Coronavirus: Hong Kong leader says no to probe of government’s pandemic response, so how will city learn from missteps?
- Those who agree with chief executive say there is little to gain from a costly, drawn-out inquiry
- But some experts say key aspects of pandemic, including city’s high death toll, deserve investigation
Hong Kong took swift action in 2003 after it emerged from the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak that claimed 299 lives in the city.
It assembled a Sars Expert Committee made up of 11 medical experts from Britain, the United States, Australia, mainland China and Hong Kong to examine why the city had been hit so hard, and if there were lessons to learn.
The city had recorded 1,755 cases in three months, the second highest in the world after the mainland, and those who died included eight respected hospital staff.
The expert panel came up with 46 recommendations that helped Hong Kong stay prepared for another health crisis.
So it seemed only natural, as infection numbers fell in recent months and Hong Kong gradually lifted its stringent pandemic restrictions, that there were calls for a similar independent probe of how the city fared during the health crisis to glean lessons for the future.
