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Hong Kong’s Zero-Covid Disaster
Townhall.com ^ | February 22, 2022 | Scott Morefield

Posted on 02/21/2022 5:34:49 AM PST by Kaslin

As Covid-19 reaches endemic status in much of the world, it almost seems absurd to even discuss the preposterous, unworkable, unsustainable “zero-Covid” strategies employed by countries like Australia, New Zealand, China, and others. After all, anyone with half a brain knew full well that a highly contagious respiratory virus like Covid-19 wasn’t going to be stopped and that efforts to stop it at all costs would lead to more human suffering than the virus could have ever inflicted, and yet highly intelligent people went full throttle with this strategy, wrecking their people and their economies in pursuit of a Quixotic goal that could never be attained.

And yet, we must discuss it, not just to dance on the grave of one of modern history’s most destructive policy choices, but also to highlight the lessons learned in order to help ensure it never, ever happens again. Enter Hong Long, a densely populated, largely free-market economy that has been under Chinese control since 1997. When Covid hit in 2020, no place tried to hit Covid back as hard as Hong Kong did. In May 2020, Vox credited widespread voluntary masking for keeping the virus at bay, writing: “Almost as soon as the outbreak first began in the city, millions of residents started wearing masks in public. One local told the Los Angeles Times that the government didn’t have to say anything before 99 percent of the population put them on … Experts now say widespread mask usage appears to be a major reason, perhaps even the primary one, why the city hasn’t been devastated by the disease.”

Then, in July 2020, the crowded city of 7.5 million mandated masks indoors and in most outdoor public places, with fines up to HK$10,000 (~$1,300 USD) for violators. And they’re quite serious about it. Earlier this month, 83 people - including 17 who were simply smoking outside - were fined a total of HK$415,000 for violating the mandate. In a survey conducted in January 2021, 98 percent of Hong Kong residents reported compliance with the mask mandate, a statistic that completely aligns with strict governmental regulations as well as the much-ballyhooed Asian mask culture.

All this brings to mind Vox’s coverage of a 2020 study out of Hong Kong and Europe which smugly assured us that if only “80 percent of a population can be persuaded to don masks, that would cut transmission levels to one-twelfth of what you'd have in a mask-less society.” Riiiight. Well, we all know how THAT turned out for everyone. Although for a time at least it did appear to be ‘working’ in places like Hong Kong. However, since human biology is what it is and viruses tend to, well, virus, that is no longer the case. Currently, as OMICRON cases fall in the United States and the western world, Hong Kong, despite its place at the top of the mask worship cult, is seeing a historic spike in cases, so much so that now hospitals are truly being overrun.

Still, Hong King’s leadership insists on blindly pursuing the same ‘zero-Covid’ strategy that didn’t work in the first place, no matter the costs. In an Associated Press article titled, “'No-COVID' policy drags on Hong Kong economy as cases surge,” Alice Fun and David Rising write: “Many fear the worst is yet to come with Hong Kong experiencing its most severe outbreak, and fret the authorities' determination to stick to mainland China’s ‘zero-tolerance’ strategy may prevent it from recovering as a financial and travel hub.”

Natixis senior economist Gary Ng is quoted in the piece as claiming that “zero-Covid can be reached,” (LOL, it can’t but nice try), but the uncertainty lies in “how long it can be maintained and what the cost is of maintaining it.”

Indeed. Fun and Rising describe empty streets and airports, business closures, curfews, a declining economy, potential China-style lockdowns, mandatory testing, and forced-quarantines that have caused freedom-loving Hong Kongers to question whether it’s all worth it. Yet, they write, “Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam shows no sign of retreating from the ‘zero-COVID’ stance, saying Thursday that fighting the pandemic is her ‘paramount task’ and the city would ‘not be distracted by other things.’”

So it would seem Hong Kong’s leaders face a critical decision. On the one hand, they could continue to embrace ‘zero-Covid,’ thus wrecking their economy and what’s left of their freedoms in the process of pursuing an unattainable goal. The ‘reward,’ if you want to call it that, might be a reopened border with China, which insists on “zero Covid-19 cases” first. On the other, they could embrace reality, preserve their economy and their freedoms, let Covid rise and fall on its own, and be in exactly the same place they would be anyway. Because these mitigations - and the tyranny that goes with them - are worthless, and anyone with half a brain knows it. Whether Hong Kong’s leadership learns that fast enough to save their city remains to be seen.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: australia; coronavirus; covid19; covidlockdown; hongkong

1 posted on 02/21/2022 5:34:49 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

The China Virus isn’t about the virus. It’s about control.

China managed to use the virus to subvert the US election and is using it to ruin uppity Hong Kong and bend them to its will.

China is not alone among world government in terms of exploiting this virus — far from it — but they started it.


2 posted on 02/21/2022 5:38:27 AM PST by ClearCase_guy ("If you see something, say something"? I see people dying from vaccines.)
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To: Kaslin

Just wait until we encounter a Global Climate Emergency.


3 posted on 02/21/2022 5:47:39 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: Kaslin

A couple of thoughts from COVIDlandia.

Zero COVID is not possible, Australia, Iceland, and Hong Kong have done us the favor of doing the experiment, which has conclusively failed.

All you “masks don’t work” people have to revise your opinion. Over a period of six to eighteen months, they absolutely do work to blunt or stop community transmission. They also obviously work for bedside COVID care - I and a lot of other people don’t have COVID even now.

They don’t “work” in the sense that, with multiple animal reservoirs, essential travel and the impossibility of perfect mask discipline, EVENTUALLY there will be breakouts in protected countries like Australia, AND with very low population immunity, it will spread like wildfire.

