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. The second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong started around March 2020 when many overseas students returned to Hong Kong for the Easter holidays from countries including the UK and the US. The government did not act fast enough and the quarantine measures were not as strict as they are now. We saw defiant youngsters walking around town or hanging out with friends while wearing tracking wristbands . The current fifth wave started in January. Some 10 weeks have passed and we are still nowhere close to being ready for universal compulsory testing . Indeed, we are fighting this wave by relying heavily on support from the mainland . As countries around the world open up, many here hope to see life return to normal soon. In view of this, and given the time the government needs for its planning and action, it should start preparing now for the return of overseas students this summer. The government should consider opening up boarding houses in universities and schools to accommodate returning students. This will make it easier to track any confirmed cases and alleviate the burden on parents fighting to book quarantine hotel rooms for their children. The government could also negotiate with our neighbouring cities to secure hotels in, say, Shenzhen or Macau, to ease the load. This will ensure students have reasonable accommodation and, perhaps at the same time, the chance to experience those cities after their quarantine. Parents have suffered from pricey air fares and quarantine hotel charges, not to mention the stress from changing airline schedules and the no-cancellation policy imposed by some hotel operators. Given that more students have chosen to study overseas due to various disruptions in Hong Kong since 2019, it is time for our government to provide some comfort to these youngsters and their parents and to let them feel that the Hong Kong government is really making an effort to serve them. Lusan Hung, Wan Chai Paying lip serivce to our mental health crisis won’t fix it Does mental health really matter? The chief executive has, on several occasions, mentioned the issue of mental health, but does it really matter? The potential relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions announced this week brings hope, even though they seem to be driven by concern for Hong Kong’s viability as an international financial centre rather than our mental health. We’ve endured stringent border restrictions for weeks now. Most aspects of our daily lives have been disrupted, exacerbating our stress and panic, as could be seen from the recent surge in panic buying . Also, with all sports centres closed, along with other venues that allow relaxation and stress relief, there is little point in paying lip service to the importance of mental health. The people of Hong Kong live in fear of being carried off to one of the city’s many quarantine camps, where there have been reports of mental breakdowns and suicide attempts. The government appears to have listened to our cries for help and looks set to allow more people to isolate at home. Let’s hope the upcoming relaxation of rules and the unveiling of a road map restores normality before irreparable damage is done to our economy and, above all else, our mental health. Lee Ross, Kowloon City
