What Can We Learn from People in Hong Kong?
An article by Irene Sluys.
Hong Kong, the 8th most densely populated city in the world, has a population of approximately 7.45 million people, and its area is about 0.91% the size of New York; whereas New York State has a population of approximately 19.45 million (2019). According to data from the Hong Kong government, there are only 1,010 confirmed cases and 4 deaths as of April 12, 2020!
While the officials in Hong Kong closed its schools at an early stage of the outbreak, and has ongoing recommendations and orders added in progression, Hong Kong doesn’t need a strict lockdown. Restaurants are allowed open if required social distancing measures are practiced, but, by April 2, they did order some entertainment businesses closed. Included were karaoke centers, mahjong parlors, gyms, pubs, etc. This was an attempt to tame the second wave of transmission, mostly from people traveling back home from abroad.
Nonetheless, how did Hong Kong manage to keep the number of cases and deaths to such a minimum and allow its people to enjoy their livelihood with some degree of normalcy?
The major attribute is the collective effort of the people in Hong Kong doing the ‘right things’ to fight this pandemic! In 2003, the outbreak of SARs plunged Hong Kong into a deep recession. The suffering from this had led the city to be well-prepared and mindfully united for any future pandemic, including this one. What are these ‘right things’ that people in Hong Kong are doing to keep COVID-19 under control? There are 7 major prevention guidelines strongly recommended from the HK Government in late January, soon after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China:
- Wear a Face Mask
Wearing a face mask offers some protection from both directions. It protects you and it would protect others from you, if you were a virus carrier prior to having any symptoms. The CDC started to recommend that Americans wear cloth masks on April 03, long after people in Hong Kong started to wear face masks in late January. Within a couple of weeks after their official announcement as a precaution, everybody started to wear their face masks whenever they left their homes. People in HK have a higher social conscientiousness and willingness to comply with whatever it takes to benefit the community. Individualism subsides when togetherness is needed for a common goal, to fight this pandemic. The slogan from the Hong Kong Government is, “Together, We Fight the Virus!” No fine or penalty is imposed.
The most common face mask is a, non-medical, 3-ply disposable mask. Although there was a shortage in supply initially and some degree of price gouging, this challenge was rapidly lessened by local businesses who stepped up to produce large quantities of masks, and by sourcing masks from China. People switching to cloth masks also helped supply levels. As a culture, there are many non-profit associations grouped by the same last names, origins from different towns in China, trades, common interests or other signifiers. These associations, or organizations, have been sourcing face masks in larger quantities and often send them to their members regularly for free, or at low cost. Cloth masks work especially well when social distancing applies. For a DIY option, use tight knit cotton, like in a heavy-weight T-shirt.
2. Don’t Touch Your Face
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 is primarily transmitted from an infected individual by droplets through talking, squeezing, or coughing. Those droplets are too heavy to stay in the air, and they won’t penetrate through human skin either. However, they can be transmitted by touching a contaminated surface followed by touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. While wearing a face mask may prevent you from touching your nose and mouth, wearing a pair of glasses would shield you from touching your eyes.
3. Wash Your Hands Frequently
It is recommended to always keep your hands clean and wash your hands for 20 seconds each time. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you as a backup. People in Hong Kong also have a disinfecting routine upon entering their home: Wash your hands immediately, take off your shoes and disinfect them, change your clothes immediately for laundry, and follow with a shower. For groceries, wash or wipe off surfaces before putting them away. In addition, be very mindful about hygiene related to going to bathroom. Put the lid down before flushing the toilet. Washing your hands before is as important as after, so that your fingers are not contaminated while using the bathroom.
4. Stay Home
Most people in Hong Kong are still commuting to and from their workplace daily. However, for those who can work from home, they are recommended to stay there. Most people have eliminated all non-essential outings. This is a much bigger challenge than one could imagine because most families live in a high-rise building with small apartment units, 350 to 700 square feet being the most common. With an average family size of 4, there is not a lot of individual space or privacy while staying home. “Work hard, play hard,” is always a common theme for their culture. Just like in any big city, their night life is vibrant. To fight this pandemic collectively, they volunteered to stay home, leaving the city half-asleep.
Quarantine was initially recommended for those who returned home via traveling. From April 9, a compulsory 14-day quarantine was required for inbound travelers arriving by flights from most countries; especially the UK, the US, and Europe.
5. Immediate Testing
The healthcare infrastructure and testing resources are engineered to maximize efficiency. Their citizens are directed to go to their local hospitals immediately upon showing any flu-like symptoms. Once you are in the hospital, you are escorted to a designated area for COVID-19 testing. If you are tested positive, you will be sent to a designated quarantine center while waiting for admission to a hospital for treatment.
We have no control over the degree of readiness of our healthcare system locally, but it is recommended to check with your local health department to find out more about testing availability, and the procedures on what to do upon showing any symptoms.
6. Boost Your Immune System
As a tradition, people in Hong Kong embraces boosting different functions of their health and elements by cooking broth with Chinese herbs, dried fruits, and produce. A simple version of a veggie broth using a variety of root produce like potatoes, carrots, turnips, and lotus roots; along with adding two very important ingredients, ginger and garlic, would help to boost your immune system.
Drinking hot water and tea are another unique tradition of the Chinese which is proven to have profound benefits for improving health and longevity. Adding lemon to hot water or tea is a common practice as a good source of Vitamin C and is also a digestive aid. There are many articles providing suggestions on preventative measures. Collectively the most agreed upon suggestions from healthcare professionals are: Vitamin C (500-1000mg daily), Vitamin D (1000IU daily), and Zinc (15-30mg daily).
7. Social Distancing
Staying home and practicing social distancing has been recommended in Hong Kong since late January. Other than school closures, the rest of society remains functional with mindful retraction resulting from social distancing as a means to control the spread of the virus. However, most of the working class is still commuting to and from work with their public transportation system: MTR, double-decker buses, trams, etc. This is where social distancing is impossible to apply. In addition, elevators in high-rise buildings, from commercial to residential areas, are often packed. My observation is that if everyone is doing the ‘right things,’ from wearing face masks to boosting their immune systems, the need for social distancing is therefore minimized. As of today, restaurants in Hong Kong are open for business with some social distancing measures in place.
These guidelines are nothing new to any of us. The ritual of developing a new routine following these guidelines is a benefit, as judged by Hong Kong’s success. Most of us are in a lockdown, currently, until May 4th or further notice. Perhaps if we all learn a little from what people in Hong Kong are doing to take control of this pandemic, we can avoid a second wave after the lockdown is over! This mindful focus on self-development of our health-conscientiousness may offer each of us tremendous benefits from our mind and body, to soul. When each of us doing our part mindfully, together we can “bend the curve.”
Big Al says: “This article was sent to me by a close friend and fellow Book Club Member. Like he and I, let’s all work together.