The Hong Kong government’s evacuation of around 2,000 residents from four buildings to a quarantine camp to stave off the spread of mutated Covid-19 strains seemed appropriate and necessary in the battle against the pandemic. However, it was criticised by many as a badly coordinated effort, executed on the spur of the moment by the government departments concerned. In the past, the government has been called out for delays in sending Covid-19 patients to hospital, but did not admit that there was a problem. This time, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor stepped up and apologised to the affected residents. While it is true that this could be seen as a trifling action and may not directly lead to problems being solved, it was a positive gesture. Officials a long way from achieving herd immunity against bad decisions Still, the government’s efforts have truly not been good enough. Some have complained that when they needed help related to Covid-19, they called many different governmental offices but failed to get the necessary help. It seems as if each department is doing its own thing, without much coordination. Our government must step up to the plate to solve these coordination problems. It should also review large-scale virus -testing arrangements. Efforts that are uncoordinated will not have the desired impact and will increasingly rile the public as the pandemic battle goes on. Randy Lee, Ma On Shan Why writing down details beats using contract-tracing app The government is encouraging people to use the “ Leave Home Safe ” contact-tracing mobile phone app by scanning a QR code at the government premises or restaurants they enter, but what if a person uses someone else’s mobile phone instead? It would be better for security guards to write down each visitor’s name and identity card number. This would also alleviate the fears of those who worry that information collected by the app could be used to violate their privacy. K.M. Nasir, Mid-Levels
