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Written by: Commentary Editing Room
2020-11-14 06:00
Last update date: 2020-11-14 06:00
Just as the Hong Kong government is preparing to establish a tourism bubble with Singapore, the local new crown virus epidemic has once again become severe.
On Thursday (12th) there were six cases of unknown origin, including "home holiday" citizens and drivers who were infected with the disease. Another university study concluded that the recent spread of the local epidemic originated from imported cases, and once scattered in various districts, it is more difficult to control.
The authorities must strengthen entry quarantine restrictions and tighten local social restrictions when necessary. The public must also exercise self-discipline to increase their awareness of epidemic prevention to prevent local recurrence of the epidemic and also prevent the explosion of travel bubbles.
Hong Kong and Singapore have reached a bilateral "air travel bubble" agreement. The Hong Kong government aims to sell air tickets in the middle of this month and make the trip by the end of the month.
(Profile picture)
The actual meaning of the bubble symbolism is important
The tourism bubble will be launched on the 22nd, and Hong Kong needs to take care of it.
This is not only to satisfy the desire of Hong Kong people to travel and increase the business of aviation and tourism, but to prove that Hong Kong can strictly control the epidemic, especially at the airport to ensure that Hong Kong people will not export cases, so that foreign tourists can avoid returning home. Under quarantine, you can travel in Hong Kong with peace of mind.
If travel arrangements between Hong Kong and Singapore go smoothly, other areas with stable epidemics will also be happy to negotiate with Hong Kong.
According to the agreement, when the average number of unrelated local cases in Hong Kong or Singapore in the last seven days exceeds five per day, the bubble will be suspended for two weeks.
If the tourism bubble fails before it starts, or it melts shortly after it starts, the tourism confidence of the two places will inevitably not advance or retreat, and the outside world will believe that the epidemic in Hong Kong is erratic, and tourists will delay or even cancel their itinerary due to fear of infection during their visit to Hong Kong.
By then, Hong Kong will promote tourism bubbles again, and the effect will only be half the effort.
The epidemic and tourism bubbles are both worrying
The governments of Singapore and Hong Kong have set up a "fuse mechanism", which means that there are more than 5 cases of unknown origin per week on average, and planning arrangements will be suspended (information picture)
The bubble has entered a countdown stage, but the recent deterioration of the epidemic situation in Hong Kong is worrying.
First, on Thursday, Hong Kong announced six cases of unknown origin, a two-week high.
Secondly, there are many confirmed cases in recent days among people participating in "home vacations" and public transport drivers who brought the virus to various districts during their activities.
Third, a study by the University of Hong Kong speculated that the local case was imported from Nepal in the middle of last month, including a staff member of the Consulate General of Nepal in Hong Kong who had been sick when he arrived in Hong Kong but was exempt from quarantine.
Fourth, the number of cases of upper respiratory tract infections increased rapidly during the same period, and the two diseases could easily lead to misdiagnosis.
In contrast, the epidemic in Singapore is much more easing than that in Hong Kong. In the past 14 days, only seven local cases have been recorded in the area with no confirmed cases for three consecutive days. In addition, the temperature and humidity in Singapore are more stable than those in Hong Kong, which will make the virus active again in the future. The climate factor is less than Hong Kong.
The upward trend of imported cases in Hong Kong is of particular concern.
Starting from the week of the 23rd of last month, the number of input cases per week has been increasing, reaching 56 cases between the 6th and the 12th of this month.
Although the Hong Kong government has required travelers from 15 countries to have a negative nucleic acid test before entering the country, it still does not follow the current global spread of the epidemic.
Furthermore, patients from high-risk areas can still escape quarantine from the exemption list and enter the local community directly from the airport, threatening citizens.
In the past, Hong Kong residents returning to Hong Kong from other places could be quarantined at home, but the Food and Health Bureau recently required all people outside of China to concentrate in hotels for compulsory quarantine. In addition, crew members arriving in Hong Kong from high-risk areas must also be tested, from non-high-risk areas Those exempt from quarantine who arrive in Hong Kong must stay at the airport and wait for the test results if they do not provide a negative certificate.
However, in the long run, the Hong Kong government still needs to include more countries with rising infections as high-risk areas, adopt medical expert opinions to force all exempt personnel to wait for test results at the airport before leaving, and extend the arrival routes of countries that have repeatedly exported patients No-fly period.
To realize the dream of tourism, officials and citizens must fight the epidemic together
The new crown pneumonia continued, and the "Staycation group" broke out in Mui Wo, causing many people to be infected.
(Photo by Ouyang Dehao)
If the number of unknown sources or local infections continues to increase in the next few days, the government must consider tightening social distancing measures again and implement mandatory testing in high-risk areas and groups as soon as possible.
Of course, we cannot rely on government actions alone to curb the epidemic. Hong Kong people themselves must always be vigilant and follow and cooperate with the government's epidemic prevention measures, including downloading the soon-to-be-launched "Travel with Peace" mobile app to help record whereabouts.
In addition, citizens can’t go too far when they enjoy the "home vacation". Living in the same room with multiple people taking off their masks is tantamount to self-control risk and endangering hotel staff. It is a selfish act without regard to consequences.
Love to travel can be described as the characteristics of Hong Kong people.
In addition to the tourism bubble established with Singapore, the quarantine-free customs clearance of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau is also an important step in restarting the dream of Hong Kong people's travel. However, to succeed, the government must strictly control the government, determined to prevent the importation of new crown virus patients, and the public must do their best. Maintain hygiene and social distancing.
In the unlikely event that Hong Kong's epidemic prevention falls again, let alone travel abroad, even the travel and daily exchanges within Hong Kong will definitely fail.
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