Coronavirus in Hong Kong: how to (not) win friends and influence people, Carrie Lam style

What is the matter with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor? She seems to be taking every opportunity to show herself as both insensitive and unintelligent. She makes it impossible for any rational person to remain on her side.

The last straw has to be the border “closures”. If you have a leak in a boat, you plug the leak. You don’t half-plug it and keep on bailing. Is it not simple?

People coming in from China have a strong likelihood of carrying the new coronavirus. Therefore, until the virus is contained (or eradicated), Hong Kong must stop people coming in from China.

If there are Hong Kong residents coming back, allow them in but quarantine them for 14 days. That is discriminating between potentially sick people and potentially well people. It is not racial discrimination.

China has set the standard; it has quarantined some cities. Other countries around the world are – sensibly – banning people from China and Hong Kong.

Lam, therefore, has plenty of justification to seal the borders and contribute to the protection of the Hong Kong people. If she fails to do this, then clearly she has no concern for the well-being of Hongkongers.

Dave Osborne, Quarry Bay

Beijing would understand if Hong Kong sealed border

Our chief executive refuses to seal the borders because Hong Kong has a “close relationship” with mainland China. I think this issue has nothing to do with our special relationship. If your wife is infected with the deadly virus, you will avoid kissing her despite the close/special relationship.

Let’s not forget that hospital staff put their lives on the line by tending to infected patients. Of course, Mrs Lam has no such problems since she can hide in her mansion safe from any such trouble.

I would think that mainland Chinese would like to come to Hong Kong during this time to escape the increased danger posed by the coronavirus back home and, knowing that if they do get infected, they will have access in Hong Kong to a well-equipped hospital, something which is not always available in some parts of mainland China.

The mainland is fencing off its own cities to stop the virus from spreading. I am sure Beijing would fully understand if Hong Kong were to follow suit.

Jorg Lauener, Tsim Sha Tsui

Like face masks, leadership is in short supply

The city has been rocked by bitter civil unrest since last June, and the government has yet to come up with the courage to address those issues and lead society out of the abyss.

Now, we have an acute health crisis that requires bold, swift and decisive action. Unfortunately, what we have seen is a government in trepidation and tiptoeing around measures that could calm people’s nerves. Much like surgical masks, leadership is in short supply in Hong Kong.

That said, China-bashing, politics based on the colour of your political affiliation, fearmongering, the “not in my backyard” syndrome and panic won’t help us overcome the challenges of dealing with the novel coronavirus. This is a time of utmost urgency and everyone needs to work together to contain the spread of the virus.

This is not a time of grandstanding and petty politics; public health measures should be based on science, evidence and international best practice.

Moreover, as a World Health Organisation member, Hong Kong has to observe the spirit and letter of the International Health Regulations in dealing with the epidemic.

The virus knows no colour or border. We must set aside our differences, come together and fight as a united force.

Jerome Yau, Happy Valley

If you can’t buy rice, why not make bread?

I arrived home the other night to find my helper frantic about possible food shortages – no rice, bread, noodles and almost no potatoes to be found in the shops. I went out at her urging to have a look for myself.

She was 99 per cent correct, but only up to a point. I went to a Fusion, a Market Place and a Wellcome. Lo and behold, the shelves were virtually bare.

However, I wandered back into these same stores and all three had lots of flour for multigrain, white, whole wheat and other styles of bread. There was some rice flour too. Eggs aplenty, uncountable litres of milk in its various guises, tons of butter (salted and unsalted), shelves with lots of baking powder and baking soda.

And so, dear heart, we could make our own.

Stuart McCarthy, Causeway Bay