Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. Medical experts have suggested the government defer compulsory universal testing until late April, arguing that a lack of quarantine and treatment facilities will render the exercise ineffective if conducted in the middle of a wave. Granted, the government should keep ramping up quarantine and treatment capacity, but universal testing should be conducted expeditiously as a matter of principle. The number of Omicron-induced fatalities has surpassed 1,000. Hong Kong’s seven-day rolling average of Covid-19 deaths per million is currently the highest in the world. One should take a moment to grasp the unbearable weight of such numbers. Worse still, while extant research finds three doses of vaccination as the key to protection against Omicron, less than 30 per cent of Hongkongers aged 12 or above have received the booster shot. Only 46 per cent of children under 12 and marginally over 50 per cent of elderly aged 80 or above have received the first jab, although they have proven to be the more vulnerable groups . In light of the foreseeable surge in Covid-related deaths, we have every reason to support measures that can help cut community transmission chains speedily. Time is of the essence in our efforts to save lives. Deliberately delaying compulsory testing is tantamount to agreeing to the epidemic continuing to claim Hongkongers’ lives. Mass testing should be conducted as soon as Hong Kong has maximised its quarantine and treatment capacity , not necessarily only when case numbers have dropped to lower levels. Although early testing will not guarantee a return to “dynamic zero infection” , it is a step towards limiting the number of potential infections and deaths. Of course, early testing should only be part of a multipronged strategy to fight the epidemic. Apart from boosting the vaccination rate and constructing more isolation and treatment facilities, the government must strengthen support for patients who are suited or compelled to isolate at home. In addition to the launch of the self-reporting system for those taking rapid antigen tests, relevant measures could include opening more hotlines and mobilising more civil servants to distribute tracking wristbands, daily necessities and medication to people undergoing home isolation. Meanwhile, members of the public should play their part by getting vaccinated and reducing social gatherings. It is through proactive action and public cooperation that we can win the battle against the virus. Roy Tsang Churn, Sha Tin Put children’s needs front and centre in Covid-19 fight The pressing needs of our children as we do battle with Covid-19, especially toddlers and those in their early childhood, drove me to write in, while appreciating that the government, medical professionals and our medical facilities have been facing extraordinary challenges. Child advocates have rightly called attention to the need to ensure the safety and well-being of children , supported by evidence that the child and their parent or carer must be taken as a unit through their assessment, treatment and rehabilitation. Separating a Covid-positive child and their carer is cruel, for toddlers in particular, and seriously harms the child’s treatment and long-term development. It is unwise and not cost effective. I urge the government to swiftly put in place every possible means to ensure infected children are accompanied by responsible parents or carers, and attended to in sites that are, as far as possible, safe and child friendly. This will demonstrate to Hongkongers and the world that Hong Kong is doing its best, even under tremendous stress, to seriously ensure the best interests of and optimal care for our children, the future of Hong Kong. Article 4 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Hong Kong is a signatory, states that government must “undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognised in the present convention”. To quote Unicef: “The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends to its children – their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialisation, and their sense of being loved, valued, and included in the families and societies into which they are born.” Priscilla Lui Tsang Sun-kai, member of the Commission on Children Vaccination of elderly to save lives should be priority As a board director, I know that sometimes a strategy which has worked for a long time suddenly fails and it’s time to quickly pivot. This is the case with Hong Kong’s Covid-19 strategy in the wake of Omicron. Here’s how the government could proceed better. First, identify the priority objective. With rising deaths, the priority must be to save lives. All else is secondary. Next, identify your strengths, resources, weaknesses and limitations. Hong Kong’s people are a great strength, as is the mainland’s support . We have weaknesses in manpower, space, speed and messaging. Our most pressing weakness is our low vaccination rate of the elderly. It is clear that the single most important goal should be keeping the elderly safe while vaccinating them as fast as possible. But Hong Kong is not focusing all its efforts on this. The vaccine pass was delayed; there are not enough vaccination centres; the messaging around vaccinations – highlighting the risks but not sufficiently communicating the benefits – is confusing. In some cases, vaccinations are refused for people with pre-existing conditions – the very people we need to focus on. People and space should be diverted to vaccination of the elderly. Hong Kong is wasting resources on international travel; staff on Covid-prevention duty at the airport and hotels should be moved to vaccination centres or taking care of the elderly. Quarantine hotels for arrivals could be put to better use. Let’s focus on isolating the unvaccinated elderly, perhaps in hotels which should be entirely isolated for five weeks. The elderly should be offered vaccination upon entry and all staff should live in. This keeps the elderly safe for the five weeks it takes to get them fully vaccinated, after which time we will have a high level of vaccination and the urgent threat to society will be over. Once the unvaccinated elderly are sequestered, the rest of Hong Kong can open up and ensure Omicron peaks (and thus falls) quickly and businesses can recover. Sarah Fairhurst, Tuen Mun Be dynamic on inbound travel restrictions Hong Kong’s Omicron infections now run into the hundreds of thousands. Our rising case numbers are already higher than most of the rest of the developed world on a per capita seven-day rolling average basis. So what could be the public health benefit of inbound travel restrictions , quarantine and flight bans? Let alone continuing them until “at least” April 20 ? A genuinely “dynamic” policy would reflect the dynamic of the epidemic in Hong Kong, not continue along the tramlines laid down in different circumstances at full speed as if there was nobody at the wheel. The damage being done to the economy and health of Hong Kong and its people by these restrictions far exceeds any possible benefit. The needs of other regions can continue to be met by their own measures, suitable for their own circumstances. Meanwhile, the government and its advisers should immediately free Hongkongers from this unjustifiable restriction on their movements, commerce and trade. Nigel Kat, Admiralty Report unauthorised parking in spaces for disabled I refer to Sharon Ser’s letter “In Year of the Tiger, roar for Hongkongers with disabilities” (February 20). We thank Ms Ser for bringing this issue to our attention. At Cyberport, the value of equal opportunities and respect for minority rights are at the core of our management and operations. We greatly appreciate reporting of unauthorised usage of parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities. In the event of similar situations or other conditions which affect facility usage by people in need, visitors may contact our customer service hotline at 3166 3111 for assistance in making a report to the related government departments. With the cooperation and support of members of the public, we will strive to create an inclusive and enjoyable park for everyone. Y.T. Chun, head of campus management, Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited