Hong Kong – The New Normal

We’ve received so many inquiries from friends and family about our well-being these past months, that I’ve nearly made a meme (like I have the tech skills for that…) of the perfunctory response “yes, we are fine.” But considering the unprecedented events that have impacted daily life here in Hong Kong over the last 8 months, perhaps a meme is not an acceptable update? Like I need ANOTHER reason to lose friends… (Family, you stuck with us.)

“Sorry that we have designated you our foreign correspondent/Christiane Amanpour but are the effects of coronavirus in Hong Kong as bad as the media has reported?” – BK

My take on the situation, which is in no way an expert (or even legitimate) opinion:

It has put a damper on daily life, but I wouldn’t say we (and the majority of the population) are in real danger. I wear a mask out on public transport more as a social pressure (serious side-eye if you aren’t wearing one – especially if you are “Asian” and should know better) than a true belief that it’ll stop any infection. The nice thing is it keeps you from touching your nose and mouth (particularly little kids) so I imagine that helps. It also makes everyone else wear masks, so if they are sick, it’s probably helping to stop the spread of colds and regular flu.

The mask shortage is very real though, and the most vulnerable populations like the elderly poor aren’t able to get any or are putting themselves more at risk by constantly re-wearing them. There’s no way you can lecture a Hong Konger that wearing a dirty mask (or a mask at all) is fairly ineffective from stopping infection. The memory of SARS, even though nearly 2 decades ago, is still pretty fresh. If they feel safer and healthier with donning a physical barrier, who am I to question their choice? In true Hong Kong fashion (… literally fashion), I find myself admiring the types and styles of other people’s masks as if it’s the newest accessory to stylize your outfit. During our family flu shot outing (I occasionally display signs of responsible motherhood), the nurse commented on the stylish color and fit of my mask. I was both appalled and impressed when she remarked, “Is that Korean-made?” as if I had the latest mink handbag.

The threat of the virus does make people practice better public hygiene, but it is interesting watching someone sneeze or cough and the reactions of the people around that person. If you weren’t a germaphobe already, this experience will make you a bonafide one. Thankfully, due to SARS, the city itself is very clean and disinfected regularly (now even more so). Though perhaps putting 2-3 layers of plastic on top of buttons is a little overkill?

Schools are closed until at least after the Easter holidays in mid-April. I have to be in the office/school 3 days a week and two days work from home, creating home learning that we “deliver” on the regular school timetable. Many of our families are out of Hong Kong with some not located in a suitable timezone so it’s a lot of extra work with potentially questionable results. I am impressed by the content that our teachers have created and the determined zeal with which our students have embraced this alternative delivery of learning. I can’t help but wonder if this mode of “teaching” will be everyday reality in the not-too-distant future rendering my current iMovie skills and seductive voiceovers into serious relics. Students with high-stakes exams are (understandably) worried since this is primetime preparation for the public exams in April and May, and they already lost 2 weeks of instruction due to the school closures in November due to the protests.

Evil Spawn is a bit stir-crazy since most of the kids’ activities and play areas have been shut throughout the city, except for public parks. Thankfully, this isn’t the height of summer where it would be too hot to stay outside for long periods. But even as a little kid, she can sense the panic and tenseness that something has drastically changed, and you can tell in her unsettled demeanor that she feels some of the stress of it. She’s more whiny, clingy, and prone to irritable lashing out than normal – or she’s just 3-years-old. She’s adjusting pretty well considering her idea of a great day is eating, sleeping, pooping, and going to the park. Now she just does some of those activities with a cutsie disposable panda or duck face mask. She has finally displayed some preference for “style” now that she dictates which animal mask she’d prefer for the day to go with her distinct 90s couture.

There is definitely panic buying that clears the grocery shelves for a few days, but I remember seeing that everywhere else in the world when there’s a hurricane, big snowstorm, etc. It’s absolutely essential that you use what little space you have in your flat to stockpile a lifetime’s worth of toilet paper supply, you know, just in case… 🙂 Hong Kong loves a good queue, so if you see someone else stockpiling instant noodles, you damn well better too. To be fair, we should ALL be stockpiling instant noodles, simply because YUM YUM. The only thing that is in actual shortage is the face masks and hand sanitizer. I’ve finally found my handy-craft calling with homemade hand sanitizer of crappy Russian vodka (because the good stuff just won’t cut it!) and aloe vera gel.

The problem is that if we are at DEFCON 1 in the minds of most people, with relatively low numbers of infected, at what point do you deem it safe? It is quite easy to get swept up in the hysteria and sensationalized panic of it all, but we really need to keep a level head. On the other hand, I totally get the precautions that we are taking because – like good classroom management – it is easier to be more strict at the start and then loosen the restrictions later, rather than try to rein in a lax approach too late. Limiting border traffic and imposing the mandatory 2-week quarantine on anyone coming from mainland China did result in the intended effect of significantly reducing numbers of foot traffic back and forth. I am a little ashamed to admit that I feel safer for it. After the protests, people are now more inherently distrustful of the government (or at least see them as making one blunder after the other), so when there’s no head to the chicken, the body just runs around hysterically with no direction, flapping its wings.

Personally, we are just trying to be sensible and prepared in our approach (getting face masks when we can and paying attention to essentials we need in the house), but are trying to stay above the hysteria and panic. We are relatively healthy (not too old or too young with pre-existing conditions) so the likelihood of contracting the virus and dying is pretty low. Really, the threat of becoming a social pariah and causing a building evacuation for fumigation is a much bigger incentive to WASH YOUR HANDS. Nobody wants to be one of these red dots.

Now, I can lament all I want about how this virus and the preventative measures to slow its spread is a huge inconvenience to me and my family, but at the end of the day, we need to remember that there are people DYING. Whole families and cities are being destroyed by this outbreak. We can bitch and moan about when and how we should have closed the borders, and oh my god, why would all those people evacuate if they know they can spread the disease?

What do we think would happen if tomorrow they tried to shut down New York and impose mandatory house quarantines where only one person per family can leave the house every other day due to an unknown sickness that’s killing your neighbors? How many millions would rush to escape New York? How quickly and orderly do we think Americans would respond to this type of crisis? Cue: pandemonium chaos WITH guns. Yikes.

A word of advice: count your blessings, tuck your children in, lavishly use your toilet paper. But before any of us opens our mouths and says something snide about China, Asian people, customs/governments/policies that we disagree with, remember that we are damn lucky to be in a position of privilege where likely our biggest stress about this disease is watching the infections monitor tick up – rather than burying our family.

Let’s all practice what my mother always said: “If you don’t have anything kind to say, don’t say anything at all.” In other words, don’t be a d*ck. Pretty sure that’s what she really meant.