Coronavirus and deserted streets

Everything seems to be getting worse.

When all of this started a few months ago, it seemed to be a bit of an inconvenience.  Precautions were being taken in Hong Kong, and we had luckily managed to avoid most of the issues that China was going through.  Fast forward a few months and this is now a global issue.  Those who fled Hong Kong at the start are now returning and they are sadly bringing back the very infections they sought to avoid in the first place.  The pride most of us had in only having a hundred cases has evaporated as the returnees brought back over 400 cases in the space of a couple of weeks.

The whole world is locking down, and sadly Hong Kong is now no exception.  Whilst we haven't reached the extremely tough measures implemented in some other countries, there has definitely been a dramatic escalation.  Restaurants and bars can now only be half full and they must also not have more than 4 people in a group.  Public gatherings of four people are also now banned.  Beyond those legal requirements, the people of Hong Kong have also retreated into their homes as the streets and public places are now emptier than I have ever experienced.

Place after place, once bustling areas of shopping and commerce are now ghost towns.  Many shops have either closed temporarily or disappeared for good.  The shops that continue seem to only have a fraction of the staff they used to employ as they try desperately to ramp down their costs.  The ones who have closed have clearly made the decision that even staffing costs aren't worth it anymore given how little foot traffic there is.

Even the public transportation areas are now emptied of people.  The ferry terminal around TST is normally one of the big gathering points for locals and tourists alike, but it now sits empty.  The tourists are long gone, having been already driven away by the protests, the last of them are now completely gone.

In the central checkin area for the Airport Express, there are no more travellers, so the remaining staff sit waiting for patrons who will never come.  Amazingly they still show up day in and day out for what must now be an exceptionally boring job.  Yet they are still probably thankful they still have jobs to go to at all.  Many others aren't so lucky as layoffs in Hong Kong have skyrocketed in the last few months.  There have been some small measures undertaken by the Hong Kong government, with the promise of HKD10,000 being paid to all Hong Kong residents, but this now seems to pale in comparison to the actions being taken by governments overseas who are concerned about the wellbeing of their unemployed citizens.

Closer to home, the lights were on in Central, but there were few people walking in the warm glow.

These strange times will hopefully end sooner rather than later, but it's hard not to be shocked by the complete change in our lives.

Coronavirus and the global shut down

The air in Hong Kong has been exceptionally fresh.  It is incredible how clear the skies have been since China shut down.  Looking out of my window, I can still clearly see the hills in the New Territories.  This is normally something you don't see until an intense tropical storm of typhoon clears the haze out of the city.

When I first arrived in Hong Kong, I found myself still clinging to some of my old habits from Australia.  I was still searching for the same foods, the same activities to continue with.  I also found myself watching Aussie Rules most weekends rather than going out.  It wasn't a great habit, but even now it's nice to be able to watch a game in the same timezone.  My brother often has to wake up in the early hours of the morning if there's a particularly important game he wants to watch.

I started my Sunday like I did many others.  I slept in, then I migrated over to the couch to watch some Aussie Rules.  The first game came and went and then my beloved Hawks came on.  It was the first game of the season, a season which looked to be in danger from the moment it began as travel restrictions and bans on gatherings had started.  The games were already being played in empty stadiums as large gatherings were now considered to be too dangerous.

As halftime approached, the commentators announced that there would be an emergency press conference with the CEO of the AFL at halftime.  The voices of the commentators betrayed what they all thought.  My chat groups all lit up as we all started to discuss what we knew wast coming.  The halftime siren sounded with the Hawks and Lions fighting a close game.  The CEO came onto the screen and announced that the season would be suspended at the end of the round for the next two months.

We all knew this was coming, but we had all been hoping to get a few weeks of games at least.  The rest of the game was strange to watch.  Apparently the players weren't told about this news and they fought out the game.  The Hawks slowly took over and pushed ahead of the Lions.  The Hawks midfield looks better than it has been for years, which makes the end of this season even more tragic. Watching an old player like Shaun Burgoyne continue to display his incredible skills also felt bitter sweet, as I thought about whether or not he would still be be able to play once the league resumed.

