Celebration, caution and criticism on a Wuhan coronavirus-impacted Easter Sunday

Even on a non-public holiday, beautiful weather is liable 

to bring people out to the beach and into the water

I just really, really hope Hong Kong won't end up paying

for the fun people have this long Easter holiday weekend

Hong Kong reported a daily new Wuhan coronavirus case tally today that was in the single digits for the first time since March 17th.  This caps a week which has seen a decline in the total number of active cases in the territory to 641, according to the worldometer's coronavirus page.  And further positive news can be seen in there being just 13 patients among them that are considered to be critical or serious, including the fourth member of the police officer to have been infected by the coronavirus.

But with the total number of confirmed infections having hit the 1,000 mark yesterday, the Centre for Health Protection's Communicable Disease Branch head, Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan, has cautioned against Hong Kongers letting down their guard and even suggested that the government's latest social distancing measures should continue past their already  extended date of April 23rd.  And with reports of large crowds being seen today at the seaside, shopping districts and those outlying islands (like Cheung Chau) as well as at the beach and prime scenic spots on Friday (though not Saturday, when the weather was less beautiful), I really do worry that Hong Kong will see a return of double digit daily numbers one or two weeks from now.

Something that's struck me as rather strange and ironic over the course of this Wuhan coronavirus outbreak turned pandemic: how it is that the hedonists and (super) religious people have made for strange bedfellows in that they appear to be most likely to ignore calls for social distancing and general caution when confronted with this deadly as well as infectious disease. 

Last month, for instance, we saw sun-worshippers crowd the beaches of Florida during Spring Break and, on the eve of the implementation of lockdown measures in the country, Australia's Bondi Beach.  Around the same time -- and even earlier -- in a number of countries across the globe, the faithful had flocked to attend mass religious gatherings that turned out to have been key events for the coronavirus to infect hundreds, even thousands, of people.

To this end, certain Christian leaders should be applauded for moving their Easter services online even while others refuse to do so.  To be honest, when viewed from Hong Kong, it's amazing that it's taken many other territories' religious leaders so long to adjust to our now living in a coronavirus-filled world (since Hong Kong religious leaders got to doing so as long ago as February).

I realize it's early days yet but, already, it is clear that certain people -- and leaders -- have responded better to the threat to their community posed by the coronavirus than others.  Interestingly, in a Guardian article about world leaders who have impressed during this global crisis and those who have not, the three identified as having come up trumps (thus far) are all women (i.e., Denmark's Mette Frederickson, New Zealand's Jacinda Arden and Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen) while all the men profiled (i.e., Brazil's Jair Bolsanaro, the United States of America's Donald Trump and Communist China's Xi Jinping) have not.

Of course, as Carrie Lam has shown, however, being female doesn't automatically make one a good leader.  But one big reason why she is such a terrible leader is that she's so beholden to Beijing (and, unlike the likes of Tsai Ing-wen, was not elected by the people).  Speaking of which: it really does worry me that: as Noah Shusterman Tweeted a while back, "We're staring at a near-term future where China rides a pandemic that started in its backyard to increased power, both domestically & internationally"; and, to quote a recent Guardian piece, "China is already on a victory lap of sorts, believing it has deftly repositioned itself from the culprit to the world’s saviour."   

It really doesn't help the USA's case that it's now the world leader in confirmed Wuhan coronavirus cases and fatalities.  Neither does the rise in racism against Asians and Asian-Americans in that country.  But, lest the world needed any reminder that the Chinese are well capable of racism themselves, look at what's been happening to Africans in Guangzhou in recent days.

A Malian friend and I discussed these events earlier today and he assured me that this news had spread internationally.  I'm glad because I think the world would benefit from seeing Communist China's true colors.  I'm also glad to see the likes of the Ghanaian and Nigerian governments taking some action.  And while we're at it, here's pointing out that the racist attacks against him that World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mistakenly thought had come from Taiwan had actually been generated by Mainland Chinese netizens!

Feeling fearful rather than festive this Easter holiday weekend :(

There will be no church services in Hong Kong

this Easter weekend

And sorry, the barbecue areas in Hong Kong's 

country parks have been closed off too!

Talking to a friend this time last week, I was caught by surprise when she mentioned that it'd be Easter the following weekend.  One reason for this is that I tend to associate Easter in Hong Kong with the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) but since this year's edition has been postponed to a later date, if not outright cancelled, I didn't have a marquee event to tie this Easter weekend to.  

Then there's the matter of there having been so little to celebrate; no thanks to the Wuhan coronavirus, which has been raging for more than 100 days now.  In addition, the Court of Appeal having made a terribly muddled ruling about the October mask ban on Thursday that leaves open the disturbing possibility of Carrie Lam introducing more Emergency laws in the coming months makes for another emotional "downer" as far as I'm concerned.  

