A New Hope

"The relaxation of the Covid travel rules produced a wave of euphoria. A rush to book trips overseas crashed the Cathay Pacific website."

Last week a wind of urgency started to blow away the Covid fog smothering our city. Officials scrambled to tell us they are moving toward ending the draconian and somewhat pointless travel restrictions that blighted our lives. About time.

They could no longer ignore the mounting evidence of damage to our economy, international standing and way of life. After all, the financial secretary reckons our deficit may be a massive HK$100b.

Meanwhile, the true toll on mental health may take years to appear. I fear that children born over the past three years experienced life through face masks with disrupted social interactions. Has this harmed their cognitive development? Time will tell. Older kids are also victims, with their schooling interrupted.

I wonder if the medical practitioners — the so-called experts — who drove our policies see the big picture. Their public utterances suggest some come driven by a desire to stop all risks without comprehending the unforeseen consequences. Hence we still await a complete road map that will remove all restrictions.

One wag suggested, "The upside of the ongoing masking rules is that it spares our leaders from the knowledge that everybody is laughing at them."

Events unfolded pretty fast last week. In a bizarre set of circumstances, the on/off, then on again, Hong Kong marathon, plus a rare public spat between two leading doctors, drew back the curtain. In a testy debate between top medical professionals, claims emerged that 'someone is holding back Hong Kong.'

This development prompted prominent figures like Henry Tang to encourage the administration to be bold and get on with the job. Likewise, community leaders across the whole spectrum called for changes.

A delighted Singapore is a primary beneficiary on the financial services and banking front. As Hong Kong drove human and financial capital away, the Lion City gained ground.

But let's give credit. The Hong Kong government did well in the early stages of Covid, setting the pace for others to follow. But circumstances have changed.

Our vaccination rate is amongst the highest. Our few deaths are confined to the old, mostly with co-morbidities, while Covid symptoms when they hit are generally mild. And calls to get the vaccination aren't working for the few hold-outs. Beyond compulsory measures, which won't happen, officials should relent. Unfortunately for them, the law of diminishing returns kicked in.

On the sports front, event after event is either cancelling or postponing. Outspoken organisers are not being quiet about officials prevaricating, with an over-cautious attitude. A steady drip of stories has made known the frustrations.

Witness the saga of the Hong Kong marathon. The international Dragon Boat contest is leaving Hong Kong, while the international rugby 7's will have few overseas attendees. Trailwalker, a long-distance charity event held out in the open, crossing our wonderful rural areas, isn't happening. Reports suggest officials are dithering with impossible pre-conditions to approval.

Meanwhile, more is coming to light about the scale of cheating to avoid getting vaccinated. The arrest of doctors and patients continues. One wonders what drove medical professionals to engage in such activity. Does greed drive them? One doctor allegedly issued fake exemption certificates charging HK$3000 a time. It's said he cleared around HK$14 million in weeks.

Seeking to defend the profession, senior doctors appeared on radio chat shows asserting the majority of doctors are ethical. That may be so, yet these incidents are unsettling. I'm intrigued to note many of the involved small clinics, located in the poorer housing estates, only take cash payments. When asked to explain this practice in a somewhat cashless society, a senior doctor had no reasonable explanation.

Others hinted at dodgy accounting practices. No doubt, the police will review all aspects of these clinics.

The relaxation of the Covid travel rules produced a wave of euphoria. A rush to book trips overseas crashed the Cathay Pacific website. And yet, what must be recognised is the severe damage done to our position as a business centre.

While Hong Kong's fundamental advantages remain unchanged, our story must be told globally. Fortunately, such initiatives as proposed by former senior official Bret Free seek to leverage our strengths.

He's championing better coordination between officials and the events sector to help drive the recovery of Hong Kong. With such ideas and dedicated application, Hong Kong has new hope.