Lies, damned lies, Mainland Chinese statistics, and Hong Kong signs of the times (Photo-essay)

The Johns Hopkins University site monitoring the global Wuhan coronavirus spread has the numbers currently at 1,117 recorded deaths and 45,206 confirmed cases of infection.  Of the recorded deaths (all of which have thus far taken place in Mainland China, bar for one each in Hong Kong and the Philippines), 95 were reported overnight versus 108 reported on Monday.  In addition, 1,696 new cases of infection were reported for Mainland China this morning -- a number that's significantly lower than the peak of over 3,000 new cases on February 4th.

Some news sites ((including the at times surprisingly gullible The Guardian, which had an article out some weeks back prematurely applauding the Chinese government's efforts to contain the virus) have trumpeted as "good news" this fall in the rate of deaths and the spread of the disease in Mainland China.  But readers would be better served, actually, if they were to note that yesterday, the Taiwan News reported that: "The daily reports of Wuhan virus infections in China will likely begin to drop as the government has decided to stop counting patients who test positive for the disease but do not exhibit symptoms as "confirmed cases."

Few in Hong Kong need to be told that they should not take information tendered by the Mainland Chinese authorities on face value.  And the same applies for the utterances of the Hong Kong government -- which, if anything, have tended to sow panic far more than reassure.  Consequently, there is a sense that Hong Kongers need to save themselves (with welcome help from the likes of "two naughty boys"); including by implementing measures at places such as cinemas, restaurants and hair salons that can seem overly drastic or even downright paranoid to outsiders but understandable and eminently sensible to the vast majority of the local populace...

 Sign posted at the entrance to a multiplex (and yes, there really 

was a staffer checking people's temperatures there)

Signs posted on the door of a neighborhood restaurant

Sign posted on the door of a Hong Kong hair salon

Sign posted inside a supermarket/grocery store

What people, especially those who lived through SARS,

want the Hong Kong government to do

Talk about drastic actions...

 What's a tourist to do in Hong Kong these days?

Maybe join the hunt for precious commodities

like face masks and all manner of paper products?! ;(