Nonetheless, on account of the Easter weekend being a long weekend thanks to it comprising more than one public holiday, I have a feeling that certain public spaces in Hong Kong, including the country parks but also shopping areas, will be more crowded over the next few days than earlier this week.  Put another way: Despite the ban of public gatherings of larger than four being in place, I reckon a good number of people are raring to head out to have what fun they legally still can.  

As a big fan of Hong Kong's urban as well as country parks, I do applaud the fact that -- unlike in certain other territories -- they have (largely) remained open for public use (even if certain of their facilities, such as the country park's barbecue areas and the urban park's basketball courts and football pitches have not).   (Yes, chalk me down as one of those who firmly believes that public green spaces are good for the mind and, also, the immune system.) 

Something for people outside of the Big Lychee to bear in mind: the vast majority of Hong Kongers live in apartments rather than houses, and small to super small ones at that.  Consequently, the territory's public parks are the closest thing to private gardens that most of us have -- and their existence could be said to play a big part in helping keep many of us sane as well as physically fit.

Thanks to my having a far freer schedule than many others, I am lucky to be able to venture into the country parks on weekdays rather than the weekends.  And to help ensure that Hong Kong's hiking trails will nowhere be as crazy crowded like Mainland China's Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) last weekend, I'll be steering clear of them this long weekend. 

Here's the thing: Hong Kong's daily tally of confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus has been trending down in recent days: with 25 new cases reported on Wednesday, 13 reported on Thursday and 16 new cases reported today -- in contrast to its record high of 67 cases reported on March 27th.  But this still is not the time the let down our guard and/or celebrate.  

Indeed, many people are looking at this long weekend with no small amount of fear that social distancing and other measures to fight against the Wuhan coronavirus might be thrown to the wind by folks raring to take a break from it all.   And while some people appear to still be doing the right thing this Good Friday, that, alas, is not the case for a number of others.

Really please, please, pretty PLEASE, people, let's try to make sure that Hong Kong's number of cases rocket up again and its hospitals do not get inundated with coronavirus patients in the near future, okay?  After all, as the worldometer coronavirus statistics for the Big Lychee show, 677 of our current total of 990 confirmed cases are "active": as in, the patients remain in need of medical care; some of them majorly so. :(       

Measures to cope with the Wuhan coronavirus' "second wave" -- but what of its "third wave" and more?

Signs in multiple languages detailing the maximum-four-people 

gathering rule and other measures posted at Victoria Park

 

  Enjoying the afternoon sun without gathering in

a group larger than four at Victoria Park's Central Lawn

 

The past week or so has seen a steadying, even downward trend, in the number of new Wuhan coronavirus cases reported daily for Hong Kong.  So, hopefully, the "second wave" that was largely the result of a number of infected residents returning from abroad -- where many of them had gone to escape the first wave of the Wuhan coronavirus onslaught -- has subsided to some extent.

 

Still, Hong Kong is not taking any chances, especially ahead of the upcoming long Easter holiday weekend; this not least since the total number of confirmed cases for the territory is now up to 960, with 25 new cases reported today.  Consequently, even while the likes of me do rue the extension of the period during which cinemas will be closed along with other entertainment outlets,  I, for one, am not complaining too much about this decision;  especially since the rulings now also have been extended to beauty salons and massage parlours (which, to my mind, should have been closed earlier than cinemas -- since them, the main activities that take place in those other facilities require one party going mask-less in the case of beauty salons and results in a lot of sweat being shed in the case of massage parlours!).

 

Another government measure that's actually welcomed by the majority of people in Hong Kong involves the two-week border shutdown that was due to end on Tuesday now having been extended indefinitely.  Actually, if people had their say, they'd make the measure stricter by also barring travellers from Mainland China  (which has had 81,802 reported cases of infection as of today, according to worldometer) entirely rather than just requiring them -- along with those arriving from Macau (45 confirmed cases in total) and Taiwan (379 total confirmed cases) -- to spend 14 days in compulsory quarantine.  

 

Should it not be clear, there are fears that there will be a third wave of Wuhan coronavirus infections; and that it will come -- like the first wave -- from Mainland China.   And, frankly, pictures of packed crowds of people -- not all of whom are wearing masks -- at the likes of Huangshan in recent days are not assuring people here in Hong Kong that the bulk of the people over in Mainland China have truly learnt the lessons of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.  

 

Consequently news that thousands have left Wuhan already in the early hours of today after the travel ban there was lifted is filling quite a few people here with fear since we really don't want Wuhan residents flooding into the city (even if it's to inject much-needed cash into the suffering Hong Kong economy).  Equally as unwelcome as the prospect of visitors from Wuhan and other parts of China inundating Hong Kong in the coming weeks is Carrie Lam remaining at the helm of Hong Kong's government. 

