.  But last year, the Pear (Fairy) announced that it was switching its charitable efforts to Japan's World Food Program Association (that it already has worked with for some years now).  In either case, both seem worthy of contributing to; with the bonus for Funassyi fans that one gets a calendar with lots of cute photos of their hero to enjoy viewing through the year! 

 

Will 2023 be the year when the Wuhan coronavirus finally will be enough control that I'll feel and be able to return to Japan for a visit?  If so, I'm going to make a beeline for the flagship Funassyiland in Funabashi (which now is in a different location from when I previously visited) -- and, also, the Funassyi Park which may be intended for kids but looks to a great photography spot for Funassyi fans! ;b 

Seasons greetings, and a tourism plus pandemic update!

 

Another photo taken while out hiking last week

 

Many people have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and long (Christmas-Boxing Day) holiday weekend to venture out to various parts of Hong Kong in recent days, and sharing their photos showing that Hong Kong is really beautiful.  Ironically, tourism sector lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung also chose this past weekend to assert that "the charm of Hong Kong as a single destination is limited" -- and thus should be marketed as a twin destination along with Macau for "great synergy".

 

I'm not going to deny that Macau is not without any charms (and I do miss my once annual trips to the former Portugese enclave that used to be a convenient one hour ferry ride away).  But there's no way I believe that it's got more to offer to tourists and travellers than Hong Kong; this not least since the 118 square kilometer sized territory is dwarfed by 1,118 square kilometer Hong Kong!

 

And while it's true that Hong Kong has not had many visitors in recent years, that's due far more to Hong Kong's harsh pandemic rules and regulations -- which remain more restrictive than anything to be found in pretty much the rest of the world, especially now that Mainland China suddenly abandoned its Zero Covid ways a few weeks ago -- and the scary national security law that China imposed on it on June 30th, 2020!    

 

In addition, something that wasn't helping make Hong Kong attractive to non-Mainland Chinese tourists as well as negatively affected Hong Kongers' quality of life for several years leading up to 2020 was the vast numbers of Mainland Chinese visitors that were regularly flooding into Hong Kong (peaking at 51.04 million in 2018).  And I have to say that one of the greatest boons of the pandemic has been how much less crowded many areas of Hong Kong -- including Tsim Sha Tsui (which is home to the greatest density of hotels in Hong Kong), Mongkok (a popular shopping area) and Causeway Bay (another major shopping area) -- have been and, consequently, a greater pleasure to stroll around than previously was the case.

 

So I'd think that many Hong Kongers are absolutely not looking forward to the Hong Kong-Mainland China border reopening any time soon.  And of course this feeling is exacerbated by China currently experiencing a Covid outbreak so massive -- as in possibly 250 million people being infected in December alone! -- that it's caused the Zero Covid policy to fail spectacularly and China's top health body to stop publishing daily Covid figures (be it from shame -- since it's been estimated that the country could see as many as 1 million pandemic deaths -- or because things are so out of control that they no longer can get any reliable figures).

 

It's not just the thought of many infected people flooding into Hong Kong from Mainland China.  Rather, it's also the fear that they will overwhelm Hong Kong's health services and such.  (Something which won't be all that difficult to do since there already were concerns expressed late last week by public hospital chief Tony Ko about emergency rooms being inundated and long waiting times over the holiday period.  Oh, and the overall occupancy of medical beds in acute hospitals is currently at around 112 per cent!)

 

It really did not assure Hong Kongers that early last week, as former Hong Kong pro-democracy legislative councillor Charles Mok reported, "Mainland residents are told by Fosun Pharma, distributor of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid vaccines in greater China region, that they can go to Hong Kong to get the bivalent vaccine."  Also, last Tuesday, the Hong Kong government announced that all of Hong Kong’s available Covid vaccines (CoronaVac, the BioNTech monovalent, and the BioNTech bivalent) were now registered as pharmaceutical products and, as such, no longer required emergency use authorization by the Secretary of Health -- paving the way for "an inevitable onslaught of mainlanders coming to the city for mRNA vaccines" which have not been available to them over in Mainland China.

 

In anticipation of this, there have been calls -- including by a University of Hong Kong virologist and the head of a Hong Kong pharmacists' group -- on the authorities "to consider charging non-residents for Covid vaccinations here".  The president of The Society of Hospital Pharmacists, William Chu, also warned that "free jabs and treatments could prompt too many to cross the border to access medical services here and burden the local system.  "People from mainland China demand for more symptomatic relief medications," he said. "They may go to Hong Kong to get more medications. At the moment they are looking for medications on the mainland but the supply is very limited.""

