When strict anti-pandemic measures could make a comeback, why would Hongkongers return?

It is all well and good for Hong Kong to ask residents who left during the pandemic to return, but the reasons for their departure remain unaddressed
Trust in the government and public health has ebbed, and until important questions are answered there is little incentive for people to come back

Harminder Singh

Published: 6:45am, 11 Jan 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

During Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s New Year’s address, he said he welcomed the return of people who had left the city because of Covid-19 and other reasons. While it is commendable that Lee reached out to Hongkongers overseas, there has not been a reconciliation with what led to the exodus.

Before the emergence of the Omicron variant, many Hongkongers were satisfied with the government’s handling of the pandemic. Most people tolerated universal masking since the city’s infection numbers were relatively low compared to the rest of the world, giving the impression that masking was working well in keeping Covid-19 at bay.

When “zero Covid” was still the government’s goal, it introduced the “Leave Home Safe” app to help stop the virus from spreading widely in the community. Once Omicron entered the city, though, there was no stopping the subsequent onslaught.

The government’s anti-pandemic measures were some of the world’s strictest, including a vaccine pass, 21-day hotel quarantine for most inbound travellers and residents, suspension of in-person classes at schools, forced business closures and dine-in limitations.

This resulted in a hobbled economy, a wave of emigration and damage to the physical and mental health of children and adults. It will take years to ascertain whether the cost of these restrictions in Hong Kong was worth it.

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As a guide, we can see what the consequences were in other countries when similar measures to those in Hong Kong were introduced. They include speech delays for young children, slowed educational progress, weight gain, delayed disease screenings, increases in depression and loneliness, a rise in suicides, more child and spousal abuse and increased drug and alcohol use.

On top of this, the measures dealt a further blow to trust in the government and in the public health. Mandates and coercive measures should not be part of any public health measure. Trust should be paramount. Without trust, the only path is forced compliance, which up until the pandemic was never part of Hong Kong’s DNA.

Once trust is established, the next stage for the government should be protecting the most vulnerable while allowing those people who are least affected to go on with their lives as far as possible.

We are now seeing over 10,000 infections reported daily with dozens of deaths. Government officials, health officers and scientists give explanations for all these numbers. But anyone who was coerced into getting vaccinated, wearing a mask, going into quarantine, doing daily Covid-19 testing or attending online classes is looking at what is happening now – and around the world – and feeling a sense of anger and betrayal after assurances that all these measures would lead to success in battling the virus.

There must be detailed explanations of questionable measures and statements made by health and government officials, such as the extended ban on gathering in public in groups of more than four people, and the target of a 70 per cent vaccination rate to achieve herd immunity which was changed to a 90 per cent vaccination rate to achieve herd immunity. The decision to cull hamsters also did Hong Kong’s international reputation no favours.

Hongkongers and their families who have moved overseas might be considering returning to the city at costs that could range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, in the back of their minds, they are likely to be wondering if it is worth the time and money if these draconian measures could be suddenly reintroduced at the next sign of a health crisis.

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So far, the government has not made any promises that questionable or coercive measures will not be reintroduced when a new health emergency emerges. Unfortunately, it appears they could make a comeback. Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau said in December, “Perhaps in the future we may still need to rely on the ‘Leave Home Safe’ to fight against the other emerging infectious diseases.”

If I live in a city where my children can go to school full time and participate in every activity with or without a mask, where I can go into a restaurant without showing my medical records and sit at a table with all my friends and family and where beautiful human smiles can be seen unimpeded, what incentive is there to return to Hong Kong? Sometimes it’s the little things that make life worth living and give a place a feeling of home.

Harminder Singh is a Hong Kong-based international investor