Dismantling ︱ The relaxation of social distance is not enough to "return to normal", should the two core epidemic prevention policies be adjusted?

"Hong Kong 01" reported earlier that the government's decision to suspend the "430" epidemic press conference reflects the change in the government's overall epidemic prevention thinking. The number of confirmed cases is no longer the most important indicator.

As a result, some politicians have proposed individual anti-epidemic measures such as forced inspections, restrictions on gatherings, and restrictions on business premises.

At a press conference last Friday (September 30), the government also announced that it would relax some restrictions, including 12 people per table in restaurants, 6 people per table in bars, and a maximum number of 240 people in banquets.

However, some political and business people and experts believe that the relaxation of the above-mentioned measures is mainly based on minor repairs, and there is still a long way to go before the true "return to normal". The overall principle should be to simplify the restrictions as much as possible.

Among them, there are two core epidemic prevention policies. With the change of the overall epidemic prevention thinking, there is also room for adjustment, namely the mask order and the mandatory use of "safe travel".

Among them, the use of the latter is questionable, and even the government itself, which emphasizes "scientific and accurate" anti-epidemic, cannot provide specific data to illustrate the effectiveness of the policy.

▼On September 30, the Medical and Health Bureau announced the relaxation of social distancing measures on October 6▼

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Neighboring areas gradually ease mask orders

According to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Masks) Regulation (Cap. 599I) which came into effect in July 2020, anyone who is on public transport or specified public places is required to wear a mask at all times. Violators may be fined.

The details of the regulations are subject to change based on changes in the epidemic situation, but in general citizens need to wear masks for a long time outdoors as the first line of defense to prevent the spread of the virus.

However, since the government no longer regards the number of confirmed cases as the most important consideration, is there room for relaxation of the mask order?

In fact, some other parts of Asia have relaxed the requirement to wear masks. For example, Hong Kong rival Singapore currently only requires masks to be worn in designated places such as public transport, clinics, hospitals and nursing homes. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong specifically mentioned, Students do not need to wear masks during class, which can facilitate teachers and students to see each other's facial expressions.

South Korea, Taiwan and other places have also begun to relax the mask order in stages.

Tian Beichen, a member of the Legislative Council of the Real Politics Roundtable, analyzed that since the government stopped the 430 press conference and relaxed the quarantine to "0+3", the entire concept of epidemic prevention has become a centralized protection for those who have not received all injections. Therefore, under this logic, as long as there is follow-up Those who meet the vaccination requirements can theoretically go out without wearing a mask.

"Because what the government wants to manage is no longer the spread of the virus, but that people who get sick don't get seriously ill, die, and bring down the medical system." However, he believes that the time is not yet, because there are still many high-risk people who have not received injections in the community. Activities should be carefully considered depending on the vaccination rate.

DAB health affairs spokesman Liang Xi pointed out that outdoor places are well ventilated and the risks are small. There is room for policy discussion, but it should be done gradually.

Neighboring areas are gradually easing mask orders.

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The Democratic Party's urge to cancel the outdoor mask order has not been sniped, showing that there is room for rational discussion?

Another noteworthy clue is that the Democratic Party held a press conference in the middle of last month to introduce the "Policy Address" proposal, during which it mentioned that the outdoor mask order should be lifted.

It is reported that the party has also weighed the political risk before issuing relevant suggestions, whether it will be sniped for "fighting the epidemic passively". At the press conference, there were indeed pro-China media reporters who kept asking questions about the outdoor mask order, but in the end there was no answer from the other party. Violent sniping.

Some members of the White Dove Party said with a smile, which means that relaxing the mask order is not a taboo at the official level, and there is room for rational discussion.

Yuan Haiwen, a spokesman for the Democratic Party's medical and health policy, said that he did not comment on the process of discussions within the party, emphasizing that every public health-related policy proposed by the Democratic Party is well-founded, and he has read a large number of scientific research reports.

Among them, regarding the mask order, whether it is from common sense or reviewing academic research, the risk of new coronavirus spreading in outdoor and air-ventilated places is very low. The effect that can be achieved is very limited, but the impact is very large.”

However, Kong Fanyi, a government anti-epidemic expert consultant and a clinical professor of the Department of Internal Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, said during the event earlier that there is a greater risk of influenza outbreaks this winter.

Yuan Haiwen.

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"Travel with peace of mind" has repeatedly caused controversy He Boliang: the historical task has been completed

Another policy is the use of "Safe Travel".

At present, the public has become accustomed to using "Safe Travel" to scan the QR code before entering the listed premises. If a customer enters the premises without the scanning program, the customer will be fined not only the customer but also the premises.

