He Liangliang: Epidemic prevention is the same, and Hong Kong has nothing to worry about

Source: Global Times

The outbreak in a fitness centre cluster in Hong Kong continues to expand, with one of the confirmed patients taking their children to a play class in Wan Chai during the incubation period, and eight children aged 11 to 18 months and their parents needing to be quarantined at the Penny Bay Quarantine Centre in accordance with Hong Kong regulations. Some of these expatriates hope that the Hong Kong government will be able to take care of infants and young children according to their needs, allowing them to stay at home or quarantine at hotels. In response, the Hong Kong Department of Health pointed out that the quarantine centres are stocked with Xiaoice boxes and cribs for quarantine practitioners who need them, who can request assistance from resident staff if needed. But International banks operating in Hong Kong have told the Asian Securities and Financial Markets Association that strict quarantine rules could hurt Hong Kong's status as a global financial center, British media said. Some foreign investors also claim that if the government does not develop a better strategy, there will be a large brain drain from Hong Kong.

This is very strange logic. In the world, Hong Kong is a place where the epidemic is mild and the control measures are relatively relaxed, and all business activities are normal. Just a few children needing to be temporarily quarantined, which will lead to a large number of foreign business evacuations? Where did you evacuate? With the pandemic spiraling out of control and economic activities being severely affected in Europe and the United States, will "a large number of talents" leave Hong Kong for those areas where the epidemic is severe, where there will be more job opportunities and more favorable for the growth of children? People with normal brains will not make this decision. As an international financial centre, Hong Kong has a long history and a large radiation range, with many employees, including a large number of "returnees". Even if hundreds of foreign families based in Hong Kong leave the city, the impact on hong Kong is negligible, and these corporate positions will soon be filled. Therefore, the above statement is alarmist. The Hong Kong government emphasizes that equal treatment is made in controlling the epidemic and isolating patients, precisely for the needs of the whole society to prevent the epidemic, and the control of the epidemic is precisely so that Hong Kong's social environment can fully return to normal as soon as possible and is conducive to the normalization of economic life.

There are also reports that two U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau have been initially confirmed to be infected with the new crown virus, but on the grounds of diplomatic immunity, they refused to accept quarantine arrangements, such as regular community activities and consulate offices. The news has aroused the attention of public opinion in Hong Kong, and people have questioned whether diplomats enjoy the privilege of being exempt from isolation after being diagnosed. The U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau issued a statement saying that two consulate personnel tested positive for the new crown virus and that the two did not need to contact the public when working. The announcement stressed that since the outbreak of the epidemic, the consulate "has been complying with the requirements of the Hong Kong SAR government for diplomats and their families in terms of arrival, testing and quarantine, and all staff have taken appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the virus." This is the official reply of the Consulate General, and the matter is over.

The outbreak in Hong Kong has not been fully controlled so far, and the government has learned its lesson. After the outbreak of the epidemic last year, Hong Kong immediately interrupted almost all land passes with the mainland, but did not implement mandatory testing and isolation measures in a timely manner for the crew members of foreign airlines to Hong Kong, and since then, passengers from countries with serious epidemics such as the United Kingdom and the United States have not been isolated, resulting in flights from the United Kingdom and the United States and other countries becoming the source of epidemic transmission, and the government later made up for it and blocked this transmission route. Another example is the national testing launched with the support of the central government in August last year, due to the resistance of the "opposition" and the failure of the government to promote it in many ways in a timely manner, resulting in a failure, resulting in a subsequent rebound of the epidemic. Subsequently, the government realized that controlling the epidemic was a matter of great importance and the health of the whole society, and that mandatory testing must be carried out in the communities where the outbreak occurred, and it would soon be effective. After the Spring Festival, enterprises and company shops generally require employees to be tested before they can go to work, and the results are more and more enthusiastic than those who participated in the test when the whole people tested.

At present, the political atmosphere in Hong Kong society has stabilized, but some people are dissatisfied with the current political situation and are unwilling to cooperate with the government's epidemic prevention measures, especially for vaccinations, deliberately choosing foreign vaccines instead of domestic vaccines, and some public school teachers are also unwilling to participate in testing, resulting in schools not being able to resume classes. This mentality of disregarding the health of the whole society is still hindering Hong Kong's epidemic prevention. (The author is a commentator on Phoenix TV in Hong Kong)