While I’m unable to sit at a cafe with three of my best friends, woe betide anyone should they have the misfortune of needing a visit to the Queen Mary Hospital. I spent the entire morning at Queen Mary the last two Mondays. Absolutely zero social distancing: z ero. Queues and lifts shoulder to shoulder, waiting rooms with no spaces between chairs. I particularly loved it when we were forced to fill in forms to ensure they knew where we lived; everyone using the same pen. It beggars belief that in “Asia’s world city” we can’t simply scan our ID cards if they want to keep tabs on us. It was disturbing, actually. Peter Wood, Sai Kung How to read the room on public opinion I would like to share an exchange of views between two ordinary Hongkongers on how the government may improve its reputation and image among its citizens. A: “Roy, short and to the point – if I were a government official I would try to find a closet to hide.” Roy: “You are wrong. If I were a responsible government official, I would spend an hour every morning going through the Letters to the Editor columns of major newspapers (both pro- and anti-government ones), find out what kind of grievances “my” people are airing, any constructive criticisms they are making, and think of ways to address legitimate complaints. And then I would make sure they were carried out to the best of my ability. “Hiding inside the closet will not solve the problem. It will just make more people turn against their government, thereby destroying the much-needed harmony of our civilised society. “All of this sounds so easy to do, but yet, I dare say not even one official is doing it. One reason may be they have already tried that, but time after time, their well-meant suggestions just happened to fall on deaf ears . “Whose ears? Make an educated and daring guess. And tea on me if you get this right!” This is the actual transcript of a conversation between me and my good friend, a famous surgeon practising here in Hong Kong. It’s heartbreaking to see so much of what’s happening every day right before our eyes, and yet, so little of actual value is being done. Roy Wong, Repulse Bay University chief should walk the talk on reconciliation There is this unflattering old saying: “If you can’t do it – teach it!” But there is a more conciliatory version which says: “If you have not failed in it – don’t teach it!” The second one almost qualifies Dr Roland Chin Tai-hong to lecture the government and us to reconcile (“ Outgoing Baptist University president says: ‘I voice what I believe’ ”, December 21). While in charge of Baptist University, he didn’t manage to set up a conciliation commission and encourage sufficient conversation among the parties involved in the riots or vandalism. However, Dr Chin knows exactly what the problem is, and he also has in his mind the right medicine to remedy the problem. As he is now about to retire , wouldn’t it be a kind of noble cause to offer his services to the government to carry out what he suggests? This would complete his duties as president. Because he not only represents the students, professors and alumni, but also us, the taxpayers who finance the institution. Roland Guettler, Lai Chi Kok