 

Already, there have been reports galore of Hong Kong pharmacies having run out of Panadol and related medicines thanks to people snapping them out to send to their relatives and friends in Mainland China.  I hate to say this but the sight of empty shelves is leading to talk of "locusts" again.  And, at the very least, it's adding to the fears and repulsion people have at the thought of Mainland Chinese "tourists" -- shoppers, more than anything else, really -- descending on Hong Kong in droves once more.     

We always knew that it would be a case of when, not if, they would return.  Now it's looking very much like it will happen next month, and maybe even early in January.  Ironically, up until the past few weeks, there had been suggestions that many Mainland Chinese people would want to avoid Hong Kong, seeing it as "unclean" and "tainted" (since Hong Kong's "Zero Covid" has long been more like "Dynamic Zero" rather than completely in step with what was implemented on the other side of the Hong Kong-Mainland China border).  

 

A reminder: Hong Kong's Covid numbers have been at five figures with regards to daily new cases for some time; with 18,533 reported for today alone.  Also, the daily critical, ICU and death figures have been on the rise since October.  So, yeah, the pandemic is most certainly not over -- in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the world over.  And the only reason why I don't mention Hong Kong's Covid numbers and situation as a factor in terms of attracting or detracting tourism is because Covid is rampant everywhere and people in many territories have just decided to "live with the virus"!  

Another health note -- this one involving Compulsory Testing Orders for Covid!

 

Signs of the times at a Mobile Specimen Collection Unit 

here in Hong Kong! 

 

A sign that Hong Kong is still far from being "back to normal" (unlike what the authorities seek to claim): Earlier this week, my building was one of over 40 that day issued with a Compulsory Testing Notice (CTN) -- meaning that everyone of its residents was required to go get a Covid nucleic acid (AKA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. In the case of my building, it's because three -- yes, just 3 -- people (out of a few thousand) living in it had come down with the Wuhan coronavirus (or Covid) in recent weeks. 

 

Thus it was that I -- along with the thousands of others of the people living in my building (and workers and visitors who had spent more than two hours in it over the course of a week), and tens of thousands of other people living in other buildings issued with a CTN -- had to go to a designated Mobile Specimen Collection Station or Community Testing Centre to be tested for Covid.  More than incidentally: the sense I have is that there must be scores of them since there is not just one but two of them within walking distance of where I live! 

 

For those living outside of Hong Kong who wonder what would happen if we don't comply, and go and get tested: we'd be slapped with fines of up to HK$10,000 per person!  Just last month, 54 residents of the J Residence in Wan Chai were found to not have "complied with the compulsory testing notices" and collectively been issued HK$460,000 worth of fines!

I'm not sure whether that building's management and security guards were negligent in alerting the residents to the Compulsory Testing Order having been issued for it.  I will say though that the equivalent in my building could never be accused of that as copies of the CTO were put up in the lobby and by the escalator entrances on the ground floor, and put into every single mail box in the building!  Also, on the day that the CTO was issued, the security guard at the desk made a point to alert every person who passed by his station about it!

 

For the record: this is the second time that I've had to have a PCR test -- and both times have been the result of a Compulsory Testing Order being issued for my residence.  The first time, the test had involved a guy sticking the testing stick up my nose and it had been pretty painful.  But with the government having decided last week that throat swabs are adequate, I was spared that this time around!

And while I officially was supposed to have had a throat swab, I ended up just getting a mouth swab!  As University of Hong Kong microbiologist Dr Siddharth Sridhar's pointed out: "Actually, collecting a proper throat swab is very difficult. You've gotta use a tongue depressor, a torch and get right to the back of throat and tonsils with your swab."  But rather than do that, my tester this time around actually just swabbed my tongue and sides of my mouth!

 

I wonder if this had a part in my test turning out to be negative.  What I do know is that this mouth swab was a lot less painful than the nose swab I had some months back!  In any case, cue relief on my part once more upon getting a negative test result.  For even if I managed to not get sent to Penny's Bay and, instead, could stay in my own flat, it's still not exactly ideal to be unable to get out of the space for a week!   And okay, yeah, I was expecting a negative result as I don't have any Covid symptoms. But you never know -- since, remember, some people who have Covid are asymptomatic!

