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?"!
3 comments:
I hear now a new strain is out in world. I went back wearing a mask.
Coffee is on and stay safe
Hi There,
A good surgeon may not be a good administrator. If he is good at cutting up certain anatomy of human body and then putting it back together again, it is to the greater good for all that he keeps on doing what he knows best instead of switching his targets.
T
Hi peppylady --
I've been wearing a mask when out (bar for when I'm eating, drinking or hiking) since January 2020! Also, this year, I've upgraded to a KF94 mask over the surgical masks I was wearing upon learning of the more contagious Omicron variant!
Hi T --
Indeed re a good surgeon not being a good administrator. Also, I know there's no guarantee that any type of doctor will be a good administrator but you'd think that in these pandemic times, a public health professional or epidemiologist might be a more suitable health secretary!
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