If you know anyone who still believes in zero COVID, ask them about outbreaks in the Faroe Islands and at Antarctic research stations.

But masks do “work” for some people under some circumstances. If you have a loved one with a solid organ or bone marrow transplant, for example, don’t be telling them masks don’t work, or masks are like a chain link fence blocking BBs, or whatever your preferred mask story is - because they work well enough for personal protection for those who need it most.

To get rid of COVID? No, they don’t work for that.


4 posted on 02/21/2022 5:52:46 AM PST by Jim Noble (The nation cannot be saved until the GOP is destroyed)
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To: Kaslin
Hong Long??

Hong King??

I miss editors.

5 posted on 02/21/2022 5:55:19 AM PST by ShadowAce (Linux - The Ultimate Windows Service Pack )
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To: Jim Noble

I’ll keep my freedom, and you can keep your mask. Is this an acceptable compromise?


6 posted on 02/21/2022 5:59:30 AM PST by Sarcazmo
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To: ShadowAce

Hong Long??
Hong King??
King Hong?
King Kong?
...

Godrirra?
GODZIRRRA!!!!


7 posted on 02/21/2022 6:01:11 AM PST by Sarcazmo
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To: Kaslin; ClearCase_guy
--- "wrecking their economy and what's left of their freedoms in the process of pursuing an unattainable goal."

First, Hong Kong IS China. It is "officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China." Thus to follow the media stance that it is now different is an error.

Looking across the last twenty-six months of the pandemic event, I come to conclude that "wrecking" an economy by lockdowns and eroding freedoms thereby has been the "event's" largest goal. In the process a small group of people have made massive profits, as one can read. "Meet The 40 New Billionaires Who Got Rich Fighting Covid-19" --

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2021/04/06/meet-the-40-new-billionaires-who-got-rich-fighting-covid-19/?sh=8e9f90d17e54

The lockdowns which have severely impacted the West were first proposed by what has become the SAGE group and its socialists in the UK, and spread from there. Recall the video of a man dropping "dead" on a Chinese street in January 2020? Where's are the videos from Hong Kong of people dropping dead on the streets? Or numerous examples of 'bring out your dead" as Freepers here humorously post?

The "virus" has been the media-driven frenzy, as nations wrecked their own economies in a frenzy of fear. Yet, worldwide the mortality rate for this "deadly" virus is 0.074 % over two+ years.

Seems the "virus" is responsible toppling one US administration in favor of the other idiot party, for trillions is spending on bio-waste, and for creating stupid distinctions like "essential" and "non-essential" workers when in fact each individual's employment is indispensable to them.

I become more convinced the aim of the "gain-of-function" morphed quickly into convincing whole nations to gut their economies in favor of the Chinese. And the same game is being played again. The Chinese LOCKDOWN, with the media implication that we should again.

I also become ever more convinced that the largest group of "non-essential" workers are in government, the CDC, NIH and FDA.

ClearCase says it well, "The China Virus isn't about the virus. It's about control."

8 posted on 02/21/2022 6:02:18 AM PST by Worldtraveler once upon a time
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To: ClearCase_guy
China managed to use the virus to subvert the US election and is using it to ruin uppity Hong Kong and bend them to its will.

I think the Hong Kong protestors were their primary target - the eventual effect on Trump's re-election pleased them but that was the result of Western collectivists taking the opportunity and running with it.

9 posted on 02/21/2022 6:03:02 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves ([CTRL]-[GALT]-[DELETE])
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To: Kaslin

They have not stopped the common cold...

What makes them think they can stop this?


10 posted on 02/21/2022 6:30:44 AM PST by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
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To: Jim Noble

But masks do “work” for some people under some circumstances. If you have a loved one with a solid organ or bone marrow transplant, for example, don’t be telling them masks don’t work, or masks are like a chain link fence blocking BBs, or whatever your preferred mask story is - because they work well enough for personal protection for those who need it.
************
People who believe this should have no qualms about inviting anyone who has just had a bone marrow transplant to double mask and ride the subway into NYC.


11 posted on 02/21/2022 7:58:50 AM PST by Socon-Econ (adi)
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To: ShadowAce

Sum Ting Wong


12 posted on 02/21/2022 8:15:59 AM PST by Hawleyish
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To: Kaslin

Bkmk


13 posted on 02/22/2022 2:36:04 AM PST by sauropod (Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad. Life is risk, your highness.)
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To: Sarcazmo; Jim Noble

Didn’t think so.


14 posted on 02/22/2022 3:45:32 PM PST by Sarcazmo
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To: Jim Noble

Re: 4 - From the beginning, I’ve been pretty clear that masks can do several things, including:

1) Can impede ballistic droplets;
2) Can “train” people to not bring their hands to mouth or nose

but need to be donned/doffed properly.

They are but one tool in a toolbox for reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.


15 posted on 02/22/2022 3:51:25 PM PST by Fury
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To: Mr. K
They have not stopped the common cold...

So they have to be 100% effective?

Really? Come on.

16 posted on 02/22/2022 3:52:12 PM PST by Fury
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To: Fury

That is a stupid reply.
Very stupid.


17 posted on 02/22/2022 11:04:09 PM PST by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
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To: Mr. K

When you write “They have not stopped the common cold...” -

and you use that as a reason for why masks are not effective re: SARS-CoV-2 infection -

that tells me all I need to know regarding your thought processes and reasoning.

Good luck.


18 posted on 02/23/2022 7:20:11 AM PST by Fury
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To: Fury

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyeah
That sounds logical!


19 posted on 02/24/2022 7:27:04 AM PST by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
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