Life is still plain sailing for some people in Hong Kong
For others, it's less so...
For my part, Hong Kong is still where I rather be
than most other parts of the world :)
Late last night, a friend sent me a link to an article about Carrie Lam getting a pay increase this financial year that brings her annual salary to HK$5.21 million (~US$677,680). My immediate reaction was to let fly with an expletive: not so much because I was shocked at how much she was earning -- since I've known for years that Hong Kong Chief Executives are regularly paid more than the American president and British prime minister combined -- but because, if anything, the woman with a 9 percent approval rating should have been fired from her job or, at the very least, had her pay cut months, even years, ago rather than get a pay rise!
Sometimes, when contemplating her high pay (both as Chief Executive and in her previous job of Chief Secretary), I've been moved to think that must account in some part for her being so out of touch with most Hong Kongers. But even while this might explain how it is that she doesn't know where to buy toilet paper (even in those times when there's no toilet paper shortage), surely it can't explain her obtuseness in thinking -- or, at least, publicly alleging -- that the huge rise in the number of protests in Hong Kong in the past year proves that Hong Kongers enjoy more freedom now than before the territory's 1997 Handover?!
Speaking of protests and protestors: After complaints were made about the police having dispensed substandard masks to people they arrested -- and then took away better quality masks from -- at Prince Edward on March 31st, the local constabulary have now announced that they will now give arrestees proper surgical masks to better protect against being infected by the Wuhan coronavirus. To those who think this a trivial matter: note that a fourth member of the police force has tested positive for the coronavirus and this particular officer was actually in action at Prince Edward this past Tuesday night!
Put another way: as if it's not already bad enough that the possibilities are pretty high that encounters with the riot police can result in one getting tear gassed or pepper sprayed, the possibility really does exist too of people getting infected with the coronavirus by the apparently dirty -- in more than one way -- enforcers!
On a somewhat less negative note: Hong Kong had new 17 new Wuhan coronavirus cases today; and while that took the territory's total confirmed cases to a not great 863, it was the lowest daily tally since March 21st. Of course it's way too soon for Hong Kong to celebrate or even breathe a sigh of relief. At the very least, the territory has to remain on guard: by doing such as conducting mass tests at a hospital where an elderly patient is suspected to have caught the coronavirus from another patient there and communal social distancing efforts. But there does seem to be a sense that Hong Kongers, even if not the government, are doing some things right in its battle against the Wuhan coronavirus.
Among these is Hong Kongers' practice of (near) universal mask wearing. In the wake of such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the USA's Center for Disease Control (CDC) having done about-turns with regards to their advice on mask usage, it would seem that Hong Kong has been proved right in this regard. And by Hong Kong, let's make it clear that it was Hong Kong people and medical experts, not the Hong Kong government, who led the way with this.
Indeed, Carrie Lam -- that super highly paid but not highly thought of official -- initially insisted that masks weren't necessary and didn't wear them in public until she was pressured to do so by the public; and even then, she initially botched up her mask wearing too! Also, the last time I heard anything about it, her government still has not dropped its appeal against the repeal of its anti face-covering law!
8 comments:
The fundamental problem with all this is that there is no exit strategy. The virus isn't going away. Until 70% of us have had it it will keep coming back.
I certainly am not prepared to spend the rest of my life wearing a mask and socially isolating against a minuscule risk of being seriously affected by this virus.
This mask thing is new to us Americans
Hi smog --
Some people are looking in terms of holding on until an effective vaccine against the Wuhan coronavirus gets widely produced and disseminated to the public. I realize anti-vaxxers might be against it but I could see shots of that vaccine being made mandatory around the world.
As regards to your being unprepared to wear a mask and socially isolate to protect yourself: how about doing those things to protect others?
Hi peppylady --
The mask thing is new to many people in the world.
Hi There,
Back in 2003 during the SARS months I didn't even wear any masks. But now, it is mandatory by my emplooyer. This thicken the plot quite a bit as it had become company policy. Disciplinary action would be taken if one does not wear a mask when steping into the office.
Many shops how would also refuse service if visitors do not wear a mask. What a mess.
T
Hi T --
You're actually only the second person to tell me that they didn't wear a mask in Hong Kong during SARS! That other person is a German friend of mine who has since returned her to country -- and now has taken to wearing masks there. It seems more and more people, organizations and governments are realizing that wearing masks helps to protect those who wear the masks and others near them from being infected by the Wuhan coronavirus -- even those in the West as well as in other parts of Asia.
Make me your third. I did wear a mask for about an hour during SARS when it was required to enter a building where I had an important (read lucrative) business meeting. But other than that, not.
If I am ill then I will isolate myself. But I'm not.
And the concept of compulsory injections is horrendous to me. I'm not anti-vaccination by any means - I've been vaccinated against several things, and if, for example, I had cause to go to certain areas of Africa I would happily have an ebola vaccination.
But compulsory vaccination against something where the mortality risk, even at my age, is a fraction of a percent? Over my dead body!
Hi There,
I always do not like crowded places. There was a time when I was very young that I dreaded going to even family gatherings. While growing up I learned how to tolerate crowded environments under certain conditions (say school\work\markets\public transport) but that's about it. I would still turn away from crowds if I could, but maybe that helped a bit back in 2003.
T
Hi again smog --
I'm heartened to learn that you are at least willing to isolate yourself if you feel ill but because of the way the Wuhan coronavirus works (e.g., asymptomatic people being able to infect (many) others), it would seem that it might be less a case of over your dead body and more that of over the dead bodies of people whose deaths you might have caused.
Hi again T --
I am sure your dislike of crowds helped you a bit back in 2003 -- in that you were practicing social isolation even without realizing it. I hope though that you are indeed masked when out in crowds and public spaces when out this time around.
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