Perseverance is cleared, all blood is lost

February 5, 2022 (Friday of Chinese New Year)

Wishing everyone at Matters great luck in the Year of the Tiger!
Do things like a tiger with wings, and your body is fierce!

With the coming of the new year, I believe that the common wish of all human beings around the world is that the epidemic will go away as soon as possible, and that we can meet relatives and friends far away as soon as possible.

The Lunar New Year public holiday in Hong Kong is only three days (the first day to the third day of the new year), and the fourth day of the new year is just a Friday. Normally, people should return to work. Of course, some people will deliberately ask for leave on this day, turning it into six consecutive days. Officially on the 7th.

However, the number of confirmed cases of Omicron mutated virus in Hong Kong has increased sharply in the last month, and the government has implemented strict social distancing measures: restaurants are prohibited from dine-in (indoor use) after 6:30 pm; theme parks, playgrounds, gymnasiums, swimming pools, fitness Centers, bars, beauty salons, cruise ships, etc. are all closed. The New Year's Eve Flower Market announced that it would be cancelled. Many residential buildings were suddenly closed at night after the initial confirmed cases were found. All residents and visitors of the building had to undergo nucleic acid testing, and they could only leave if the test was negative the next day.

There is no flower market, restaurants cannot hold banquets and reunions at night, the streets are sparsely populated, business is low, shopping malls and shops have closed early, and the market is completely free from the lively atmosphere of the New Year. Sitting under siege and being isolated from the world has distorted the pattern of Hong Kong's open economy.

At the press conference yesterday, the Chief Executive still insisted that the containment policy is the best strategy to contain the epidemic, and that no case should be spared. "Coexist with Viruses".

However, looking at the track record, the more she tried to achieve some goals, it often backfired:

• At the end of 2020, Hong Kong plans to establish a bilateral "travel bubble" with Singapore. The implementation of the first round of flights will be suspended before the departure of the first round of flights. The subsequent outbreaks between the two places will be repeated. Finally, Singapore adopts a strategy of coexisting with the virus, and the bubble completely burst;
• At the end of 2021, Omicron has become the mainstream of the new coronavirus, and the number of confirmed cases has increased sharply, but the number of severe cases is relatively small. Many countries in Europe and the United States have adopted coexistence with the virus one after another. Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand have begun to open their borders; the Hong Kong government is committed to preventing overseas imports. Contrary to this, the quarantine arrangements for entering Hong Kong are further tightened. Cargo and crew members cannot be exempted, and they will do everything they can to adhere to the zero-clearing policy in mainland China. Needless to say, the goal is to clear customs with the mainland as soon as possible.

However, the implementation of the policy has been unable to keep up with the spread of the variant virus. In recent days, the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong has exceeded 100 every day:

January 27: 164
January 28: 115
January 29: 120
January 30: 81
January 31: 92
February 1: 129
February 2: 116
February 3: 142
February 4: 131
February 5: 351

Many people expect the government to take tougher anti-epidemic measures in order to stop the epidemic as soon as possible, and do everything possible to clear customs with mainland China. Based on the latest number of confirmed cases, designated venues may remain closed until at least mid-March; as for the "vaccine pass", in the worst case, only two-dose vaccinators can take public transportation and enter and leave restaurants; some Institutions or enterprises must also implement "vaccine passports". Those who have not been vaccinated may face the risk of being fired and unemployed, and even become powerless to go out.

Small and medium-sized retail enterprises are also bearish on the market in the early stage of the implementation of the "Vaccine Pass". The flow of people has greatly decreased. Once a diagnosis is confirmed, it will be closed for testing. It is difficult to predict whether the business will be opened normally the next day. Affected by the restrictions on gatherings in China, it is impossible to do business before and after the Chinese New Year, and pre-ordered fresh goods cannot be returned, resulting in losses. The new round of restrictions on gatherings will undoubtedly hit many small businesses. If the flow of funds cannot be sustained and they fail, I am afraid it will lead to another wave of unemployment.

At present, many Hong Kong people have seen the progress of the epidemic in foreign countries. They generally believe that the virus has weakened and they are not afraid of contracting the epidemic. Instead, they are worried that they will become confirmed cases after the test, which will drag down their family members and contacts. A group of people are sent to quarantine for more than ten days. This kind of guilt pressure makes people sleepless and exhausted.