 

Okay, so the ridiculously well paid official has announced today that she and her cabinet will take 10 percent pay cuts for the next 12 months.  But that only came after she rejected bipartisan calls for her to turn down the super undeserved pay rise that she's been awarded: one that's increased her annual pay to a whopping HK$5.21 million!

To be sure, she's not the most highly paid head of government in the world.  That honor goes to Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong.  But consider that, among other things, that the Singaporean government is already looking ahead and planning for the food crisis that they anticipate will come about as the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic further progresses.  Put another way: even while not perfect, the Singaporean government does seem to be thinking several steps ahead of Hong Kong's and, also, in ways that are intended to self-guard its people.

 

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government seems intent on continuing to persecute its people and making a mockery of Hong Kong's once much vaunted rule of law.  In recent days, we've seen such as a politician, already stripped of his Legislative Councillor status on a technicality, being found guilty of assaulting two riot police officers with his loudhailer during a standoff between the police and protesters last July; an accusation and conviction that brings to mind, for many, that of the young woman who was sentenced to three and half months of jail time for having assaulted a police officer with her breast a few years back.   

 

Also consider how absurd it is that even while Hong Kongers are helping the world to realize that face masks can help communities as well as individuals battle the Wuhan coronavirus, the Hong Kong government has been pushing ahead with its appeal to have the face covering ban it brought into effect last October upheld.  About as absurd, really, as the idea that Carrie Lam deserves the salary that she is being paid -- or, for that matter, that she absolutely has a place reserved for her in heaven like she has publicly stated she believes to be the case!

So much lost at Hiraizumi's Motsuji, yet still so much left to appreciate there too (Photo-essay)

For some years now, I have averaged two trips a year to Japan -- usually in the months of May and September or October.  Not so long ago, I was thinking that I would not be able to visit there this May but could possibly do so in October.  Alas, now I'm much less positive about my chances to visit the Land of the Rising Sun even in the latter part of this year.

It's not so much what's happening in Hong Kong with regards to the Wuhan coronavirus; since even while the total number of confirmed cases went up to 914 today, with 24 new cases reported, the last few days have actually seen a decline in the number of new cases daily.  Rather, it's more so what's been happening in the world at large (with the worldometer having recorded over 1,288,500 cases of infection and 70,570 recorded coronavirus-attributed deaths at the time of writing) and Japan itself too -- with its government poised to declare a state of emergency in at least seven prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, starting tomorrow.

Frankly, the outlook for Japan -- as for much of the world -- right now is not great.  At the same time though, Japan is the last country I'd bet against to bounce back.  After all, this is the country that managed to survive a terrible triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster back in March, 2011 and having returned from the dead after not one but two atom bomb attacks.  Of course this is not to say that there won't be scars from the experience.  Still, I remain hopeful that I will manage to enjoy days in Japan in the not too distant future as pleasant as the one I spent in Hiraizumi visiting UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites like Chosun-ji and Motsuji.

What's located near the bus stop at the foot of Chosun-ji?

Oh, just the grave of the legendary warrior monk Benkei! :O

 

A leisurely bus stop away, on the other side of the small town,

lies the 9th century temple compound of Motsuji

 

At it zenith, Motsuji was a 40-temple, 500-monastery compound

 

 Very few of the ancient buildings have survived to the present though,

with grave-like markers marking the spots where they used to be

 

Instead, these days, Motsuji's pride and joy is its Heian Period 

"Pure Land" garden meant to recreate the Buddhist paradise

 

Even if you're not Buddhist or all that religious, it is 

entirely possible to derive joy from being in this beautiful space

 

Apparently the majority, if not all, of those who look after 

this garden are faithful volunteers -- impressive, right?

 

A shady and peaceful spot that Puppet Ponyo 

decided that she particularly appreciated :)

Unjust rewards for Carrie Lam but vindication of sorts for Hong Kongers and just desserts for some members of the police force?

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!

A de-stressing hike in an uncrowded part of green Hong Kong (Photo-essay)

When all this is finally over (who knows when) and leisure travel can become an acceptable thing again, I would like to pay a visit to Taiwan.  I've only visited the island nation once before, but that was more than 12 years ago and years before the exemplary Tsai Ing Wen -- who was re-elected with record numbers earlier this year -- became its President.  I reckon there's much we can learn from it -- in terms of such as its handling of the Wuhan coronavirus --  and its leaders (including digital minister Audrey Tang).    

