I refer to “All stick and no carrot makes city’s Covid-19 testing regime an unsustainable process” ( February 4 ). In the letter, it is suggested that the government should provide monetary rewards or subsidies for people who volunteer to get tested and are found Covid-positive. It is true that such government measures could help revive the economy. People will enjoy the rewards and spend money on groceries and restaurants. If they are sent to quarantine, they don’t have to worry about the bill. It can definitely encourage more people to get tested. However, can the government support all of us? The tourism industry, one of the main sources of revenue in Hong Kong, has taken a hard hit during the pandemic. Expenditure on social welfare , education and health has been increasing. The housing crisis has yet to be resolved, and there are other pressing financial needs. It does not seem financially feasible for the government to also absorb our testing and quarantine fees. The government’s role is to act as a leader demonstrating our commitment to curb the deadly virus. Since it is everyone’s moral responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy environment, we should bemoan restrictive measures less. Charlotte Viseu, Lam Tin Our coronavirus sporting restrictions make no sense One of the government restrictions introduced to contain the spread of the coronavirus is to close all public sports facilities . As a result, private sports clubs, private residential sports facilities and the like also dare not open. Does it make any sense? I can understand why cinemas are closed, restaurants can operate until 6pm, and so forth. But closing all open-air tennis courts, soccer fields, basketball courts, golf courses, beaches, etc? Vaccination alone cannot help us fight the coronavirus if we cannot do regular exercise, maintain good health and have a strong immune system. This is common sense. Personally, I find it particularly ironic to see all our sports grounds closed in the middle of the Winter Olympics , a global event that reminds everyone of the importance of doing sport. A. Wong, Tsim Sha Tsui What LGBT groups have to fear from Australian bill It was foreseeable that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Religious Discrimination Bill would lawfully protect religious belief or activity (including employment), while discriminating on the basis of sexuality and gender. Australians shouldn’t have been surprised when Citipointe Christian College in Brisbane insisted on parents signing an enrolment contract denouncing homosexuality and bisexuality. The school stated it could terminate a child’s enrolment based on sexual orientation, gender identity or sexual behaviour. They incorrectly compared homosexuality to incest and paedophilia, stating: “We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including but not limiting to adultery, fornication, homosexual acts, bisexual acts, bestiality, incest, paedophilia and pornography) is sinful and offensive to God and is destructive to human relationships and society”. The school also refused to acknowledge a student’s gender identity and would only acknowledge gender assignment given at birth. The metalanguage of the school’s enrolment contract is that LGBTIQ+ students are considered abnormal. The advocacy group LGBTIQ+ Health Australia found LGBTQ+ young people aged 16 to 17 years were almost three times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past 12 months and almost five times more likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime. They were over four times as likely to engage in non-suicidal self-injury. LGBTQ+ young people were multiple times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition and report psychological distress, in which bullying, abuse and harassment is a factor. The Australian Human Rights Commission (2014) found 80 per cent of homophobic bullying occurs in school. Respondents reported that homophobic abuse is prevalent: six in 10 had experienced verbal abuse, two in 10 physical and one in 10 other forms of abuse. Is it any wonder same-sex-attracted Australians have up to 14 times higher rates of suicide attempts than their heterosexual peers? Following community outrage, the school decided to set aside its contract and college principal Brian Mulheran is taking extended leave. Federal parliament this week further debates the bill. Let’s hope human decency and respectful acceptance of diversity prevails. Dr Michael Walton, clinical psychologist, New South Wales, Australia Hongkonger-mainlander tensions still simmer abroad In light of the Hong Kong national security law, residents in Hong Kong are realising they have to watch what they say and how they act. Some are emigrating so they can live with fewer restrictions. However, once abroad, they could find themselves clashing with pro-Beijing Chinese people who are also overseas. Last month, scuffles broke out between Hongkongers and mainland Chinese people in the UK, during a rally in support of press freedom in Hong Kong. This disagreement between two totally different kinds of values and ideologies cannot be easily sorted out. For many Hong Kong people (or at least those who have left Hong Kong to live abroad), Hong Kong is their motherland and they want nothing to do with the concept of “China’s Hong Kong special administrative region”. With more Hong Kong people speaking out abroad about what they perceive to be injustices back in Hong Kong, the gap between Hongkongers and mainlanders would only grow. Though Hong Kong seems “peaceful and stable” nowadays, the central government cannot pretend that those differences have been resolved. The currently closed borders with the mainland have actually helped prevent further escalation, for mainlanders do not have to face the fact that some Hongkongers still harbour hostility towards them and their beloved government. Chloe Hui, Yuen Long