A more personal blog post than usual

 

Among the latest works of All Things Bright and Beautiful's 

Ah Li and Joanne

 

The label for the above work at the exhibition

of theirs that I went to recently

 

A lot of things have happened in Hong Kong recently.  But rather than write about them, here's pointing out that they've been covered pretty well by the likes of the fellow behind the Big Lychee blog  (See in particular yesterday's and today's entries).  And if you're wondering: I'm not planning to end this blog any time soon but I'm going to take a breather because the last few days have seen me getting news about a number of friends that have made me focus more on personal matters than normal.

A quick recap: The first post I saw when I got onto Facebook on Saturday morning was that of a friend announcing the death of her mother.  The news was not unexpected as I've known for a while that her mother was dying of cancer.  But I knew my friend was hurting all the same from the news; this since the last time we met up, she couldn't help crying when telling me about her hospital visits to see her mother.

Over the weekend, I also learnt from another friend that she recently had to have breast surgery after the cancer she has spread there.  In addition, I learnt from a third friend that her husband is not doing so well and could feel her worry even though we live thousands of miles apart.  And then late on Sunday night came shock news that a dear friend -- who I've not seen for over three years thanks to his never ever having set foot in Hong Kong, and Covid and Covid regulations making me loath to leave Hong Kong (even only temporarily) all this time -- had died of a heart attack.

 

Oh, and today is the death anniversary of Alex Chow Tsz-lok, whose passing on November 8th, 2019, sent much of Hong Kong into deep mourning.  As German journalist Jeanne Plaumann Tweeted today: "Something changed when Alex Chow Tsz-Lok died on Nov 8, 2019. Riot police, teargas laced with chemicals & pepperballs flying our way. The siege of PolyTech. The last big attempt to secure a free, democratic life. I will always remember the brave people of #HongKong. #FreeHK".  

 

I know that, as per the title of the All Things Bright and Beautiful exhibition I went to recently: We're All Going To Die Some Day.  But there are some people you hope could live longer than in fact turned out to be the case, you know?  (This generally with regards to those who died young -- like Alex Chow Tsz-lok, who was only 22 years of age when he died -- but also some older folks, particularly if they were still sound in mind and seemingly so in body.)

 

With regards to my friend who passed away this past weekend: he was an incredibly lovely man.  The person I think of when one talks about "gentlemen".  And two days on after hearing the news of his death, I still can't help shedding tears when talking about him -- as was the case this afternoon -- with my mother.

After hearing about his death, yet another friend contacted me.  Like the friend who passed away, he's several years older than me -- and he shared that he's got 10 friends on Facebook who are now dead.  I replied that I now have three and that's already pretty painful.  "Brace yourself for what's to come," he told me.  I will try, even while knowing it will not be easy

 

Maybe the thing to do is to focus on the positive memories one has of one's friends.  I know that has helped with regards to dealing with the death of my friend who passed away this past Sunday.  A certain wise Pear Fairy has said that "To live is to make memories".  I vow to keep making memories but also treasure the good ones already made with good friends and other loved ones.

A rare Hong Kong government policy reversal and Covid statistics that have a good chance of being false, if not outright (damn) lies!

The Covid vaccination center in Yuen Long

(Yes, in better times, it's actually a sports center!) 

 

Late last night, there came the following piece of news: As reported by Hong Kong's official government broadcaster RTHK, "The government has announced that from Saturday [i.e., today], all incoming travellers – regardless of where they are from – will be required to at least be double-jabbed to be issued a temporary vaccine pass that is needed to enter most public premises."

 

Well, well, well... it seems that after the bombshell revelation by Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday that people from Mainland China and Macau were allowed to enter Hong Kong and being issued with vaccine passes wthout having been vaccinated (unlike people coming in from other territories and actual Hong Kong residents who have been in Hong Kong throughout the pandemic), we have this: a rare reversal of policy/climb down by the Hong Kong government!  Specifically: “The temporary vaccine pass arrangement [now] applies to all arrivals, including Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents, as well as travellers from the mainland, Macau, Taiwan and overseas areas,” a government spokesperson said".

 

Quoting again from the RTHK report: "Chief Executive John Lee had on Tuesday explained that mainlanders weren't required to be vaccinated to come to Hong Kong because the infection risk on the mainland is the lowest in the world. But critics [including yours truly!] said the same vaccination requirements should apply to all arrivals because granting exemptions could give people the wrong impression and raise questions about differential treatment."

 

With regards to the reason given by John Lee for why people from Mainland China weren't required to be vaccinated before coming to Hong Kong: This is a bit rich given where the Wuhan coronavirus was first detected and spread out from; and the notorious dubiousness of official Mainland Chinese statistics (including pertaining to Covid pretty much from the get go)!  But, then, as Tim Hamlett pointed out today, Hong Kong's Covid statistics also aren't necessarily all that reliable any more too!  

