Editorial | Onus rests on each of us to turn Covid tide in Hong Kong
- With the community tiring of official regulation of normal life, it is time for civic spirit, shaped by reflection on duty and responsibility, to play a bigger part
The government will announce on Tuesday a new round of pandemic measures. Its hand has been forced by mounting evidence of feared exponential increases in Omicron case numbers.
The sheer number of cases could overwhelm hospital and quarantine capacity, therefore the talk of less serious cases and contacts isolating at home. That puts more onus on individuals to act responsibly, aside from complying with the face-mask rule.
It is time for such a change in approach. It is no longer a choice of living with the virus – we are already living with it.
Many people have had enough of official intrusions into normal life, including social distancing, sudden lockdowns and compulsory testing. They made that clear during the Lunar New Year holiday by crowding venues and public transport, prompting warnings of an explosion of infections.
Experts say it is false comfort to attribute ambient sounds of coughing and sneezing to the flu, when there is no seasonal epidemic. They are just as likely to be linked to Omicron and the threat of infection.