Letters | Coronavirus in Hong Kong: the real reason for public anger over face mask shortage

I am writing in response to Ringo Yee’s letter of March 6, “Why attack the government for a universal mask shortage?”

The “yellow ribbon” camp is not nitpicking, “picking bones out of eggs”, as has been suggested. According to a recent survey by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s approval rating has dropped to a historical low of 9 per cent. That is how dissatisfied the people are with her performance.

Government officials repeatedly told us that shipments of surgical masks had been delayed and implementing price controls in a free market was not feasible. However, the reality is that our neighbour, Macau, managed to purchase enough masks and sell them to the general public at a reasonable price, despite the acute shortage around the globe. Has the Hong Kong government really spared no effort in fighting the virus, as it claims?

In early February, the government turned a blind eye to the health care experts calling for a complete border closure and front-line medical staff who went on strike for this. Then came the protests against the requisition of quarantine centres and setting up of designated clinics, as the government made these decisions behind closed doors.