Letters | Don’t let views on Covid-19 in China be clouded by prejudice

Name: How hi-tech solutions are being used across Asia to cope with the coronavirus pandemic
Uploaded: 2020-11-11T23:00:18.000Z
Duration: 7 min 15 s
Description: How hi-tech solutions are being used across Asia to cope with the coronavirus pandemic

Hongkongers returning from mainland China have health QR codes to show they are infection-free, unlike those returning from elsewhere. The Hong Kong public should recognise this, instead of accusing the government of double standards

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Shoppers use a phone app to scan a code to confirm their health and travel status before being allowed to enter a mall in Beijing in May. Photo: AFP

Letters

Published: 7:00am, 12 Nov 2020Updated: 7:00am, 12 Nov 2020

I am writing in response to “Government is squandering the city’s efforts” (November 9) from Crystal Xu. I do not agree that the government applied a double standard in allowing Hongkongers in the mainland to return to Hong Kong without hotel quarantine.

We should never overlook the difference between the Hongkongers in mainland China and those in other countries. Everyone in the mainland is required to have a health QR code. The codes use three different colours – red, yellow, green – to indicate a person’s likelihood of coronavirus infection. People in the mainland need to present their codes to enter places like shopping malls or restaurants. Rest assured that the Hongkongers with green codes in the mainland pose no risk of infecting others.

On the other hand, Hongkongers returning from other countries have no record to show they are unlikely to be infected or infectious. Considering this, the Hong Kong government’s decision is reasonable and logical.

Moreover, in my view, many Hongkongers are looking at the coronavirus situation in the mainland through a lens of prejudice. I just had a call three days ago with my friend who lives in Zhongshan. He told me that most mainlanders did not need to wear a mask when walking in the streets or playing in the park because the coronavirus is totally under control. They just wear masks in some indoor spaces like supermarkets. Yet, there are Hongkongers who continue to believe that the mainland has low infection numbers only because the Chinese government is deliberately hiding facts. Why won’t these Hongkongers take off their blinkers?

Although the Hong Kong government made some decisions that many Hongkongers complained about, the public should not have preconceived notions about every single step the government takes. It is safer to allow the Hongkongers in the mainland to return to the city without quarantine than the Hongkongers in other countries simply because the virus situation is better in the mainland. This is not based on any political consideration.

Jerry Ng, Tseung Kwan O

07:15

How hi-tech solutions are being used across Asia to cope with the coronavirus pandemic

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.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Don’t let views on Covid-19 in China be clouded by prejudice

Letters | Don’t let views on Covid-19 in China be clouded by prejudice