The Ultimate Hong Kong Blog | Me, Jamie, 49 years living in Hong Kong - I know the culture
The Ultimate Hong Kong Blog
Covid 19 moments & musings from Hong Kong
For the most part I keep my thoughts about Covid 19 to myself and I tend not to discuss it with friends or family mainly because Social Media is a terrible source for good information but a great source of misinformation and people believe all sorts of stupid stuff, Hong Kongers it seems, prefer to get their news from Social Media and many are particularly prone to over reacting to all all sorts of misinformation, I personally find it very irritating, so I keep my mouth firmly shut.
On the plus side I think the Hong Kong Government for the most part has done great job in containing the virus, 11,000 infections and 200 related deaths in 13 months is proof enough but it has not been without drama, they have made some horrible mistakes along the way and some of the restrictions in place make absolutely no sense whatsoever.
I also think that the scientists have got many of their predictions totally wrong and credit to the bureaucrats in the Government who are more than happy to follow the science rather than make logical decisions based on facts, as long they do not take the blame they are more than happy to let the Scientists talk to the press., very smart.
One notable Professor who advises the Government generated these headlines here when he issued a statement in October 2020 Go here for the article in the South China Morning Post
“Hong Kong facing 1,000 winter deaths from coronavirus, expert warns, as city records seven new cases of Covid-19
Professor Yuen Kwok-yung makes chilling prediction and says winter wave could see tens of thousands fall ill University of Hong Kong microbiologist calls for social-distancing measures to stay in place until next September 2021”
He could not have been more wrong, let me repeat, 11,000 Covid 19 infections in total since February 2020 and 200 related deaths since February 2020.
One thing that has consistently made me angry over the past 13 months of “lock down” is that both the Politicians and Scientists have shown very little compassion for people who have lost their jobs and income ( myself included ) and for all the people who are suffering financially due to the knock on effects of this prolonged lock down, this includes people perceived as been in the low income bracket all the way up to people in the middle class.
It is galling to see these Politicians and Scientists talk down to us given their huge (and protected) salaries, they always seem to have this smug look on their faces, perhaps they would show more empathy if they gave up their salaries, housing allowances, education allowances and such for 13 months
To be fair the Government has made efforts to subsidise businesses that have in essence closed due to Covid 19 restrictions but the amounts offered do not even come close to offsetting lost income and the bureaucracy involved to get it is overwhelming and many people are turned down.. there are plenty of articles out there on this subject.
I also get easily irritated by people who send messages and end it with
be safe
stay healthy
or they mention “how are you coping with the new normal?”
I have never been a fan of “have a nice day” either, I find these comments to be trite and perfunctory, my business has been closed for 13 months, I have had zero income for 13 months and at my age and with my health issues it is all but impossible to start a new career, I am not in the mood for perfunctory platitudes, pith comments and smug looks.
I have led an interesting life as they say, ups and downs but none of that prepared me for Covid 19, I feel helpless as I have no control over my life, we are totally dependent on Government decisions and I think it is this loss of control that has made me ( and I imagine many others ) feel so helpless and frustrated.
Fortunately with the vaccines doing their business there is light at the end of the tunnel ( and I hate that phrase as well ) I bloody well hope so
In the meantime, I will be vaccinated ion March 15th 2021 and I am sure that will improve my mood a lot and then hopefully the wife and the boys soon after.
No. 1
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | J3 Consulting Hong Kong | 2011 - 2021. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
Toursim, decimated in numbers
The shocking tourism numbers for Hong Kong.
In 2019 we had 55,912,000 visitors and in 2020 we had 3,568,000 visitors (most of them in January and February 2020) a drop of 93.6% over the year
Tourism is one of the pillars of the Hong Kong economy but the Government’s Covid 19 strategy was to to close the borders to visitors in February 2020 and that was that and they remain closed to this day and any returning resident is required to spend 3 weeks quarantine in a Hotel at their own expense.
No. 2
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | J3 Consulting Hong Kong | 2011 - 2021. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
The Peninsula Hotel lobby, Hong Kong, March 2nd 2021, lunchtime
A really sad sight and it reflects the reality of closed borders and it’s devastating impact on tourism in Hong Kong. Since tourism effectively ended in Hong Kong in February 2020 anyone in the industry is struggling to survive including iconic 5 star Hotels. I visit the Peninsula Hotel frequently and it breaks my heart to see an empty lobby and just a few diners.
I am not a fan of buzzwords and staycation is one that irritates the hell out of me, given the pandemic there are not too many Hong Kong residents who would see any point in staying in a Hotel for a night, so many Covid 19 restrictions that suck the life out of any normal enjoyable experience - I guess the benefit is a discounted meal and pictures of the room and such.. and frankly it is not really going to help the Hotel at all, Hong Kong Hotels are used to an approx. 90% + occupancy rate year round, some reports have stated that the occupancy rate here fluctuated between 29% to 58% in 2020 but bear in mind that increased occupancy was on the back of heavily discounted room rates and meals.
No. 3
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | J3 Consulting Hong Kong | 2011 - 2021. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
The Avenue of Stars Hong Kong | where are all the people ? lunchtime March 2nd 2021
Enough to make a grown man weep particularly if you are a Private Tour Guide like me.
Honestly it is like something out of an end of the world zombie movie., I stood in this location for 10 minutes and 3 people walked by, this area down at the waterfront is normally teeming with thousands of people.. on a day like March 2nd with warm sunny weather and low humidity it just brings home to me what is wrong with the pithy and trite comment “the new normal”
It is not normal, Hong Kong is and remains one of the great tourist destinations of the world and this is just a tragedy….. let me be clear, a 13 month lock down, basically Hong Kong has isolated itself from the outside world, it is just not in any shape or form normal.
No. 4
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | J3 Consulting Hong Kong | 2011 - 2021. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
The junction at Nathan Road | Peking Road Hong Kong 3pm on March 2nd 2021
This crossing at the junction of Nathan Road and Peking Road, Kowloon Hong Kong is normally mayhem and madness at anytime of the day or night with thousands of people going about their various concerns…. This is a major tourist area and shopping area built up on the back of 50+ million visitors a year and it is just shocking to see so many shops closing down.
Everyone forgets that it is not just large companies that open shops, many people who opened shops have been made bankrupt commercially and personally, you have to feel for these people.
Naturally one persons misfortune is another persons opportunity but the it seems the number of vacant shop premises ( well to me anyway) is increasing, not decreasing.
No. 5
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | J3 Consulting Hong Kong | 2011 - 2021. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
Obeying the mask law in Hong Kong, to the letter
I do not think anyone is going to mind if you ditch the masks whilst driving on less than busy roads
Anyone that knows me puts up with my comments about masks, I think there should be a little flexibility when it comes to masks.
Personally I have health issues and wearing a mask is extremely uncomfortable, I have a hard time breathing but I do follow the rather strict laws but I always use common sense, if I am outside and there is no one near me I pull it down under my nose to allow me to breathe properly… even the Hong Kong Government agrees to a certain extent, ie if you are out walking in the countryside you do not need to wear a mask - most infections happen in indoor settings anyway according to HK Government Scientists
If I was in the Jaguar with the wife we would ditch the masks!!! and I have not seen any reports of the Traffic Police pulling over cars with mask less passengers and drivers and giving them a mask ticket.
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