Editorial | Confusing messaging leads to panic buying

Amid a deepening health crisis with no end in sight, the public is understandably overwhelmed when bombarded by an avalanche of information every day. Of utmost concern is whether the imminent mandatory universal test will come with a full city lockdown.

Having repeatedly resisted the test, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor finally caved in and turned to Beijing for help last month. She initially said it could be done without lockdown. But an apparent change of heart came on Monday when health minister Sophia Chan Siu-chee cited the need to “restrict people’s flow to a certain extent”. There was even misinformation about the lockdown being passed by the legislature.

Lam and others later stressed that people need not stockpile, saying there would not be a total lockdown and the supply of food and daily necessities would continue. But the panic buying over the past few days underlines people’s worries and the lack of trust in a government that looks increasingly out of touch with the public.

This is not the first time officials’ remarks have sparked confusion and anxieties. Delivering her last policy address in the current term last October, Lam pledged to improve public communication. Sadly this is still a work in progress. The changing positions on the compulsory show the details, such as whether it will be conducted on the basis of identity card numbers or households, have not been well thought through. Officials must also be more mindful of the public impact of their remarks during such sensitive times.