Hong Kong has done quite well in battling the coronavirus pandemic since January. For a time, we were comparing Hong Kong with Singapore, which at the time was praised for its public-health strategy. But now, Hong Kong has just passed the 1,000 mark in the number of infected cases while Singapore has more than eight times as many.

Of course, when it comes to battling a pandemic, simply looking at the infection numbers doesn’t give the full story. But they are still indicative of the current situation, the efforts being made and also their effectiveness.

By examining these infection figures, we can understand why Hong Kong is doing better at this point in time.

First, we are, in some ways, still reeling from the painful experience of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003 when Hong Kong saw a total death toll of 299. Fast-forward to 2020, Hong Kongers have developed a better sense of personal and public hygiene.

Secondly, the government was quick to enact social-distancing measures by closing schools in February and ordering public servants to work from home to slow down the spread of the virus.

Many other places, such as France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, have recently followed suit and enforced social distancing.

There are many ways to battle this pandemic, but first and foremost is implementing social distancing and suspension of social gatherings to prevent crowds from forming in public places so as to avoid new clusters of outbreaks.

Other measures on the personal level include washing and sanitizing hands frequently and being mindful of what we touch, such as our faces.

As for Hong Kong, we must keep our guard up and avoid becoming complacent. Single-digit figures among new cases in recent days are certainly encouraging, but we cannot afford to slip back into our old ways. Now, more than ever, patience is essential to keep moving forward

But one effective measure is the wearing of a face mask in public, as proved by the low infection rate in Hong Kong as compared to the West. The wearing of a face mask offers two-way protection for ourselves and for others.

Hong Kong is a crowded place, and we often come into contact with each other in close quarters in public such as in elevators, on the streets, on public transport, etc. This means that face masks are important as a first barrier to help us fend off and slow down the spread of the virus.

It goes without saying that all these preventive measures have been done in tandem, and the city’s collective efforts have led to Hong Kong becoming one of the places with the lowest infection rate and number of deaths.

Last but not least, we must applaud the good work of our medical professionals, both on the front line and at the management level. We owe it to them for having worked tirelessly to protect and care for us and for the patients now being treated in hospitals.

We can’t deny the fact that Hong Kong so far has an edge over Singapore. Hong Kong’s social-distancing measures may have appeared extreme — and dare I say draconian — at first, but Singapore’s comparably lax enforcement of social distancing has not been rewarded with as much success.

In fact, Singapore has experienced a 180 percent spike in the number of new cases over the past two weeks; infections have appeared in communities such as pre-schools and migrant-worker dormitories.

The city-state reported 1,111 new cases on Tuesday, taking the national total to 9,125. By comparison, Hong Kong recorded four new case on Tuesday — the 10th consecutive day of single-digit increases — bringing the total to 1,029 cases.

Following Hong Kong’s example, the Singaporean government has now taken the decision to enforce school closures and encourage mask-wearing in public. Furthermore, it has banned all social gatherings and closed all businesses except essential services.

It goes to show that despite earlier criticism, Hong Kong has had the right approach and its perseverance has certainly paid off.

The key difference that is worth noting is that Hong Kong’s social-distancing measures were progressively implemented since late January; the closure of public spaces offered an incentive to private sector companies to follow suit.

Hong Kong people were deeply scarred by the nightmarish experience of SARS 17 years ago, but it was by learning these harsh lessons that the city was able to exercise greater vigilance when tackling COVID-19.

As for Singaporeans, normal life appears to move on, and it would appear that many are still exercising not nearly enough caution, and are continuing to flock to public areas as they usually do.

But this not to say that Hong Kong has been perfect in this respect. There is still room for improvement for Hong Kong as the government measures could have been introduced even earlier, and they could have been even stricter.

For example, after the emergence of the Buddhist temple cluster in North Point in February as well as cases arising from weddings and restaurants, the government could have banned social gatherings and reduced restaurant visits a lot sooner.

And then with people returning from overseas in March, we saw young people ignoring self-isolation orders, and disregarding public safety. Some even, wearing tracking wristbands, went out to dine and pursued their daily routines. Whatever their reasons, the government should have meted out severe punishments to deter them during the early days.

Ultimately, we need everyone in Hong Kong to work together to fight this virus. But first and foremost, we need to have self-discipline.

When education and self-discipline fail, the government should not hesitate to introduce strict penalties to deter offenders. When these people defy health warnings, they are not only endangering their own health but that of others, including medical personnel; they are putting the safety of nearly 8 million people at risk.

Finally, I must remind the likes of Tanya Chan Suk-chong, the Civic Party lawmaker, to abide by her sworn duty as a legislator. She was recently found to be “holding a meeting” with about 40 people inside a bar that is less than 1,000 square feet. Wasn’t this a clear violation of the social-distancing measures in force?

It’s clear that she was knowingly acting against the social-gathering ban. Chan is a barrister, so she knew full well that she was going against her principles of upholding the rule of law and as a legislator.

I am deeply disappointed that she either deliberately or unknowingly broke the law when she is supposed to set a good example, especially after she condemned others during a Legislative Council session for defying the social-gathering order and therefore increasing the workload of our medical personnel.

My thoughts also go out to those who attended the meeting with Chan and hope all of them are virus-free.

Finally, I want to sound a stern warning about the need to have self-discipline, and for those who defy this warning: Be prepared to receive harsh punishments for your selfish behavior.

As for the government, it must deter these lawbreakers to remind all Hong Kongers that we must remain vigilant until we beat this virus.

We must be grateful and thankful for the accomplishments achieved in Hong Kong — as many other places appear to be fighting a losing battle (at least for now).

As for Hong Kong, we must keep our guard up and avoid becoming complacent. Single-digit figures among new cases in recent days are certainly encouraging, but we cannot afford to slip back into our old ways. Now, more than ever, patience is essential to keep moving forward.

The author is president of Wisdom Hong Kong, a think tank.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.