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