The siren sounded to end the game and the Hawks had won.  For me, Australia had now truly shut down.

Coronavirus and mask expertise

Living in the time of coronavirus means developing an expertise for face masks.

This is definitely not a topic I ever expected I would learn so much about.  Conversations with friends and family seem to revolve around different types of masks, the best ways to use them and various pros and cons associated with all of this.

The most basic of face masks is the simple surgical mask.  They are the standard for most people and I have now become accustomed to seeing almost all people wearing them on the streets.  In Hong Kong, prices for these surgical masks went up almost 10 fold at one point, with shortages creating long lines at the mere rumour of resupply.  Buying them isn't an issue anymore, but the prices still remain higher than they used to be.  Even a simple surgical masks is not truly as simple as it seems.  As people starting buying (hoarding) more and more of them, we started to learn about different makes and quality.  How many layers matters, the type of material, all of it mattered.  When you wore the masks, you could start to feel the difference in the make and quality.  Certain masks felt thinner (which was bad), whereas other masks felt like they had the sufficient thickness of material to keep out the bugs.  There was also a vinegar-like smell to the masks, which it turned out was a good thing as it meant that the necessary chemicals needed to make the masks effective were indeed being used.  At one point we thought we received the worst news when we all found out that there were "fake" masks that were being circulated and sold.  That news in turn was trumped by the actual worst news, which was that there were people who were collecting old and used masks, washing and drying them, then reselling them .... truly disgusting.

I had avoided much of the terrified panic buying when I managed to buy several boxes of masks for myself and my friends whilst I was in Thailand.  I managed to also come back with some of the much more desirable n99 masks.  These masks create a much better seal over the face and they also filter out particles and bacteria of a smaller size and more successfully.  Even that alone isn't enough, as you still need to differentiate between the "type" of n99 (or n95) mask you have.  Some will be specifically made to deal with bacteria, whereas others will be for industrial uses only.  The industrial use only masks will of course be relatively useless in protecting you.

One of the most highly sought after masks is the Korean made KF94s.  They come nicely individually packaged and you can feel that they are of a higher quality when you use them.

Not only does the fabric and material used for the KF94s feel stronger, their overall design is also much better.  The way they fold open means that they hold the chin and the nose far better than the normal surgical masks (or even the n99 masks I bought).  It feels like a better seal gets formed around the face without the same tightness of the more expensive surgical masks.  It also pushes the mask itself away from the mouth, so overall it's just far more comfortable.

On top of the masks themselves, there's also the important issue of how the mask is handled.  Get it wet and it becomes useless.  Touch it and it could become infected with whatever is on your hands.  Leave it lying around and it could get infected with what it touches.  One of my old colleagues devised an ingenious method of addressing this problem by creating a cradle for her mask out of an old tissue box for when she isn't wearing it.

The other day, I was in the elevator in my apartment complex with an old German lady, both of us masked up.  She sardonically commented to me "these masks are very tiresome".  I smiled at her through my mask and responded "yes, but it's for the public good".  She nodded her back at me and responded simply "yes, you're right".  As uncomfortable and annoying as these masks may be, there does seem to be some good to come from them in terms of stopping the spread.  The benefit they provide in protecting each individual may be questionable, but if it stops an infected individual from spreading it as much, that would already be a significant win.  To that end, it seems like Hong Kong has been able to help create level of herd protection for itself.

Coronavirus and restaurant death

Hong Kong's restaurant industry has been crushed.

The six months of protests had already beaten the industry to a pulp, but it looks like the coronavirus has been the knockout punch for many of them.  The tourists are all gone and local Hong Kongers have stopped going out.

 Everywhere you go, you see boarded up shops and previously popular restaurants closed down.

During these tough times, it's been reported that some landlords have been accommodating with rental reductions, but it seems like these haven't been that big and most others haven't offered anything at all.  It's an incredible thing, that you would have landlords during this time who are so naive to the fact that their tenants are in this state of distress.  Surely having lower rental income would be better than having no income at all?  What also surprises me is that there must then be a thought from these landlords that losing their tenant will simply mean replacing that tenant with someone else.