 

This is down to a number of factors that really come across as own goals by the Hong Kong government.  Also, to be sure, "In the early days of the [pandemic,] anyone who thought they had Covid rushed immediately to the nearest doctor – or if they couldn’t afford a doctor, to the nearest Accident and Emergency Department. Doctors and hospitals were required to report cases of Covid to the authorities. So if we were told there were 1,000 new Covid cases yesterday this was probably – give or take the odd case with no symptoms and the odd false positive – the actual figure."

 

Nowadays, however, many people no longer report their rush to see a doctor -- or make a point to report their having tested positive for Covid.  As Hamlett put it: "Hong Kong people are traditionally self-reliant. The consensus is now that your ordinarily healthy citizen who has had four jabs of the good stuff will either not get Covid or will get the harmless version. The ailment is no longer a public problem. We can handle it ourselves."

 

And lest it not be clear: "My point is not that the official figure is too low. My point is that it is worthless. It could be too high, though that seems unlikely, or it could be too low. Covid has ceased to be a disease which is routinely reported, so we have no reliable way of knowing how prevalent it now is"! 

 

Some other things that should not need to be stated but are in the article, so I'm going ahead and quoting the relevant portion of the think piece for the record: "There is no Chinese medicine, traditional or otherwise, that has any demonstrable effect on Covid. The limits on gatherings – 500 for marathons, eight for dinners, four for political protests – make no sense. Too many top, and not-so-top, people seem to be exempt from all restrictions."  Oh, and the Hong Kong government's handling of Covid seems "to be out of step with the rest of the world, bewilderingly changeable, and prone to political pollution"!

Bombshell revelation by John Lee about unvaccinated Mainlanders being able to obtain Hong Kong vaccines passes!

If  the Hong Kong government were serious about getting the elderly

vaccinated, there would be more of these PSAs about than

HKSAR 25th anniversary and China 73rd anniversary banners!

 

I felt very hot earlier today; and not just because Hong Kong recorded its highest temperatures ever in September (e.g., 35 degrees Celsius at the Hong Kong Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui) today.  Rather, it's because at his weekly press conference this morning, Chief Executive John Lee was reported to have said things like, as turned into Twitterspeak by Tripperhead, "Need to raise vax rate. Covid isn't the flu. Six times more deadly" that got more than one person thinking of the infamous saying that "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics".

In response, another member of the Twitterati, Joel Chan, was moved to supply some contextual as well as comparative statistics.  Among them: "Case fatality rates: Seasonal flu (US CDC, 2010-2019): ~0.097%-0.2% ; Covid-19, Hong Kong, 6th wave (estimate): 0.096% (432 deaths and 448121 cases since May 31)."  Also: "Case fatality rates, Covid-19 Singapore (since 2019): 0.086% Hong Kong 6th wave only: 0.096% Hong Kong 5th & 6th wave: 0.62%" as well as pointing out that "The reason Covid’s death rate during the 5th & 6th wave is 6 times higher than flu is because the elderly weren’t vaxxed and the hospital system crashed".

 

Still, THE point from today's conference that nearly caused me to pop a vein was this: "Unvaccinated individuals travelling from mainland China to Hong Kong can obtain a Vaccine Pass after entering the city because of the low Covid-19 infection rate across the border, Chief Executive John Lee has said, adding that the policy had been in place “for a long time."  Here's the thing though: the policy may have been in place "for a long time" but the first time that I -- and many other people -- heard of it was today!  In other words: a major bombshell just dropped as far as the likes of us were concerned!

 

"“The main reason is that the risk of Covid-19 infection in the mainland is the lowest in the world,” Lee said. “Its risk, when compared with Hong Kong, has been much lower.”"  Really, now?  I mean, sure we have official statistics from the Chinese government -- but how trustworthy are those?  We're talking, after all, about the government in whose country the Wuhan coronavirus was first detected and who sought to suppress this news for a time!

The Hong Kong Free Press piece I previously quoted goes on to state this: "As per a government statement published on May 5, arrivals from the mainland or Macau who were not required to undergo compulsory quarantine have been allowed to obtain the provisional Vaccine Pass by completing a declaration form as well as presenting their identity document and “other relevant proof” at a designated post office. The provisional pass remains valid for 180 days."

