The COVID-19 pandemic has reared its ugly head in Hong Kong again, prompting the entire community to brace itself for the impact of the latest surge of coronavirus infections. When Hong Kong recorded once again more than 100 confirmed cases on Nov 29, people were convinced the fourth wave of the pandemic had arrived, four months after the third one in July. The SAR government responded quickly to the latest upswing and announced a series of preventive measures on Nov 30 to contain the situation, including class suspension at all primary and secondary schools, tightening crowd restriction, shortening business hours of restaurants, shutting down entertainment venues, etc.
Safe to say Hong Kong is reasonably experienced to handle the fresh round of infections. However, the core challenge from the pandemic that has beset Hong Kong for many months is not severity as much as tenacity. We know how to stop the spread of the pandemic but not whether the latest surge would be the last or when it will rise again, making it impossible for local society to resume somewhat normal, manageable and predictable life. This is not only disrupting the daily life of local residents but also adversely affecting Hong Kong’s business environment. Therefore Hong Kong must figure out an effective way to “wipe out” the pandemic for good as well as keep it from spreading when the virus reemerges. One of the proven ways to beat COVID-19 is universal compulsory testing and thorough contact tracing of positive cases.
Many have suggested that the government implement mandatory universal testing, but Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has basically ruled out such a move by saying universal compulsory testing is impracticable in Hong Kong, because it would be too costly without an efficient implementation system like the mainland has and take too long to be worthwhile. She was not completely wrong but only explained how difficult it would be, not impossible. That means there is room still to discuss ways to overcome those difficulties.
Let’s start with technical issues. To ensure the effectiveness of universal testing it must be conducted in a swift manner so as to identify the positive cases while they are still in the early stage. While the medical professionals in Hong Kong are not adequately equipped for it now, they do have the Chinese mainland city of Qingdao as an example if they are asked to consider it. Qingdao tested over 10 million people within five days in October and managed to prevent community outbreaks after 12 people tested positive for novel coronavirus. The city’s nucleic acid testing task force pulled off this remarkable feat by using a time-saving method called “10-in-1 batch analysis”, where 10 swabs were put in one sample solution for testing and analysis instead of testing 10 swabs individually. Qingdao proved the time-saving testing method efficient and accurate. It also eased many people’s concern over privacy, thanks to the highly efficient screening process.
Besides technical issues, political concern should also be taken into consideration. As Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor pointed out, Hong Kong residents do not have as much confidence in the SAR government as the mainland counterparts do in theirs at a moment’s notice. That is the political reality in Hong Kong and the SAR government has to do anything necessary to win public confidence. For example, the SAR government may talk to the stakeholders most vulnerable to COVID-19 about the need for compulsory universal testing. One of those is the restaurant and bar sector, which is losing patience because of the on-again, off-again restrictions over dine-in service. It is estimated that the overall business has plummeted by 60 percent and the worst will come when a new spike is generating waves of unemployment and bankruptcy, said Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades. If the SAR government truly wants to win public trust, it should put itself in the shoes of the people and tailor its policy-making to their real needs.
Universal compulsory testing is no doubt a critical decision to make and a giant step to take for the SAR government but one it must take no matter what. The longer it allows the pandemic to linger and resurge every now and then the more public trust it will lose, making it harder to achieve economic recovery. Besides, the SAR government has to offer financial relief in response to each wave of infections and put more pressure on public coffers continuously. How long the SAR government will let this sorry situation last without effective solution is everybody’s guess, but we all know it won’t be forever.
The author is senior research officer of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
