East Versus West in Dealing with Covid-19

Everyone must wear a mask outside in Hong Kong

Big news in Hong Kong -- anyone arriving in the city from November 21 will only have to do 10 Covid-19 tests instead of 12!

Currently they need to do eight rapid antigen tests (RAT) and four polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but now they can do two less PCR tests. Whoo hoo!

The government says 82 percent of infected arrivals were detected through the first two PCR tests, and only 0.4 and 0.1 percent of infections were found in later tests.

Arrival passengers have 2 less PCR tests to take

Are two fewer tests going to entice more people to come to Hong Kong? Hardly.

But mask mandates are still in force and enforced as soon as you step out of your home. Everywhere from the MTR and bus to shopping malls, supermarkets, and concerts, people must wear masks unless you're eating in a restaurant or eatery, or having a drink.

Children wear masks in the classroom, and need to decipher what the teacher is saying from behind his or her mask. For some young children, wearing a mask is all they know. 

Meanwhile in British Columbia, the provincial health authority stopped short of calling for a mask mandate, despite the rising number of children with respiratory illnesses and hospitals' capacities to the brink.

"I don't believe we need that heavy hand of a mandate," said Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry. "I don't see the need for a mask mandate by itself because we have many other tools and a high level of protection."

Henry stops short of calling for a mask mandate

She said mask mandates were in place before because Covid-19 vaccines weren't available for children, and people were getting sick from gathering.

"In that context, masks were important and necessary. We are in a different situation now. We have a very high level of immunity. We have vaccines. We have treatments for influenza, for Covid-19, for RSV," she said.

But only 50 percent of children have had a first Covid-19 jab. 

RSV is respiratory synctial virus that causes infections in the lungs and respiratory tract.

Some parents, teachers and doctors are calling for a mask mandate or at least mandatory masking in indoor places, but Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix refuse to call for this, only encouraging people to wear masks in settings where it makes sense -- on transit, in crowds, and when sick -- masks are mandatory when in hospitals and long-term care homes.

What's wrong with "strongly recommend"? People may have Covid fatigue, but Covid isn't tired of us, as one health professional in Ontario said last week.

People won't take masking seriously in BC

The more people mask up, then fewer will end up in hospital and fewer healthcare workers will be overwhelmed and sick too.

But not even saying "strongly recommend" makes it hard for people to take masking seriously. No wonder this pandemic will never end... Hong Kong on the one hand is extreme in its Covid-19 regulations, and British Columbia is too lax on the other. 

In general there is a slight increase in people wearing masks in Vancouver, but not enough...