After keeping Covid-19 at bay for almost two years, Hong Kong authorities have been unable to control an outbreak driven by the Omicron variant. The number of infected people is such that there are not enough drivers for the city’s buses and subways. The restrictions are extended and the uncertainty among the inhabitants about a total closure increases.
Pandemic postcard. Covid-19 restrictions have sucked much of the energy out of Hong Kong, a cosmopolitan island known for its neon lights and dense crowds.
As a resurgence of the Omicron variant virus overwhelms the region, it is difficult for its 7.4 million residents to know what will happen in the coming weeks.
The latest closure, announced by the local government this Wednesday, March 16, covers public beaches. And amid the increase in infections along with isolation regulations, dozens of stores have temporarily closed for not having enough employees, after their workers tested positive.
Citizens find themselves with fewer subway trains and buses running as hundreds of their drivers have also contracted the disease.
Infections among truckers disrupted shipments of meat and vegetables from mainland China, raising concerns about shortages of some products.
The pandemic has brought many companies to their knees. Some multinational companies have relocated out of Hong Kong, while others have temporarily posted top executives elsewhere amid the uncertainty.
Restaurants are surviving with new limitations on selling takeout, when home deliveries after 6:00 pm have been suspended again.
Hair salons were recently allowed to reopen, but gyms and bars were ordered to close in January and would not reopen until at least after mid-April.
A collapsed health system
Most worryingly, the healthcare system is overwhelmed, which often means that those who contract the virus are left to fend for themselves, unable to find more space in medical facilities. At the same time, the number of deaths continues to rise.
“It’s a powerless situation … We can only count on ourselves,” said Wong Wing-tsang, a single mother who spent days trying to get a medical appointment for her 10-year-old daughter who tested positive in early March.
In the last 24 hours, Hong Kong reported 29,272 new cases and 217 deaths. On Tuesday, it registered 27,765 infections and 228 deaths.
The increase in infections, say local authorities, is especially driven by the Omicron variant, which has set back the efforts with which Hong Kong kept the pandemic under control in the first two years of its appearance.
“This is an unprecedented situation,” Lam said earlier, referring to the outbreak having exceeded the regional government’s ability to respond.
Uncertainty grips Hong Kong
China has responded by sending in experts, medical personnel and construction crews to increase hospital capacity, but these actions, too, raise fears that Hong Kong may adopt harsh Xi Jinping-style restrictions, particularly its lockdowns of entire cities.
Residents point out that the Carrie Lam Executive is sending mixed messages about whether to lock down the entire population for mass testing to detect cases.
“Honestly, I think government policies keep changing all the time and are difficult for residents to follow (…) We don’t know if an ad is real or not. It really makes us feel very worried,” said Alison Hui, a Hong Kong resident.
Last February, officials announced massive island-wide tests and scheduled them for March, but indicated there were no plans for a shutdown. Days later, when infections increased, the authorities acknowledged that a general confinement was being considered.
Immediately, residents emptied supermarket shelves to stock up on food.
Two weeks after the announcement, however, Carrie Lam noted that citywide testing had been temporarily put on the back burner for authorities to focus on reducing the number of deaths and critical cases. She did not say when the planned tests might take place.
Mak Sin Chang, a Singaporean who has lived in Hong Kong for eight years, said he would consider leaving if he got a job elsewhere. “Now we all live in darkness, guided by the blind,” he quipped.
He added that the government should offer a roadmap to get out of the pandemic so that people can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Everything was really starting to pick up at the end of 2021. We were itching to open up to China, but suddenly Omicron hit and now it’s completely out of control,” said Francis Lun, an investment manager on the island.
This picture shows a major setback from late last year, when Hong Kong had gone months without any cases of local spread and was working to have the quarantine requirement in mainland China lifted for people entering from the island.
Now, after more than two years of the pandemic, there is no end in sight, at least not in the short term.
With AP and Reuters
#outbreak #Covid19 #leaves #Hong #Kong #uncertainty