Opinion | For protest-hit Hong Kong, the coronavirus is a medical, political and social emergency all at once

Crises bring out the best, or, more often, the worst in people. More than seven months of anti-government protests have poisoned the social atmosphere. Violence and radical activism have become a means to an end. With the novel coronavirus epidemic sending shock waves around the world, Hong Kong is ill prepared.

The heart-warming display of solidarity, self-sacrifice and empathy for fellow human beings during the ravages of the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak 17 years ago is a distant memory. For months now, Hongkongers have been struggling with one of their hardest political and moral conundrums, and the coronavirus epidemic is making matters worse.

We have been living with seasonal influenza epidemics for years. The World Health Organisation estimates that flu epidemics claim 290,000-650,000 lives annually. Because seasonal flu epidemics are not new, we regard them as normal. But in times of disruption, we may struggle to get a grip on reality. The uncertainty around the novel coronavirus has prompted some public frenzy and hysteria.

The last 30 years have fundamentally changed how we acquire and manage information, and how we use information to influence each other’s social behaviour. The social media and 24-hour news cycle have profoundly affected us, both individually and as a society.