 

So... there have been who knows how many people from Mainland China and Macau coming to Hong Kong for some time now who are unvaccinated yet can get a Vaccine Pass.  Semantics aside (think about it: they managed to get a vaccine pass without getting vaccinated), why the hell have they been allowed to do so but similarly unvaccinated Hong Kongers not?!  

And health concerns aside, I foresee some negative reactions to this disclosure today by John Lee.  One involves Hong Kongers now feeling they have health reasons to discriminate against any Mainland Chinese person -- even though some of them may be/are vaccinated and some of them actually Hong Kong (permanent) residents who have had to adhere to the same rules and regulation as other Hong Kong residents.  Another involves those exempt Mainland Chinese feeling that they are, in fact, "cleaner" and more superior than Hong Kongers.  A third involves even more Hong Kongers now not wanting to get vaccinated, boosted and/or double boosted.  And a fourth involves even more Hong Kongers not wanting to use the Leave Home Safe app that's part of the whole Vaccine Pass thang!

 

Some more from the Hong Kong Free Press article: "Meanwhile, those who visit the city from overseas must have received at least two jabs to obtain the provisional pass. International arrivals must also quarantine at a designated hotel at their own expense for three nights upon entering the city, followed by four days of “medical surveillance,” during which they will be issued a yellow code in their LeaveHomeSafe app that bars them from entering restaurants and other premises under the vaccine pass scheme."  And remember, these include Hong Kongers returning from other terrritories (besides, we now know, Macau and Mainland China).

Another famous quote comes to mind as a result: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."  Yep.  From George Orwell's Animal Farm -- much of which, together with his 1984, often resonates a lot for those of us living in Hong Kong 2022.

Hong Kong heatwave, hiker deaths and evidence of common sense being sadly too uncommon

One of Hong Kong's "treacherous peaks" which I really

haven't had a strong inclination to hike up (and, worse, down!)

Like in a good number of other parts of the northern hemisphere, Hong Kong's been having a really hot summer this year.  With the current heatwave showing no signs for several days still, I figure I'm going to be racking up quite the electricity bill this month since, unlike former Hong Kong Observatory chief Lam Chiu-ying (who's famously a no air-con advocate and still has been just using a fan!), I've been blasting the air con for much of the day and night in my apartment.  And I certainly don't think that I'll be out on any hiking trail any time soon, never mind the more challenging ones that Hong Kong has to offer.   

A part of me has been in awe of those who've still gone hiking in the heatwave, including at least a couple friends of mine (one of whom regularly hikes in the evenings; another of whom only hikes in the day).  But I have to admit that I've wondered whether they're foolhardy as well as just plain hardy.  And this especially after learning that there have been two hiker deaths in Hong Kong this weekend by way of an RTHK article whose headline is HK bakes under the the third hottest day on record!  

(For a measure of how hot it was today, a member of the Hong Kong Twitterverse was moved to observe that: "As at 3pm, HKO has recorded a maximum temperature of 36.1C, the highest ever in July. Sheung Shui has also recorded a maximum of 38.7C, which is the highest ever recorded in July among all automatic weather stations in HK’s territory.")

 

Returning to hiker deaths relayed in the RTHK article: "a 60-year-old man died after falling unconscious during a hike at Lantau island's West Dog's Teeth" today.  Note that the trail in question has been "billed as the hardest hike in Hong Kong", involving "850m of incline and requir[ing] a basic level of bouldering and scrambling to reach the end of the ridge" which connects to Lantau Peak.  "It follows the death on Saturday [i.e., yesterday] of a man during a hike at Sharp's Peak in Sai Kung. He's thought to have suffered heatstroke and was declared dead after being airlifted to hospital."

 

It may stand at just 468 meters (1,535 feet) above sea level but even though I've gone up many higher peaks in Hong Kong than Sharp Peak, I've never been up Hong Kong's 65th highest peak.  The reason is that people who've been hiking in Hong Kong longer than I am have told me that they've yet to find a way to go down it without having to "butt it" part of the way on account of it being so steep.  (Another reason is that it's so popular that that, reportedly, its trails are not in great condition and have become on the gravelly, and thus slippery, side.)

 

Something else worth noting about both Wed Dog's Teeth and Sharp Peak: the trails up and down them don't have much tree cover.  So it would seem particularly nuts to attempt to hike them in ultra sunny, hot weather.  So... I don't want to speak ill of the dead but I think people really need to exercise more common sense even while seeking to exercise during a heatwave.

