I hope that Lili Davies’ letter in your July 15 edition will be read in government’s higher echelons and, more importantly, its implications pondered and acted on (“ Why Hong Kong’s Covid-19 third wave does not surprise ”). Our medics in Hong Kong are marvellous but they cannot do everything, and the struggle against Covid-19 has been so protracted that they must be exhausted. A senior Administrative Officer should be appointed to look after the non-medical aspects of the fight against the virus and to front up every day to answer questions about them. Chief among these should be the quarantine arrangements, including closing the various loopholes of which Ms Davies gave an eloquent account. This is, arguably, a more urgent problem than dealing with the “loopholes” that led to the promulgation of national security legislation. Wealthier Hong Kong residents can afford to make ideal arrangements for home quarantine, including separation from household members who are not required to isolate themselves. There will be many, however, who do not have the resources to do this and for whom 14 days without income while having to provide their own food will be a considerable strain. The government should line up the necessary plans and funding to ensure an ideal situation is achieved throughout the population, so as to minimise the chances of a further spread of the infection. There is no need to practise false economy. Public health and the health of the economy is not an either/or choice; they complement each other. So spending on a fool-proof public health system will ensure a quicker economic recovery. Rachel Cartland, Mid-Levels Time to consider 21-day quarantine Hong Kong has witnessed a rapid rise in coronavirus cases in the past week, with the number of local infections hitting a record 63 yesterday. In response, the government has implemented strict social distancing measures and attempted to plug loopholes, such as specifying that employers of newly arrived foreign domestic workers must arrange for them to undergo the 14-day mandatory quarantine in designated hotels . However, to completely plug all existing loopholes, the following measures should be implemented. Firstly, the quarantine period should be increased to at least 21 days in designated hotels, in particular for people from high-risk areas. This is because it has been reported that some people tested positive even after 14 days of isolation. In some cases, it might be possible that the intensity of the virus is too low for the deep-throat saliva test to be positive. However, on the other hand, it is just strong enough to infect others who, after a certain incubation period, could become super-spreaders. People need to be kept in designated hotels to ensure that quarantine rules are strictly adhered to. Secondly, the Hong Kong government should hand out more face masks for free to low-income groups, as the present cost of masks will be quite considerable for these individuals even if they use only one per day. Moreover, the quality of some of the cheap masks is not guaranteed. Thirdly, more disinfectant liquid or gel dispensers should be placed at a greater number of prominent public locations, such as MTR stations, bus stops, public parks, country parks and libraries. The above measures have the advantage of being relatively inexpensive, easy to implement and sustainable in the long term. Accordingly, they will not affect social and economic activities in the city. This is particularly useful, given that the virus is the new normal and likely to be with us for some time. Dr Wong Hong-yau, Happy Valley