Combat Smoking by Staring

Does Hong Kong have a severe smoking problem?

According to statistics, 9.5 percent of the population or around 600,000 people light up; of them 50 percent are aged 50 and above. In Canada it's 13 percent of the population, and in the United States it's 11.5 percent.

The authorities say there is a rising number of women smoking, but this has always been the case, while 7 percent of secondary students have tried cigarettes.

In a bid to show his concern for young people, Secretary for Health Dr Lo Chung-mau has proposed banning Hongkongers born after a certain date from being able to buy cancer sticks.

"To protect our next generation from the harms of tobacco and to ensure the sustainability of our healthcare system, we need to draft strategies that keep up with the times," Lo said at a press briefing.

"As a doctor, I don't want our next generation to suffer from the harms of smoking and second-hand smoke."

Has the doctor seen the current smoking trend? It's already on a downward trend. In general there are fewer people smoking in the city which is a great thing, though it's harder to get middle-aged smokers to kick the habit. 

So what does Lo suggest the public do? The headline of The Standard says it all: "Health chief calls on citizens to stare at every smoker to establish a smoke-control culture."

Oops the headline was later revised to: "Health chief calls on citizens to stare smokers in non-designated areas to establish a smoke-control culture."

Why not just ban smoking or ban the import of all cigarettes? Oh wait the government reaps money from the taxes generated...

So the best Lo can come up with is getting the public to give the side eye to smokers. 

This is the best idea he can muster up? 

Oh wait this is the same administration that put up Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu as the front man to welcome people back in the "Happy Hong Kong' campaign... 

How is that going, by the way?

Superficial Taxi Reforms

Taxis are the target of numerous complaints in Hong Kong

It is difficult to understand why the Hong Kong taxi industry has been so bad for so long. It's as if it's dying a long slow death, though the only saving grace is that the fares are very inexpensive compared to other major cities in the world.

Nevertheless there are so many complaints about the service, from taxi drivers wearing shirts sticking out, taking drags on cigarettes, to mostly elderly men who in recent months have fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed into sidewalks and pedestrians. 

Others take advantage of naive mainland tourists and take them on outrageous joy rides or give a lot of attitude to customers, making the ride tense and awkward.

Many find the drivers' attitudes unbearable

When you get into a taxi, you immediately sink several inches into your seat because so many other bottoms have sat there for decades, and the vehicle has not been replaced because the license costs a fortune.

Is it no wonder that Hong Kong residents prefer taking other ride-hailing services like Uber? The driver comes to you, the vehicle is very clean, you can choose to have music or not and give well-deserved tips. 

But instead the taxi industry wants the government to shut down services like Uber because it makes its own business look really bad.

The Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association claims it will reform its drivers by introducing a demerit system. But the association claims only a small number of drivers behave poorly.

The scheme will fine cabbies with three, five or 10 demerit points if they violate any of the 11 offences. If drivers accumulate 15 or more points within a two-year period, he or she will be disqualified from operating a taxi for three months.

Some have a lot of distractions from the road...

What are the 11 offences? They include overcharging, wilfully refusing or neglecting to accept a hire , using a route that is not the most direct one, and refusing to carry the number of passengers requested as long as the vehicle has the capacity to do so.

However there is no sign of reforming the annoying 4pm switch -- when taxis all over the city are unavailable from around 3.30pm till after 4pm because they need to take the car to the next driver. Why not have this staggered throughout the day so that people can still get access to taxis? Do they all have to switch over at the exact same time?

When this rule is changed and vehicles are updated then yes Hong Kong's taxi service will be improved. But for now people should have a choice of how they want to get from A to B. Taxis have to do better. Way better.

Hong Kong Finally Goes Maskless

Some people continued wearing masks out of caution today

After some 950 days, the mask mandate was FINALLY lifted in Hong Kong much to the delight of the residents who have endured wearing face coverings in over 30-degree weather, while exercising, while at weddings, funerals, amusement parks.

And dealing with the fear or harassment of the police gleefully handing out HK$5,000 fines to people who weren't wearing them properly or were caught smoking.

