End Hong Kong’s global embarrassment by dropping mask mandate once and for all

It doesn’t matter how many announcements our top officials make that Hong Kong is back when the whole world can see things here are not normal
If ending the mask mandate in one fell swoop is too great a step for the public to accept, then the government could adopt a rapid phased approach

Mike Rowse

Published: 4:30pm, 15 Jan 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

Hong Kong’s mask mandate is an international embarrassment and should be scrapped immediately. A recent trip to the United Kingdom revealed in glaring detail just how nonsensical the present arrangements are and how they are undermining our prospects for economic recovery.

When I boarded the aircraft in Hong Kong, there was an announcement that wearing a mask on board was compulsory except when eating or drinking. This was followed by distribution of a welcome drink, requiring immediate removal of the mask.

A series of announcements was made through the entertainment system. They included an informative video explanation by a senior Cathay Pacific staff member of the special measures taken to ensure the air on board is as clean and safe as possible.

There is a complete change of cabin air every two to three minutes. Incoming air is thoroughly filtered, and the flow of air is not between passengers but rather from ceiling to floor. In other words, this is some of the cleanest air on the planet but you are not supposed to breathe it directly.

As the wheels touched down in London, there was a further announcement on behalf of our Department of Health, warning about monkeypox. The return journey was similar. At the gate, a staff member was deployed to make sure you had your mask ready. The on-board events were repeated, including the warning about monkeypox upon landing in Hong Kong.

If the situation in the aircraft was confused enough, the image presented on the ground was far worse. As hundreds of passengers from all over the world queued for immigration, one group of them really stood out. Many of those from Hong Kong were still wearing their masks while nobody else in the terminal was.

Passengers arrive at Hong Kong International Airport on December 30. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

It doesn’t matter how many announcements our top officials make that Hong Kong is back, everything is open and normality has returned. Thousands of people can see for themselves in the most graphic way possible that things are not normal. This scene is being repeated many times a day, in airports all over the world.

What impact do we think this is having on potential tourists, business travellers, investors or the talented people we are working so hard to attract? All the campaigns we are planning in these areas risk coming to naught – and these people don’t even know about the monkeypox warning yet.

I am sure Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will do a good job of talking up Hong Kong at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. However, anyone following him back to the airport to fly to Hong Kong will quickly get a different picture.

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Naturally, there is community resistance in such circumstances. Aboard the plane I was on, the passengers were divided into two distinct groups. One wore their masks throughout the flight, the other sipped their orange juice slowly then replaced it with another beverage and remained maskless.

Similarly, guests in our open-air theme parks seem to be lingering over their soft drinks, ice cream or popcorn of late so they can stay maskless longer. When they do put their mask back on, it does not quite cover their nose. Quietly, the government is losing the battle of public opinion.

I understand the case for masks. It was valid for the first 14 months of the pandemic, when there were no vaccines, and maybe for the next few months after that so people had time to get the jab. But three years into the pandemic and two years after Covid-19 vaccines became available? After we reached herd immunity through a combination of previous infection and vaccination?

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The argument has been that people should wear a mask to protect themselves and others. The same argument also applied to vaccination: get vaccinated to protect yourself and also inhibit the spread of the virus to others.

But whereas we have been careful to make vaccination voluntary, even though it is the best protection, we have made mask-wearing mandatory. Where is the logic in that? Where is the justice? After all, even if the mask mandate ends, those who wish to do so will still be free to wear one.

There has been much less public discussion of the possible downsides of widespread mask-wearing, particularly among the young. There are concerns that prolonged mask-wearing among children could have an adverse effect on their language development and progress in socialisation.

The government has been successful in frightening the community about Covid-19 to keep the population compliant with safeguards and therefore safe. Mask-wearing has become the nearest thing Hong Kong has to an official religion. Adherents far outnumber Anglicans, Catholics and followers of all the other established religions added together, and they are not slow to chastise those of their fellow citizens they think are insufficiently devout.

If completely cancelling the mask mandate in one fell swoop is too great a step for the public to accept, then the government could adopt a rapid phased approach. It could make masks voluntary outdoors for one month to get people used to seeing faces again, then voluntary indoors except for on public transport in the second month and completely voluntary everywhere after that.

We do not need to be scared of Covid-19 any more, we just have to be sensible. It is the same for monkeypox. However, we should be worried about those who have been monkeying around with our controls and messaging.

Mike Rowse is the CEO of Treloar Enterprises