I'm not sure who these businesses will be.  The nightlife and the restaurant business in Hong Kong simply isn't as vibrant as it once was.  It really isn't the case that one closing down will merely open up a space for several others to fight over.  Most people would also be smart enough to wait a while before committing any of their time and resources to starting any businesses during this time.

This doesn't feel like a flash in the pan problem.  This feels like something that's going to continue on for quite a while.  Even after everything goes "back to normal" from the point of view of the virus, there is still the risk of the protests restarting.  With all of this uncertainty, surely any landlord should be holding onto their tenants for dear life?

Cheung Sha BBQ

It's perfect hiking season in Hong Kong at the moment.  It isn't too hot yet, but the worst of the cold has gone.  It's the perfect period when the sun isn't frying your skin and the breeze is still cool.

Ayuna convinced me to go on a long hike with her and her running group.  Given the reputation of her running a group, I was a little bit reluctant to follow, but I relented in the end.  The planned hike was long, going from Mui Wo all the way to Upper Cheung Sha beach.  The total length of the hike was over 15km.  Thankfully for me, the runners took it easier than I feared and the hike wasn't unmanageable.  It was still tough though as the hike was done without any breaks at all.  After about 3 and a half hours, we reached the beach at Cheung Sha.  The water looked nice, but it was still just a touch too cold to go for a swim.  

The best surprise was still to be had.

Walking over to one of the restaurants at the end, it turned out that the running group had arranged for a big BBQ for everyone who wanted to take part.  Most people joined in and contributed their money and after a short wait, two long planks for food were brought out to us.  With the table covered in BBQed meat and vegetables, everyone started to crowd around to take their photos and admire what was in front of us.

Once the photos were taken, everyone pounced on the food.  The long hike had created a huge appetite and even with the huge amount of food, it didn't take long for almost all of it to be eaten.  We washed it down with beers and sangria and then sat back into our food comas.

Each time I had been to Cheung Sha in the past, I had looked on with jealousy as other people had done this famous BBQ.  It needs a very big group of friends to do, so I was glad that Ayuna had convinced me to join in the hike.

Coronavirus and the great outdoors

I've done the hike up Mt Butler several times.  It's a well worn path for people living in Hong Kong as it's one of the most accessible of hikes.  You get a cab up to Parkview, then you start your hike up along the trail.  The start of the hike is difficult, but before long you're up at the top of Mount Butler looking out at incredible views of Hong Kong.  There are a few more difficult sections, but for the most part it's generally downhill.

We decided on a very different approach to climbing up to Mount Butler, by doing it in reverse.  This may not seem so hard, but there is actually a dramatic difference.  When you start at Parkview, you are in effect already starting at a very high elevation and you eventually end up near sea level.  The effect of that is that the hike is a "net down" in terms of the walking.  By starting instead at Quarry Bay, we were doing the exact opposite and creating a "net up" in terms of all the hiking.

It was a lovely day out.  Almost all days have been lovely of late.  Coronavirus had seen to these problems with a near complete shutdown of its factories.  The lack of industry in China means no smog and no haze.

Everyone who was out and about was able to breathe in deeply, to fill their lungs with the fresh forrest air that was unsullied by the factory smoke from Hong Kong's larger neighbour.

The visibility was also exceptionally good.

At every big vantage point, people were standing around taking photos and looking out into the distance, able to spot landmarks they hadn't been able to see clearly for years.

The hike itself was tough.  Going the direction we went meant hundreds of stairs.  There were plenty of people who were walking in the other direction, but very few who were following the direction that we took.  At several points, I had no thought in my head other than a metronome... slowly pushing and pacing me to keep walking up the stairs.  It was worth it though and the work out felt great.  Seeing Hong Kongers of all type out enjoying the weather and fresh air also made me happy.  They weren't cooped up and terrified of the virus, they were out trying to be healthy and active which is surely a better preventative measure.