But in reality many today still wore a mask going to work or school, unable to shake the routine, or still wanted to err on the side of caution.

Why not get rid of masks with campaign launch?

The fact that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu suddenly announced the end of wearing masks just days before March 1 shows how the government didn't think things through -- why not have masks off for the start of the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign? Surely that would have been even more effective in enticing people to come back to the city? 

Even health experts were frustrated that there was no more science to justify having to wear masks outside in particular. Then suddenly poof! Masks are allowed off and people are reticent to do so.

Young children have been hit hardest by the mask mandate. They have been forced to wear face coverings that were unnatural to them (and could not understand why), but now they are so used to wearing them that it will take a while to get them to feel more comfortable to take them off.

Children will take time to adjust to no masks

Educators are concerned these young children have had their learning hampered by mask-wearing for three years. Pupils are unable to pronounce words properly as they cannot see their teachers' mouth movements and imitate them.

The pandemic may have also changed how people interact with others from handshakes to hygiene habits. In Canada it seems the handshake is pretty much back, though some are still anxious about reaching for someone's hand, others grateful to have human contact again.

In the meantime Hong Kong may see a spike in Covid-19 cases now that masks are officially off, but most of the population has herd immunity from vaccinations or from infections. 

What other momentous occasion happened today? The closing of Penny's Bay Community Isolation Facility!

It was opened by the Security Bureau, which made it apt that Undersecretary for Security Michael Cheuk Hau-yip "closed" the massive facility with a symbolic "lock" made of cardboard.

Cheuk with the "lock" on Penny's Bay

What is going to happen to all those shipping containers converted into mini cells for people who had mild symptoms or were close contacts of infected patients and had to wait it out here?

Is this place going to be yet another white elephant left to collect dust? There were talks of possibly making them into low-cost housing, but in terms of logistics it would be a no-go. What a waste of taxpayer money to build these facilities that were not really used but built to show Hong Kong's determination to fight the virus...

Mask Debate Continues in HK

Hongkongers continue to wear masks until at least March 8

Hong Kong is probably the only place on Earth where there is still a mask mandate in place.

China dropped its mandate when it went to zero-Covid, and today Macau has dropped its policy of wearing masks outside, unless visiting a hospital or taking public transport.

The Hong Kong government has extended the mask mandate until at least March 8, which means people attending the upcoming Clockenflap music festival March 3-5 must wear masks while enjoying live music outside...

Sridhar advises doing away with masks now

Hardly makes Hong Kong appealing, even if it brands itself as "Happy Hong Kong" in a bid to entice more visitors to the city.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has suggested that the mask mandate could be dropped by the "end of the season", which means the end of the financial year, (March 31).

However, Dr Siddharth Sridhar, a clinical assistant professor in microbiology at the University of Hong Kong said the city could scrap the mask mandate anytime, since the population had a high level of hybrid immunity.

"Mask-wearing could not fully prevent a Covid outbreak, as we can see from the fifth pandemic wave last year," he said. "As to preventing influenza, we have never relied on a mask mandate either."

Sridhar also argued an outbreak of influenza was inevitable regardless of when Hong Kong lifted the mask mandate, as the population had low immunity levels.

Nevertheless he did advise people to wear masks in public transportation and crowded indoor areas.

Lo claims masks prevent people from smoking

The fact that Hong Kong is still debating this issue shows there is no straight-forward exit plan -- that the government hadn't even considered lifting the mask mandate and would rather people keep wearing them.

Like Secretary for Health Dr Lo Chung-mau, who suggests the smoking population has decreased because of the necessity of wearing masks in public places.

"Over the last three years, the masks have helped us not only by controlling Covid-19, but also in reducing the number of smokers," he said.

How does that even make sense?

The government echoes his sentiment in this FAQ about wearing masks in public:

"Smokers are more likely to touch their mask and face with their hands during smoking, leading to increased chance of infection. Besides, smoking damages lungs and weakens immunity. Smokers who have contracted Covid-19 are more likely to develop severe complications. We appeal to members of the public to avoid smoking in public places, and to quit smoking whenever possible."

What a reason to quit smoking -- I couldn't light up cause I had to wear a mask outside.