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. According to Warren Buffett, it is when the tide goes out that we discover who is swimming naked. The opposite is happening for us though. It is the tide coming in, otherwise known as the Covid-19 fifth wave, that enables us to examine the character of those in charge of our affairs. So far, we’ve learned that they are mere administrators incapable of formulating policy (David Dodwell, March 5 ); that they are weak in overall coordination and policy execution (Frederick Ma Si-hang, March 16 ); and that they are hubristic with a sense of superiority vis-à-vis the mainland (Ronnie Chan, March 17 ). Most of these observations are likely valid. Will there eventually be a commission to review the entire episode? Unlikely, I’m afraid. If we just focus on the weeks from mid-January to now, we may yet discover something else. During this time we saw songs and dances, mumbles and fumbles, lightning pronouncements and even quicker about-faces from officials, and a frightened and suffering people. It is only after our bigwigs were roused from their frenzy by the mainland that certain priorities have been established and some order restored. An observation about America’s best and brightest after the Bay of Pigs debacle provides insight into such behaviour. “The question which concerns me most about this new administration is whether it lacks a genuine sense of conviction about what is right and what is wrong,” then US undersecretary of state Chester Bowles wrote in a diary entry in 1961. In times of crises, he said, a public servant with strong moral convictions would have a great advantage. “Lacking such a framework of moral conviction or sense of what is right and what is wrong, he is forced to lean almost entirely upon his mental processes; he adds up the pluses and minuses of any question and comes up with a conclusion.” When this individual is “not tired or frustrated”, such an approach might work. “What worries me are the conclusions that such an individual may reach when he is tired, angry, frustrated, or emotionally affected. The Cuban fiasco shows how far astray a man as brilliant and well-intentioned as Kennedy can go who lacks a basic moral reference point.” Some commentators went one step further and concluded that the American president was amoral. It is not for me to say if they are as brilliant and well-intentioned but our Carrie Lams and Sophie Chans share that peculiar quality with John F. Kennedy. Expediency needs a moral anchor. George Hui, Sha Tin Lack of quarantine hotels means travel is still no easier I am one of many would-be travellers – including those Hongkongers abroad seeking to come home – trying in vain to book a quarantine hotel between April 1 and July 31. With the exception of a few high-end hotels, there are seemingly zero vacancies over said period. Trying to seek clarity by calling relevant hotels directly is hopeless as calls are never answered and voicemail boxes are full. The chief executive’s announcement on Monday that Covid-19 measures would be relaxed, and in particular that quarantine lengths would be reduced, was not a surprise as it had already been reported in the media. Thus, in effect, the government massively increased demand for quarantine hotel rooms while doing nothing about supply. In fact, it had reduced the supply by switching more than one third of quarantine hotels to isolation facilities for mildly symptomatic Covid-19 patients. The result is a relaxation measure that cannot be taken advantage of, to the intense frustration of already very frustrated residents. Yet again the government is found wanting in its handling of the pandemic. Neil Russell, Discovery Bay Mainland help gives Hongkongers cause to feel hopeful It is a basic human right to have access to health care, to be treated when ill, and at the end of one’s life, to die with dignity. We are living in a really difficult time, but it is not the time for despair. Instead, we should observe how in our hour of need, the motherland has come to help us preserve those fundamental rights. Following President Xi Jinping’s order to mobilise all available manpower and resources to safeguard the lives and health of Hong Kong people, we’ve had help in the following areas. One, the mainland has sent delegations of experts in epidemiology and critical care to Hong Kong, offering timely, professional and practical advice on how to enhance Hong Kong’s strategy and identifying the priority areas of reducing infection and death rates. Second, the mainland is helping to enhance Hong Kong’s testing capacity with the provision of mobile testing vehicles and more than 100 nucleic acid testing personnel. Third, the mainland is helping to build a makeshift hospital and multiple community isolation and treatment facilities that could cater to 50,000 Covid-19 patients. Fourth, the central government has donated a wide range of medical supplies, from N95 and KN95 masks to rapid antigen test kits and Chinese medicines. Fifth, it has ensured a stable supply of food and necessities, through land and water transport, to meet our basic needs. In addition, despite having their own struggles in pandemic control, various mainland provinces have also volunteered (including doctors and nurses) to support Hong Kong’s fight. I am very confident we will conquer this pandemic. Kevin Lau Chung Hang, Central Children have forfeited their summer for nothing With the suspension of compulsory mass testing, our children’s special “summer holiday” will have been for nothing. A core reason for bringing forward the summer break by four months was to free up campuses for use as mass testing venues. School administrators and teachers have had to adjust the teaching schedule to fit into the government’s plans. Now their efforts are to be wasted. Since sports venues, playgrounds, beaches and cinemas are closed, our children cannot play outdoors and have to stay home during this enforced holiday. Perhaps schools can resume online classes so at least children can spend their time learning something, which would help to relieve parents’ stress. Felix Mak, Kowloon Bay Embracing uncertainty helps us grow I had planned to come back to Hong Kong from New York last November but ended up having my “washout” in Singapore, finally arriving in Hong Kong on March 8. Cancelled flights, constant changes in entry requirements and overbooked hotels are some of the challenges facing travellers who are stuck abroad. After months of uncertainty, I was relieved when I got my negative PCR test at Hong Kong airport. Instead of seeing the experience as a nightmare, however, I took it as an opportunity to grow. I never thought that I would visit Singapore because I thought it quite similar to Hong Kong. However, I realised this was not entirely true, especially in terms of culture. Life is a journey with lessons to learn. We should embrace uncertainty. Jessy Leung, New York, US