In response to the new crown epidemic, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on Tuesday (11th) that kindergartens and primary schools will suspend face-to-face classes, arrange for children to be vaccinated after classes resume, and launch the fifth round of anti-epidemic funds.
The government describes the speed of a series of social distancing measures as "fast, accurate and ruthless" and "fighting fast" with the virus, but the reality is that many response measures are still in a hurry, with many mistakes and omissions, staying at the beginning of the epidemic.
Carrie Lam mentioned the reasons for the suspension. She pointed out that apart from the fact that three young children were diagnosed, invisible transmission chains appeared in the community. She did not want more young children to reduce their infection and enter the Penny's Bay Quarantine Center, and to avoid confusion between upper respiratory tract infection and Omicron when they were diagnosed.
Omicron is indeed spreading rapidly, and Lam proposed that the above-mentioned reasons for stopping face-to-face classes are reasonable.
In addition, there has been a lack of isolation and quarantine arrangements, and the entry of young children into the camps is an additional burden on the manpower of the quarantine centers, as well as on the parents and children entering the camps.
Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced that in response to the development of the epidemic, it has been decided that all primary schools and kindergartens in Hong Kong will stop face-to-face classes on January 14.
(Photo by Zheng Zifeng)
Quarantine arrangements and anti-epidemic funds are not "ruthless and accurate"
As early as March last year, the government said that family members and children could be quarantined in the same room for care, while the Social Welfare Department would provide daily necessities.
If the support capacity remains unchanged, the government should be able to receive close contacts of young children at this moment.
However, recently, many quarantine persons have uploaded clips, saying that the shower curtain in the bathroom in the room is moldy, and there is no food supply after waiting for a long time.
What's more, some people complained to the media that they have not been tested for 48 hours after entering the camp, and they have called the hotline and have not followed up.
The consequences of this problem are quite serious. If someone has already become ill, they will be delayed in diagnosis and treatment, and the consequences can be big or small.
The number of people under quarantine has increased significantly recently. Frontline staff of the Department of Health, the Civil Security Force, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Police Force and the Fire Services Department have been exhausted in arranging accommodation and testing. .
The three policy bureaus did not improve the environment of the quarantine centers when the epidemic eased, nor did they arrange for additional manpower to meet the demand at the beginning of the recent outbreak of the epidemic. At present, the front-line personnel are in a hurry, and the situation is like returning to the beginning of the epidemic.
Penny's Bay has long been dubbed "Bad Bay", and this stigma lingers to this day.
Quarantine was originally intended to identify the confirmed cases earlier, prevent others from being infected, and maintain social operations. However, the average adult still points out various shortcomings in the current quarantine arrangement, and the situation of children entering the camp may be worse. The lesser of two evils.
The government announced the launch of the Anti-epidemic Fund Scheme to subsidize the affected industries.
(Photo by Li Zetong)
The government should have "forward thinking"
The anti-epidemic measures that have been stopped in the past also include the Anti-epidemic Fund.
The government provides the fifth round of "Anti-epidemic Fund" subsidies for premises closed by tightened epidemic prevention measures or restaurants that do not have evening meals, as well as long-term frozen industries.
Carrie Lam said the fourth round of funding is fairer and more reasonable. For example, the subsidy for restaurants is graded by floor area, and the number of beauticians for beauty salons is graded.
The operation of the fourth round includes more industries, but the focus is always on protecting enterprises, and self-employed persons in many industries are also omitted.
The government expects employers to distribute subsidies to employees, but has never been able to confirm whether employees have benefited.
Labour lawmakers abstained from voting on the appropriation bill at the end of the previous year.
The current epidemic situation is urgent, and it may take time for the government to set up a new mechanism to subsidize migrant workers, but this once again reveals that the government is reluctant to reform labor security, especially the subsidy system for unemployment and underemployment, and social security has not kept pace with the times.
When the virus strikes, the government must respond quickly, but quick moves are not the same as effective moves.
The quarantine center was poorly arranged, and the anti-epidemic fund may not benefit migrant workers, refuting Lam's claim that the anti-epidemic measures were "quick, accurate, and ruthless".
In order for the government to be capable and forward-thinking, it has to formulate various plans and make up for the deficiencies of previous measures during the quiet period.
We look forward to Omicron and even the end of the new crown epidemic, but the government also has to prepare for the epidemic to not go away for a year or two. It is worth continuing to reform the quarantine measures and subsidy programs, so that the public can fight the epidemic with peace of mind.
The epidemic has come to the fifth wave of anti-epidemic measures not to stop at the previous reopening of community vaccination centers to meet the needs of citizens for vaccines
