Common sense coming?

So – we won’t be confined to our apartments for weeks gazing down as the Women’s Detachment of the Rodent Rectification Regiment come goose-step down the street in their mink-fur mini-skirts bringing us groceries. Not yet, at least. The cross-border meeting aimed at ‘coming to Hong Kong’s rescue’ results not in a Mainland-style lockdown, but five joint task forces with Guangdong, which will…

…focus on boosting Hong Kong’s ability to carry out testing and pathological examinations, constructing quarantine facilities and maintaining a steady supply of medical goods…

An anti-climax, and indeed perhaps a surprise. It looks more like an opportunity to fabricate problems for the Mainland to solve, to create cross-border bodies for appearance’s sake, and for Chief Secretary John Lee to name-check Guangdong Party Secretary Li Xi (whaddya mean, ‘who?’). Carrie appoints ceremonial-looking task-force-bosses…  

The secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs, Erick Tsang, will be responsible for nucleic acid testing.

Despite shoe-shiners’ ranting about Hong Kong civil servants’ evil ‘Western’ anti-Covid approach, it seems someone knows better than to try completely shutting Hong Kong down (and moving the PLA in, or whatever). Maybe they are more aware of the public mood – or even their own fallibility – than we realize. 

The test will come when they start detecting thousands of cases a day – then we will see how far the authorities can move from obsessing with suppressing cases to focusing on suppressing disease. (Comparison of the two approaches here.) Perhaps Beijing’s people know there isn’t really a choice; maybe someone up there even sees Hong Kong as a test case for China to move towards mitigation. If so, the gradual backtracking away from absurd hospitalization and quarantine policies will continue until ‘dynamic zero-Covid’ exists only as a slogan. 

(Update: Dr Owens sees a glimmer of hope. So I’m not just imagining it.)

Otherwise, it’ll be more of this – a pithy video summary of ‘Hong Kong Zero Covid Policy 2022’.

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8 Responses to Common sense coming?

  1. Chinese Netizen says:

    “…carry out testing and pathological examinations, constructing quarantine facilities…”

    And will these mini Luft Stalags of quarantine housing be turned over to some social welfare organizations (if there are any left) to manage for the benefit of the lowest in society to have decent roofs over their heads after the government declares Covid has been defeated by the benevolent CCP after they created it?

  2. Mark Bradley says:

    “If so, the gradual backtracking away from absurd hospitalization and quarantine policies will continue until ‘dynamic zero-Covid’ exists only as a slogan.”

    CCP are experts in this.

    See Also: One country, two systems

  3. Mary Melville says:

    FTU lawmaker Alice Mak said letting them work in Hong Kong can ease two major issues in the SAR’s Covid response: a lack of medical professionals to manage hospital beds………………….
    So why is there such an acute shortage of healthcare workers?
    Because scores have been forced to emigrate because they know that as soon as Covid dies down parties like the FTU will be complicit in a campaign to ensure that they face the same retribution as journalists and teachers.
    But like the government ministers who neglected their obligation to make preparations for the inevitable spread of Covid, ‘patriotic’ legislators will not be held accountable for the role they have played in dismantling the institutions and community networks that would have played a key role in combating the epidemic.

  4. Red Dragon says:

    “The secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs, Erick Tsang, will be responsible for nucleic acid testing.”

    Phew! That’s a relief. After all, there’s no substitute for expertise.

  5. where's my jet plane says:

    What slightly surprises me is the keeness with with Carrie and her minions are publicising their total lack of competence at managing the city.
    Unless, of course, they are under orders from above to prepare the case for BJ cancelling the CE so-called election and the appointment of a CCP governor.

  6. Quentin Quarantino says:

    “Wollt Ihr den totalen Lockdown?” *rapturous applause from the DAB and Vagina Ip*

    Strange but true. I am looking forward to the total lock down. It will provide the long suffering people of Hong Kong with an excuse to go totally wild and take back their city. No more cowering, no more “maybe this or that”. The Lion Rock spirit will take care of the Quisling government and cowardly civil service and Vagina Ip and Nury Hitachi. There will be walls and there will be bullets.

  7. donkey says:

    @Mary — I thought that the shortage of medical workers went back many years, and was the subject of much debate about whether overseas students in medical schools would be able to work in Hong Kong hospitals for residency and then afterwards / or if they only had medical licenses from other countries.

    so, I think this was happening long before Covid.

  8. Stuart says:

    Really what the last 2 years have shown is wherever a sign that points to ‘common sense, the gov will 100% guaranteed to head in any direction except that.

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