Unmasked individuals are a rare sight in Hong Kong
these days -- and in some cases, it's because
wear masks on their way to and from restaurants and bars
Early on during the extradition bill protests, a then Facebook
friend would regularly post not only anti-protestor comments and
allegations but also about how we should put our faith in the Christian
God and not criticize the (Hong Kong) authorities so much. With Carrie Lam doing more and more to show how unworthy she is of our trust and respect (amidst a Wuhan coronavirus epidemic that, the last time I checked a regularly updated website following it,
has already resulted in 492 recorded deaths as well as 24,587 confirmed
cases of infections in 28 different territories), I wonder whether that
pro-government/Beijing acquaintance would still be moved to defend the
actions of Hong Kong's most unpopular Chief Executive ever as well as unequivocably believe that God is going to save us all.
Even
if so, I have little doubt that she is very much in the minority these
days. At the very least, I think that more Hong Kongers would subscribe
to the view that "God helps those who help themselves", and that one way to help oneself and Hong Kong is to stand up against Carrie Lam and Co.
This is precisely why thousands
of medical workers have gone on strike this week to demand a wholesale
closure of Hong Kong's borders with Mainland China; with workers in other sectors (including public transport) contemplating taking such action too. And over the past week or so, people have risen up in Fanling and now also Mei Foo to contest government plans to place Wuhan coronavirus quarantine centers (that, in the case of Fanling, was just 500 meters away from residential complexes housing thousands of people) in those neighborhoods.
As cartoonist Harry Harrison has astutely recorded: it's not so much that Hong Kongers have stopped protesting but that they now have a sixth demand (for the record: the closure of the border between Hong Kong and Mainland China). And while the police have tended to respond with the now usual brutality and shots of tear gas,
it's noticeable that the administrative section of the government has
been reacting to some of the pressure being put on it by doing such as abandoning their plans to put a quarantine center in Fanling in the wake of protests there; and closing a majority of Hong Kong's border crossings.
Seemingly as though to prove how pigheaded she is (or because she's absolutely terrified of offending Beijing), Carrie Lam still refuses to seal off Hong Kong's borders. Instead, this afternoon, she announced her having gone with the option of quarantining all arrivals from Mainland China (starting this Saturday) -- even while not bothering to explain (or probably figure out) how and where she is going to house the
tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people who undoubtedly will
continue to pour into Hong Kong from there, especially since this
quarantining will most probably come with medical care (and, if people
turn out to be infected with the Wuhan coronavirus, medical treatment)!
As Carrie Lam continues to steer Hong Kong towards, rather than away from, imminent disaster, territories have taken to impose travel bans on Hong Kongers as well as Mainland Chinese people along with airlines suspending flights to and from Hong Kong
(rather than just Mainland China). To many Hong Kongers, the situation
is clear: if Hong Kong doesn't shut its borders with Mainland China,
other territories will close their borders to Hong Kong. And, actually,
in view of Hong Kong now having had one Wuhan coronavirus death and several person-to-person transmissions among its 21 confirmed cases of infection,
the fear now for many people is that even if Hong Kong's borders with
Mainland China were to be finally totally closed some days from now, it
will already be considered too late by most of the world. :(
8 comments:
Lot of odd things going on in world. Keep safe.
Hi peppylady --
On the subject of odd: there has been a run on toilet paper, tissue paper and rice in recent days here in Hong Kong. Consequently, I found myself counting the number of rolls of toilet paper I have left -- something I never thought I'd ever do. This 48 hours after I sat down and counted the number of masks I still have in my possession... :(
Hi There,
Not that strange if you are living in a city that had endured multiple runs on banks, as well as two cake runs Ione from the Maria's and the other St. Hanore when their then parent company Yaohan folded) in the past decades. People are simply subcombed to rumours and panicked.
Shame on those spreading rumours.
T
Hi T --
Shame indeed on those spreading unfounded rumors -- and, while we're at it, shame too to the hoarders and the price gougers. And yes, I've seen people (unduly) freaking out before and stocking up like crazy on things (including as typhoons approach). But this really is on a different level -- and it's interesting to see that this panic buying has spread to Singapore!
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1507416-20200208.htm?archive_date=2020-02-08
Hi There,
Checked out a few ParkNShop and Welcome stores while strolling in the streets earlier. Oh dear, no rice, no toilet papers, no bleaching agents. Even most pastas and dried noodles are out. This proved rumours are really bad these days.
I wonder how the hoarders are going to store their rice. There are going to be bugs in the packages and if not being stored correctly, the bugs will hatch and they would have to find extra time sifting them out.
T
Hi again T --
As it so happened, I was down to my last cup of rice yesterday. So I went hunting for a packet of rice this morning. At the Apita in Tai Koo Shing (where I normally get the rice I like), the rice aisle was completely bare. After rushing over to the Aeon in the same neighborhood, I managed to snag a 2kg packet on a fast emptying set of shelves. I didn't even bother to check the toilet paper, etc. aisles.
On the other hand, there were plenty of fresh vegetables in the stores -- something that had been a worry a couple of weeks back. Hopefully that will the case again before too long re all the things we most certainly aren't used to seeing dramatic shortages of over here in Hong Kong... :S
Hi There,
The wet markets in Apleichau and Aberdeen looked normal though. No shortage of meat, sea food and vegitables. Seafood is still a bit over the norms but it's just after CNY and that's pretty normal.
Got some very good Spanish Starwberries from Oliver's the other day.
T
Hi once more T --
I passed by a pharmacy in Wan Chai selling face masks and hand sanitizers, albeit at inflated prices, today. I hope that face masks and hand sanitizers will soon return to the market the way that fresh vegetables and fruits to look have done in recent days.
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