“In crisis management, be quick with the facts, slow with the blame.” The golden rule in public relations rings true in Hong Kong, especially when the city is struggling with the double whammy of the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic recession. The ongoing “ambush-style lock-downs” implemented by the health authority in restricted areas over a weekend or at night, however, unfortunately have provoked instant complaints, with facts being deliberately ignored by naysayers.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has been racing against the spread of the COVID-19 virus over the last week with “surprise, quick, and targeted” virus screening operations in densely populated areas that are fraught with subdivided dwellings in the Yau Ma Tei and North Point districts. The former was locked down for virus screening on Tuesday and yielded 1 new confirmed cases after testing more than 300 residents, while the latter spotted zero among 473 tests. Both deployments were criticized by irresponsible netizens for “disproportionately affecting the lower-income residents” and “disturbing ethnic minorities”. Those who have an ax to grind wasted no time attacking the health authority, oblivious to the fact that these operations are meant to flatten the curve and protect public health.
Enmity, the aftermath of the months-long social unrest, still lingers in Hong Kong. The city, after being polarized by the misinformation and disinformation campaign launched by the opposition camp and China-bashers in the West, is in need of solidarity that is crucial to overcoming the waves of COVID-19 outbreaks. Since the first infection was spotted on Jan 23 last year, the SAR government has been putting its best foot forward to get the coronavirus under control, and has done relatively well. As of Jan 25, Hong Kong reported 10,159 cases of infection, while the cases in Singapore were 59,352, or five times Hong Kong’s. Taking the population into consideration, the ratio of the infected population in Hong Kong was 0.1 percent, while the number in Singapore was 10 times higher at 1 percent.
President Xi Jinping told Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor that the central authorities “fully acknowledged the performance of the SAR government in fulfilling its duties” when he heard a work report delivered via video link by the CE on Wednesday. He also reaffirmed the central government’s full support for the Hong Kong SAR in fighting COVID-19. It goes without saying that President Xi’s timely encouragement and support will boost the morale of the SAR government, which is striving to achieve “zero local infection”.
The “ambush-style lockdown” seems to work well so far. But its effectiveness could be compromised if the loophole that allows some selfish residents to dodge the compulsory testing remained opened. Hours before the lockdown in Jordan on Tuesday, some residents who sensed “the wired influx of trucks and police force” swiftly left their homes and ran away with suitcases as if they were fleeing a disaster. To make things worse, rumors of “residents escaping” circulated widely on social media platforms, stoking panic among many citizens.
Hong Kong boasts one of the best-educated civil societies in the world. Unfortunately, rumors and misinformation propagated by people with ulterior motives have compromised the SAR government’s various efforts to enhance the common good, including fighting off the COVID-19 virus. Therefore, it has never been as imperative as now for the media to fulfill their social responsibility. Some media outlets no doubt have their own priorities to promote. But they must now put aside their political agenda and help the government fight off the pandemic by disseminating facts and science.
Members of the public, on the other hand, should wise up to fact-check the news and shoulder their civic responsibilities to cooperate with the government for the public interests. With the pandemic still raging, the well-being of every resident is at stake, and it is the responsibility of every member of Hong Kong society to fight off the virus.
The author is a Hong Kong-based journalist.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.