Letters | Hong Kong Covid limbo: take a stand, give us our lives back
- If the government believes in the science of vaccines, it should push vaccination more assertively, especially among its own staff
- Make the Leave Home Safe app mandatory, just as mask-wearing is
For the past 18 months, our lives have been left in limbo by the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of social distancing rules, we don’t get to meet up with friends regularly or travel to visit our loved ones, unless we allow ourselves to be subjected to 21 days of quarantine upon return to Hong Kong.
The science which the government keeps mentioning has been proven in countries that have pushed ahead with Covid vaccination drives, such as the US, UK and Israel, with a drop in infection and death rates when a large section of the population is vaccinated. These people can plan their lives and go back to normal.
In Hong Kong, government bodies like the civil service, law enforcement and hospitals are responsible for governing and protecting the people. If so, shouldn’t these government workers be 100 per cent fully vaccinated? How can doctors and nurses protect patients when they are not vaccinated and protected themselves? Shouldn’t vaccination be part of job conditions?
The “Leave Home Safe” app is a fantastic tool for quickly tracing close contacts of an infected patient if its use is enforced. Establishments like shopping malls, restaurants and entertainment centres have to ensure all visitors scan the app, instead of writing down their details on a piece of paper, a system which is abused.
And close the loophole – why should the app allow flexibility in stating the length of time one spends in an establishment? The virus is infectious whether it is 15 minutes of exposure or an hour’s. Both the establishments and the visitors should be legally obliged to use the app, just as they are to wear a mask.
People need to see distinct benefits of being fully vaccinated, as opposed to staying unvaccinated. If the government believes in the science of vaccination, then those who are fully vaccinated should have the liberty to travel and return to Hong Kong with either no quarantine – especially when the whole family is vaccinated – or a maximum of one week of home quarantine.
