Group size rules apply when hiking but police yourself to help beat coronavirus
- Small and selfless decisions are needed every day in these trying times, even when out running and hiking in the hills
- Do not let the rules dampen your desire and make sure you are exercising for your mental and physical health
When was the last time you saw police out in the mountains in Hong Kong? Possibly never. So, it’s up to you to police your group size and abide by the rules. They are in place for a reason.
As Hong Kong faces its third wave of coronavirus, the government enforced a four-person rule which as of Wednesday has been reduced to two. Most of Hong Kong is complying. But when you hit the trails, there are still large groups of hikers chin-wagging their way across the hills.
One group might not make a difference to the overall picture of the global pandemic, but beating the coronavirus requires everyone to make small and selfless decisions every day. If everyone gets on board, then individual decisions add up to a quicker road to recovery.
No one but you can monitor your group sizes on the trails, so please behave sensibly.
It is easy to rationalise why hiking in groups isn’t that important: It is outside, so isn’t as bad. Everyone is crammed on the MTR, so what difference does hiking in a group of 10 make? We will spread out so we are never actually in a big group. We are young and healthy so are not at risk anyway.
Just because there is another rule that seems to contradict the group size, like public transport, does not make it right to flaunt them in the hills. We can only do what we can, and that is to hike in pairs for now.
Do not let the group sizes put you off hiking or trail running though. It is still important that you are exercising and looking after your health, just make sure it is only with one other person until the rules are scaled back.
In the Guidelines on prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) for the general public by the Department of Health, it says: “Build up good body resistance and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This can be achieved through balanced diet, regular exercise and adequate rest.”
We are all in this together. For your own benefit and health, I look forward to passing you on a hiking trail soon. But I hope to see you with just one other hiking partner for the time being.
