LettersCoronavirus in Hong Kong: appalling British response makes city a safe haven for returnees

As a Hong Kong resident, I experienced the terrible 2003 Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak which took 299 lives in the city. I think Hongkongers are very risk-averse on health matters, since we understand we cannot always rely on the government to look after us. With new and emerging infectious diseases, such as Sars back then, our medical and health professionals might also not know enough about the right treatment at the outset.

Although the government made some wrong judgments initially, they corrected those quickly and improvements were made. In my view, the government has taken the virus very seriously, guided by the experts, and health care workers have worked extremely hard to help manage this deadly pandemic. But we must stay vigilant and not let down our guard too quickly.

I have relatives and friends living in Britain where the situation is appalling. In mid-March, the National Health Service (NHS) told the public that the new government advice was that, barring a few exceptions, no testing would be done for people with Covid-19 symptoms. Such people were to stay at home and, if they did not recover, they must call the 111 hotline before going to the hospital. Some doctors privately asked relatives in Hong Kong (or elsewhere) to courier personal protective equipment to them. The Covid-19 UK death toll does not include up-to-date numbers of care home fatalities.

I was astonished at the news that Britain might attempt herd immunity in dealing with Covid-19. When I read about British Prime Minister Boris Johnson skipping five Cobra meetings, and earlier saying he would continue shaking hands with people – I realised it showed that he took the pandemic very lightly and was utterly unprepared for this public health threat.