[New crown pneumonia] The government must learn from the ban on dine-in

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Written by: Commentary Editing Room

2020-07-30 17:38

The third wave of the new crown pneumonia epidemic continues, and the government will completely ban dine-in meals from Wednesday (29th). Chief Secretary for Administration Zhang Jianzong called for takeaways to be eaten in the office and also said that there are no restrictions on country parks. On the first day of the implementation of the ban, office workers wandered around the street during lunch hours and met lunch boxes. The government saw it "refilling the wok" and launched 19 district community centers for citizens to eat, but the government headquarters canteen opened for dine-in. The ban turned into a public relations disaster in which "only the chief executive is allowed to eat and the people are not allowed to sit down". On Thursday (30th), the government announced that dine-in can be resumed during the morning and afternoon market hours from Friday (31st). The government bans from time to time, and the decision-making ability of officials is worrying.

The government's announcement of the prohibition of dine-in at night markets can be understood as a compromise between economy and epidemic prevention. However, the ban on the evening market and the relaxation of dine-in lunch at lunch show that officials also know the rigid demand for lunch. It can be said that most office workers cannot avoid eating during lunch. Secretary Zhang Jianzong announced on Monday that dine-in meals are banned throughout the day, and should provide solutions to respond to the public’s need for meals. However, he only called on companies to work from home at the press conference, and the appeal has always been limited. Many companies in Hong Kong are still operating as usual. In Zhang Jianzong's "Country Park Theory," the construction workers working in the downtown area are even more blessed.

The first day of the ban coincided with a rainy day, and the photos of workers eating boxes under the eaves on rainy days moved many citizens. How to remedy the need for workers to eat and enjoy tea and rice should be the government's top priority. Helplessly, the government’s remedy was announcing that the government’s canteen will allow dine-in food the next day. The anti-epidemic measures that could have been implemented simultaneously in Hong Kong with only one person per table and a distance of 1.5 meters between each table ended up being available only in part of the canteen. Regardless of whether it is in terms of public relations methods or policy loopholes, it only makes the public feel that high-ranking officials have left the ground. There is no actual effect of epidemic prevention, and public relations points are lost.

Until Wednesday evening, the government announced the opening of 19 community halls or community centers in Hong Kong for meals. However, when the government remedied the situation, the logic behind it confused the public. If the citizens follow the government's instructions, they can neither dine in nor "remove their hood" on the street after buying meals. The original intention is to separate the citizens' ban on dine-in, but instead they want citizens to gather in community centers. The ban on dine-in can indeed reduce the risk of transmission, but the government’s implementation has ignored the reality that wage earners still have to go to work and many industries have no offices. The government's "dining-in farce" affects the whole of Hong Kong, and its actual implementation and even afterwards remedies are not well thought out, and the mistakes are made up for.

The ban on dine-in measures took effect on July 29, and the government announced the next day that dine-in at breakfast and lunch will resume on July 31. (Photo by Luo Junhao)

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It's better to think twice about changing the order

The ban on dine-in was changed for two days. The government announced on Thursday (30th) that it would resume daytime (from 5 am to 5:59 pm) dine-in services, and restrict no more than the usual seats of the premises at any time Half of the number, no more than two people can sit at the same table, and each table must be at a distance of 1.5 meters and separated by partitions. The two-day ban on dine-in food has returned to the basic steps and turned into tightening the original epidemic prevention measures in restaurants.

Allowing dine-in at lunchtime is undoubtedly the gospel for grassroots workers and it deserves social support. However, it is unknown whether a group of senior officials responded to the epidemic because there is no precedent to follow. They did not even think about the possible impact of the policy before implementing it. In a disguised way, it added troubles to society and was helpless in fighting the epidemic. In the fight against the new crown epidemic, I believe that governments around the world are all "first brothers in epidemic prevention". As the chief executive and even the director-general, facing the epidemic, you should have the adaptability and common sense logic that ordinary people possess. The government only allows differential treatment such as eating meals, or even talking about eating in country parks. Please the Hong Kong government to think twice.

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