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A man checks his phone in front of the Ruins of Saint Paul’s in Macau. The city recorded fewer than 50 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and no fatalities as of August 7. Photo: Winson Wong

Letters | Macau counts its blessings despite Covid-19 pandemic

Macau
Blessed are the people of Macau. We have been enjoying a rather free lifestyle compared with people in cities all over the world since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (“Macau tightens entry requirements for arrivals from coronavirus-hit Hong Kong”, August 7).

My wife and I recently went to the cultural centre for a concert sponsored by the Macau government, where the Macau Orchestra played Beethoven’s Symphony No 3, the Heroic Symphony. The symphony was originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte whom Beethoven thought was the embodiment of the democratic and antimonarchical ideals of the French Revolution, though when Napoleon declared himself emperor, Beethoven is believed to have flown into a rage, torn the title page in half and thrown it to the floor.

Emphasising the historical context of the symphony is not my aim in this letter, but rather the skilled performance of the Macau Orchestra and the effectiveness of the measures adopted by the Macau government to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Without an effective administration, the lives of the people of Macau may have been in jeopardy during the pandemic. If the government had not adopted wise and resolute policies to prevent the spread of the virus, we would not have been so free to enjoy our daily life and safely enjoy a high-quality concert.

A close friend of mine in Hong Kong told me online one day, “Though Hong Kong is governed by elites who performed very well academically at university, most of them are indeed mediocre in the matter of governance.”

“The incumbent chief executive of Macau has done a much better job in controlling the coronavirus than his counterpart in Hong Kong, and even in other cities all around the world”, he added.

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Macau’s next leader Ho Iat-seng confirmed in Beijing ceremony and meets Chinese President Xi Jinping

Macau’s next leader Ho Iat-seng confirmed in Beijing ceremony and meets Chinese President Xi Jinping

I cannot refute my friend’s views nor deny the current risks posed by the pandemic around the world. Facts are facts. Macau has so far not recorded any Covid-19 deaths. The people of Macau, however, should not let the city’s success in containing the virus go to their heads. We must stay vigilant against any new wave of the outbreak.

Barnaby Ieong, Macau

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