 

And while we're on the subject of common sense: Yesterday's RTHK article about the hot weather (entitled Hong Kong swelters on hottest "Great Heat" day ever) had the following lines which, frankly, got me wanting to roll my eyes: "Dr Lam Wing-wo who practises in family medicine... said recently some people went to the doctor thinking they had caught the coronavirus because they had a low-grade fever and headache. In fact these were mild or preliminary symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, he said."  

 

Said doctor also "called on people to take a break under the shade every 30 minutes after working outdoors."  You'd think that would be common sense but, sadly, common sense can be all too uncommon -- in Hong Kong, at least!  And while I can sometimes too be lacking in common sense, at least I know that the following is good advice, especially in the current clime: i.e., stay hydrated, drink water, and be careful out there, people!  This especially for those folks striving to endure and outlive their enemies.

Upset and horror about planned public control measures on the 600th and 601st days of the pandemic in Hong Kong

  

Really?

 

Yesterday, July 10th, marked the 900th day of the pandemic in Hong Kong.  Yesterday also was the 500th day of Hong Kong’s Covid-19 Vaccination Programme -- and yet, as Joel Chan pointed out over on Twitter, the homepage banner of the Hong Kong government's vaccination website still is touting "Early vaccination for all".  Which might, you know, help explain why Hong Kong's such a laggard relative to much of the rest of the developed world when it comes to vaccines, with just around 60% of the population having had three doses of a Covid vaccine (be it either Sinovac or BioNTech/Pfizer) to date. 

For the record: Hong Kong reported 2,773 new Covid cases yesterday.  In 2020 and 2021, people would feel panicky if the number of new daily cases exceeded 100.  But after what we experienced earlier this year, when there were consecutive days of over 50,000 new daily cases recorded and we were seeing numbers of deaths daily there were in the three figures range, people are not freaking out and some might even be said to be on the blasé side with regards to the present situation.  We're talking, after all, of 1,251,375 out of 1,271,054 (as of yesterday) of the territory's total numbered Covid cases having occured during the (ongoing) fifth wave. 

 

Instead, what caused more upset and horror yesterday was new health secretary Lo Chung-mau stating that Hong Kong residents may be required to submit real-name registration in order to use the contact-tracing LeaveHomeSafe app in the near future and that the city may also adopt a “health code” system similar to the one used in Mainland China.   Lest it not be clear: having a "health code" is not helping Mainland China much in its bid to achieve its "Zero Covid" that the World Health Organisation has described as "unsustainable" and is looking more and more like a sick game of whack a mole.  Worse, there's been more than one instance now of the health code being used for non-health purposes to restrict people's movements, block protests and for political surveillance. 

 

A further sign that Hong Kong's going the authoritarian way with regards to dealing with Covid (or is it really more a case of dealing with people at large?) came today -- a day that saw Hong Kong's Covid death tally increase by seven to 9,419 (9,206 of which occured during the fifth wave) -- with Lo Chung-mau announcing that starting this Friday, people undergoing home isolation due to being infected by the coronavirus will be required to wear an electronic bracelet to ensure they will not leave their home.  And despite his assurances otherwise, he's not changed most people's minds that the planned arrangements are not about public health but, rather, public control.

 

As a member of the Hong Kong Twitterverse was moved to comment after this announcement: "Starting to see how Lo Chung-mau got this gig. Embracing mainland tactics, bigger emphasis on punishment and govt authority, people who question it or don't trust it are selfish lawbreakers etc. Pretty much sets the tone for Lee's admin." 

 

A reminder: Lo Chung-mau made himself a laughing stock back in July 2015 with some questionable antics at a meeting of the University of Hong Kong Council of which he was a member.  Sadly, we're not laughing now.  But, then, all but the most optimistic and naive among us were expecting to be in a cheery mood upon the appointment of John Lee as Chief Executive and, actually, even upon seeing his choices for senior positions (including that of health secretary).  Which is saying a lot since the previous holders of many of those positions, including former health secretary Sophia Chan, had not exactly covered themselves in glory or endeared themselves to the Hong Kong public! 

 

Among Sophia Chan's critics was the man whose Hong Kong Covid news compilations many English language speakers have turned to regularly during the pandemic -- bestowing upon her the nickname "word salad" because of her tendency to spout, well, rubbish at press conferences. Back on June 22nd, he Tweeted the following: "I'm slightly concerned there's going to be a day in the near future that I wished Sophia Chan was still Secretary for Health, and that is frankly terrifying."  But yesterday, a response to one os his Tweets reporting on Lo Chung-mau's advocating a health code for Hong Kong asked: "Can we have Sophia Chan back as S[ecretary] for Health?"!