It’s time for government officials to wear masks to keep Hong Kong vigilant against the coronavirus

Unified front on surgical masks required from leadership for city’s life-and-death struggle against Covid-19
Hong Kong not faring too badly but government cannot afford slip-ups with city returning to business as usual while virus threat continues

Tammy Tam

Published: 7:54pm, 15 Mar 2020

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The news that US President Donald Trump has tested negative for Covid-19 must come as a bit of a relief to the rest of the world. After all, he is the leader of the most powerful country, and there would be a global impact, were he to fall ill.

However, it is small comfort, given the rapid pace at which the pandemic is sweeping the world, with confirmed cases spiking sharply in Europe and now the US.

The coronavirus does not make any distinction when it comes political and geographical borders, and has infected VIPs such as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s communications director, Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife and Spain’s first lady, to name a few.

Donald Trump has tested negative but the coronavirus’ refusal to discriminate has seen senior government and sporting figures around the world infected. Photo: AFP

Let’s hope the list does not keep getting longer.

A legitimate question this raises is what happens if the head of a government gets infected and what the consequences would be for a prolonged war against a pandemic that requires strong leadership.

Looking at Hong Kong so far, the city is not doing so badly, thanks to greater public awareness based on past experience with such emergencies and necessary quarantine measures enforced by the government, together with a world-class public health care system. And among the city’s more than 180,000 public servants, only a couple have contracted the coronavirus.

However, there is never any room for complacency, as Hong Kong is still fighting to keep a lid on imported cases coming in.

It is also a matter of concern that the threat remains very much alive while the city slips back into a business-as-usual mode, with the government taking the lead after making various assessments and the private sector following suit.

Public services have resumed, leisure and sports facilities as well as libraries have reopened, employees are flocking back to their office buildings after working from home for weeks, trains and buses are filling up and more people are dining out in districts that are showing signs of normal life again.

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Understandably, not only the government but citizens also want to get on with normal life and business as usual, even though it creates a dilemma for everyone because they have to remain as vigilant as ever against the coronavirus.

This makes it even more important for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her governing team to show the public they are on high alert all the time. One easy way to demonstrate their cautiousness is for all of them, Lam as well as her senior aides, to put on masks in public to send out a unified message.

Unlike some of her ministers, Carrie Lam (fifth from left) was unmasked when pictured on February 5. Photo: May Tse

Remember the confusion Lam caused earlier by banning officials from wearing masks unless they were ill? She meant well, the intention being to save much-needed supplies for frontline medical staff, but the public backlash forced her to apologise for her stance.

Lam was still rarely seen wearing a mask until very recently, and the public saw no consistency among her core team either – some put them on sometimes while others chose not to.

Welfare minister Law Chi-kwong was embroiled in a controversy last month when he declared that he had not used a mask for three weeks because he drove to the office and did not visit crowded places.

Law was promptly criticised by medical experts and teased by netizens who pointed out that not everyone was fortunate enough to have an official vehicle.

Regardless of the continuing debate and cultural differences in deciding whether handwashing or putting on masks is more effective, Lam just needs to say it loudly in public: “Please wear a mask, take all necessary precautions and be responsible.” It is just that simple.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam opted to wear a mask when meeting the media on March 3. Photo: Nora Tam

The embattled Lam’s popularity rating surprisingly picked up three points in the latest public opinion survey earlier this month, partly because the situation in Hong Kong seems to be under control to some extent now.

Having made this much progress, she and her government cannot afford any slip-up as the fight against Covid-19 is a matter of life and death.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: It’s time for government officials to wear masks

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