As we face the third and perhaps most threatening wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong, many are asking about the government’s key objectives. How long will various forms of lockdown last? Are our efforts futile, given the holes we see in the current government measures? In the global battle against Covid-19, Hong Kong citizens have done a great job taking precautionary efforts such as wearing masks, maintaining personal hygiene and practising social distancing. Having been through the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003, people here take this very seriously. While there are rare cases such as one man attacking McDonald’s staff for asking him to wear a mask, most people have kept to the social contract to do their part in fighting the pandemic. The goal is to keep the city coronavirus-free, but we know that is impossible, especially as airline pilots and other high-risk individuals have special exceptions for testing and quarantine. Every government faces the tough choice of balancing when to reopen the economy and the risk of increased infections. However, we could do a better job here with vigilant Hong Kong citizens if we had clear policies and objectives to guide our efforts. Hong Kong Covid-19 quarantine loopholes are real emergency We must act with purpose and conviction. The list of countries from where arriving travellers must undergo mandatory quarantine is a joke, as until recently it did not include some of the worst-hit countries, such as the US. Russia and Brazil are still not on the list. Banning dining in restaurants between 6pm and 5am is seemingly arbitrary. Is the coronavirus nocturnal? Does it become more active in the evening? Golf courses are closed while public beaches are open. Golfers play in groups of a maximum of four with long distances between each group of players, and patrons at clubs are known individuals and so are quite traceable. Meanwhile, public beaches have no restrictions on the number of visitors, who often set up camp close to each other for long periods and are almost entirely not traceable. We need a hard lockdown for 14 days … [and] a mandatory 14-day quarantine in dedicated facilities for all international arrivals We need a hard lockdown for 14 days to reduce cases locally as well as impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine in dedicated facilities for all international arrivals, with the exception of Macau and mainland China. This will create an economic travel bubble with our most important trading partner. Considering the economic impact the pandemic has had on the city, particularly our retail and tourism sectors, there is no greater boost we can provide than ensuring safe and sustainable traffic from the mainland, as Macau has done recently. Students of all ages have suffered from the protests and the pandemic during the past 12 months. We must enact measures to make sure schools can stay open, so that young people who have already lost valuable classroom time do not fall further behind. We must remove the contradictions in our policies. We need policies that are consistent and made with common sense now more than ever, before it is too late for our health, our economy and our children’s future. Winston Cheng, Repulse Bay