The original intention of the policy is to track cases, store the data in the user's mobile phone, and notify the user immediately once a group of cases breaks out in the location they arrive at.

Today, the total number of downloads of the program has reached 8.7 million, and more than 140,000 places have applied for the relevant QR code.

However, based on the change of the government's thinking on epidemic prevention, it is reasonable to turn to the centralized implementation of "vaccine passports" to ensure that all people entering the premises can get all the shots. Therefore, whether "safe travel" still needs to be mandatory has recently been discussed.

Among them, He Bailiang, director of the Center for Infection and Infectious Diseases of the University of Hong Kong, said on the radio program that the historical task of traveling with peace of mind has been completed, and continuing to maintain it will only go further and further away from the public. It should be resolutely canceled and stop the bleeding so that Hong Kong can return to normal. Towards.

Huang Jielong: The overall measures should be based on the principle of simplification

Huang Jielong, chairman and chief executive of Xufulou Group, also stated on social networking sites last week that local epidemic prevention measures should be gradually simplified or reduced, saying with a smile: "If you want to explain to a foreign friend, you can order samples first and you can go to Hong Kong without being fined 5,000 yuan. Yuandu is not so easy, active and passive vaccine passes, vaccine passes have different arrangements for different ages, and you can remove the mask when you enter the restaurant and sit down. I don’t even know if I can get rid of the mask while I’m eating fish balls on the street… Actually, it’s really complicated.”

Furthermore, the use and enforcement of "Travel With Peace of Mind" has also been controversial in the past. For example, some restaurants reported that they had ensured and clearly photographed every dine-in diners scanning "Travel With Peace of Mind", but the law enforcement officers did not. During the inspection, some customers "suddenly" did not meet the regulations, and were fined 14 days to stop the evening market, questioning the role of relevant policies.

At present, "Safe Travel" contains citizens' "vaccine passports", but if the "Safe Travel" is not mandatory, it can save a lot of inconvenience and unnecessary disputes; citizens can also use medical health pass, paper needle cards, etc. Prove that they have been vaccinated, so this does not affect the government's policy of "guzheng needles" to protect "one old and one young".

Government's failure to answer questions about the effectiveness of the "Safe Travel" tracking digital policy

At the press conference of the Medical and Health Bureau last week, a number of reporters asked whether the government still uses "travel with peace of mind" for tracking. Xu Lejian, director of the Center for Health Protection of the Department of Health, responded that the program still has the function of tracking cases, but admitted that it will follow As the epidemic stabilizes and fewer large outbreaks are found, the need for tracking will gradually decrease. However, he did not elaborate on the numbers of tracking with peace of mind in the past two months.

This is undoubtedly difficult to convince the current government that emphasizes "scientific and precise" anti-epidemic.

Tian Beichen believes that since "travel with peace of mind" is mainly aimed at some places that involve the removal of masks, and these places currently require a vaccine pass to enter, so if the government is determined to only control high-risk people, "make sure that you will not be well after you are recruited." Severe death", logically it is indeed not necessary to force the use of "travel with peace of mind".

Liang Xi believes that "Travel with Peace of Mind" still has a certain tracking function. There are still thousands of confirmed cases every day. It is too early to talk about the cancellation policy, but he agrees that other measures can be taken, such as some "passive verification". The "vaccine pass" requirements for commercial premises, including shopping malls, department stores, markets, supermarkets, etc., can be cancelled in advance to simplify the policy, and the maximum capacity of performances, places of worship and other premises should also be cancelled.

Yuan Haiwen: The benefits are far lower than the costs

Yuan Haiwen believes that the relaxation of social distancing measures announced by the government last week is still a small repair, and there is a clear distance from the real return to normal. However, the vast majority of citizens have to suffer inconvenience and the risk of being fined. Since the measures "are far less effective than the cost to society", they believe that there is no need to continue to force citizens to use it.

Moreover, there are many restrictions on entering the premises, which will also cause inconvenience to foreign tourists.

The reporter asked the Medical and Health Bureau to check again the number of notices issued by "Travel with Peace of Mind" in the past two months, as well as the future direction of the policy.

The bureau responded verbally through the press office, referring to Xu Lejian's response during the press conference last Friday.

Dismantling the bureau ︱ Stopping the 430 press conference shows that the epidemic prevention thinking has turned to 5 major measures yet to be adjusted. The restaurant is relaxed on Thursday to 12 people, and Leung Pak-hsien points out that the gathering limit is still maintained at 4 people. It is unreasonable to clear the mainland. Or relax the pace of Macau's claim to follow the mainland