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SCMP Reporter

The E-Mail Forum

Q Should Hong Kong quarantine its pneumonia patients?

Because Hong Kong did not quarantine its patients soon enough, we are at the start of a dangerous epidemic. It is very sad to hear that the Hong Kong government feels that the way Singapore is handling the situation is drastic, and that Hong Kong does not need  such measures.

Singapore is going to have this epidemic under control in half the time that Hong Kong will take to just figure out what the correct steps are. The Hong Kong government is not taking this matter as seriously as it should.

The way this situation is being handled can only reassure us that our government really does not care about the welfare of the general public.

To contain such an epidemic, many measures should have been implemented long ago, including:

The known patients should have been quarantined from the beginning of their infection and not allowed visitors;

The situation should have been contained at the one hospital which was widely infected, by moving other patients to other hospitals. The infected hospital could then have been used exclusively to deal with the epidemic so it would not have spread to the outside environment as it has.

Day by day we are losing confidence in what was once a system we could trust.

Canada, with only a handful of cases, seems to agree with the Singapore government's way of dealing with this disaster. I just hope that Hong Kong finds a way to combat this epidemic without wasting too much time.

Karina Aswani, Ho Man Tin

Q Is Hong Kong handling the pneumonia outbreak properly?

Definitely not. If so, how did it happen that five families and more were infected within a day? It's frustrating to read in the papers how the government is so indecisive.

Too late for quarantining? Why is it too late? It's never too late. How many people have to be infected before the government takes proper action against this deadly virus?

This is out of control and yet the government still thinks that the people of Hong Kong need to stay calm. Legislator Lo Wing-lok feels bad that they didn't act earlier to stop the outbreak from escalating. Then do something now! It's not too late for quarantine.

Name and address supplied

I would say categorically 'no'. There is evident reluctance to make decisions in the government. The one decision they should have made was to quarantine the infected patients as soon as the disease was discovered.  It's common sense, but sense doesn't seem to be that common in the government these days. How serious does it have to get before someone decides to take proper action to prevent further spread of the infection? Does the number of infected Hong Kong citizens have to reach 1,000? It's odd that everywhere else in the world, especially in one of our Southeast Asian neighbours, Singapore, health officials have either introduced containment measures or taken more drastic action to prevent the virus spreading. What is Hong Kong waiting for? The public, especially those with children, want to hear of progress with cure and prevention, now, not later. We don't want to wake up each morning knowing more people have been affected. It seems the only question we all have when we do wake up is how many more? And none of us have been wrong so far.

Lee Paul Brown, Quarry Bay

Hong Kong has so far recorded the most cases,  yet the government is not as aggressive as  Singapore  in combating the illness.

Close all schools for a week or so and make students study at home. Declare home quarantine measures at once. Close all hospitals to pneumonia  cases except a designated one where nurses and doctors take extra precautions. Work with employers to make sick employees stay at home.

Act quickly before Hong Kong becomes a place where no tourists would like to come. Government officials should stop 'pointing fingers' at each other, work together, form a special Swat team and save Hong Kong.

Name and address supplied

Q Should schools be shut as a pneumonia precaution?

I find it incredible  that the government or the populace of a so-called 'World City' is asking such a  question. Had this occurred when Hong Kong was ruled by the colonials, it would have been acted on immediately. Instead, we seem to have to put up with an inadequate government that cannot educate its populace without trying to  blame someone else.

One of your correspondents,  Margaret Gibson of Sham Tseng (Talkback, March 26), highlighted some of the most obvious causes for the spread of this and other infectious diseases, but I  differ with her accusation that it is just Chinese people that behave badly with personal hygiene.  There are as many Westerners who should know better, as well as many other Asian races that don't care about their fellow man.

Of course there are equally disgusting habits of locals and Westerners alike which serve all too well to spread disease.

As Ms Gibson rightly stated in her letter, most civilised people are trained as children to respect the health of others and are taught to behave accordingly. No amount of investment by the government will begin to teach these irresponsible people 'the better way'. They should impose hefty fines, as in Singapore, on those who disregard common decency. It doesn't take a fool to figure out that the government could eliminate its deficit if they set the fine at $10,000.

Neil Parker, North Point



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