Shades Off | Hong Kong has Covid-19 under control. It’s time to drop the mask mandate
- A respite from wearing masks in the hot, humid summer makes sense, although we should still wear them on crowded public transport
- Such a move does not mean living with Covid-19 or being nonchalant about a dangerous disease. It is more a statement of confidence
Outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in March announced a three-phase process of reopening, with the first two stages relatively well defined. That has gone to plan, with the unexpected addition of dropping mask-wearing in country parks and when exercising outdoors.
There are aspects of Covid-19 measures I don’t expect will go away until there are truly effective vaccines and treatments. The best way to deal with a disease that can so quickly mutate and spread involves social distancing, lockdowns and face masks when there are outbreaks.
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Hong Kong businesses and facilities reopen as many Covid-19 restrictions lifted
To ensure the prompt response that is needed, there has to be a testing system for arrivals to the city and a way of effectively tracing and alerting people who have been in contact with someone diagnosed with Covid-19. But there are degrees of infection and some people are more at risk than others, so clear mechanisms are necessary.