In the meantime, I try to make the most out of being in Hong Kong: a territory whose people and key institutions are facing threats from their own government along with the Wuhan coronavirus (the latter of which the people of Hong Kong are battling more successfully than many others); but which nonetheless has not had a full lockdown imposed on it.  In view of how small many Hong Kong residences are, I sincerely hope that the Big Lychee's country parks and wild countryside will never be declared off limits to people.  For I, for one, find that a hike in rural Hong Kong really can do wonders for one's peace of mind, and perhaps more than ever in these troubling times for the world at large...

The sky was overcast but the temperature was pleasantly cool and 

the fresh winds quite welcome on the most recent hike I went on

I learnt a long time ago that these 700 plus steps 

along Stage 7 of the Hong Kong Trail are 

much better to go down on than up! ;b

 

 Even on super high visibility days, this particular trail

never ever seems to attract many people -- which means

that it's ideal to go on during these social distancing times

I thought it already weird to come across Chinese New Year flowers

in March but I've now seen them still in bloom in April! :O

Unlike such a blue kingfisher, this bug was one of the few critters 

I saw along the hike that I managed to snap a photo of!

Forest bathing in green Hong Kong :)

 

The peace was occasionally disturbed by the sound of what I got to 

realizing were speedboats towing water skiers (one of whom I enjoyed 

watching taking a fall more than his skimming along the water! ;b)

It did end up drizzling a bit during my hike but I still "hearted"

being out in the Hong Kong countryside that afternoon :)

More than one anniversary to commemorate and threat to Hong Kong to worry about

Meaningful dates for Hong Kongers seeking democracy and justice

We're not playing anymore :(

Yet another end of the month has arrived and, as has been the case for six months now, people have gathered at Prince Edward MTR station to mourn -- if not the actual deaths of individuals, then the hammering of one more nail on the coffin of Hong Kongers' freedom from fear while doing not much more than taking what used to be a popular as well as integral mode of public transportation, thanks to the actions of the police at Prince Edward MTR station on the evening of August 31st, 2019.  I hate that I'm expecting this but it really wouldn't surprise me if more tear gas gets fired by the police before the night is out, like has happened too many times already.  

As it is, there already have been some arrests made in the area; including, as previously anticipated,  using the new social distancing laws which came into effect over the weekend.  Almost needless to say, all of this really is not going to get people in Hong Kong thinking that the members of the local constabulary -- particularly those in green fatigues and riot gear and "raptor" outfits (rather than their previously more "regular" uniforms) -- are "citizens in uniform" who are going about "policing by consent".  (But, then, do the police really care what the public think of them anymore?)   

As it so happens, there also is another anniversary of note for Hong Kongers who care about the law being upheld in the proper, just way to commemorate today.  For on March 31st of last year, the first anti-extradition bill protest march took place.  Under-publicized (so that, I, for example, didn't know about it until I saw people demonstrating on Queensway), it nonetheless attracted some 12,000 participants.  I'm sure, though, that no one taking part in that March 31st, 2019, protest had any incline of the amount of support their cause would end up attracting -- and how it would lead to a sea change in the way Hong Kongers think and act, and the kind of community efforts that have seen Hong Kongers wage a fierce battle against the local authorities, their Beijing overlords, and the coronavirus which came over from Mainland China.

On the subject of the Wuhan coronavirus: on a day when the number of confirmed cases worldwide passed the 800,000 mark, Hong Kong recorded another 32 new cases, bringing its total tally to 714.  While this looks to be a dip in the numbers of new daily cases, there's actually a real worry that Hong Kong will soon run out of isolation beds if the numbers of infected people keeps on rising as quickly as they have in recent weeks.  

I really hope that the Hong Kong community's efforts to stem the Wuhan coronavirus will not be in vain. And even while I think there are many branches of Hong Kong's government that could do better (including Carrie Lam, of course, but those who issued quarantined individuals with faulty wristbands and allowed confusion to reign inside quarantine centers), it does seem like the Centre for Health Protection is doing a pretty good job with such as their having conducted some 90,000 tests for the coronavirus to date (resulting in a 12,000 to 1 million ratio that ranks among the highest in the world).            

For those of us who often find it hard to envision statistics and need the help of graphics, I'm glad for the existence of such as the South China Morning Post's local Wuhan coronavirus infographic.  Incidentally, I also find its map of confirmed cases in Hong Kong, which include the names (along with locations) of local hospitals where patients are treated to provide insights into Hong Kong's distinct identity vis a vis (Mainland) China.  Put another way, only in Hong Kong will you get hospitals with Cantonese names (like Kwong Wah, Tseung Kwan O and Pok Oi) mixed with others named after various British Royals (such as Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Princess Margaret and the Prince of Wales) along with at least one with South Asian roots (Ruttonjee)! ;b