Hong Kong and COVID-19: From ‘burning’ city to role model

Politics & Current Affairs
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Not long ago, Hong Kong was in turmoil, declared “burning” by some media outlets and a “failed state” by others. But during COVID-19, some of the same elements that helped coalesce the city’s protest movement have helped it mobilize against an infectious disease. There might just be lessons here for the rest of the world.

By all accounts, Hong Kong has fared comparatively well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on its experience from the 2003 SARS outbreak, this city of 7.4 million mobilized early, with people wearing masks and social distancing without needing to be told. As of this moment, it has an official infection count of less than 1,000, with only four deaths attributed to COVID-19.

It hasnโ€™t been easy, but Hong Kongers know an infectious disease outbreak can be beaten back. Which is perhaps why, when it comes to the recent struggles of Western countries, Hong Kongers are watching with bewilderment and horror. For many, the scenes in Britain today offer a salutary lesson and a reminder to avoid complacency at all costs.

This would explain why the expatriate community has been called outย in local press, as foreigners continue to visit bars and nightclubs during this outbreak. Granted, some of this criticism is unfair: The cityโ€™s watering holes are also popular with young locals, and many countries around the world have struggled to get everyone to practice rigorous social distancing. Hong Kongโ€™s health authorities have also identified clusters of COVID-19 cases linked to venues popular with locals, e.g., karaoke bars and hotpot restaurants.

But the singling out of Hong Kongโ€™s foreigners โ€” mostly its white minority โ€” by media outlets from across the political spectrum, including the pro-democracy Apple Daily, is itself suggestive of shifting political trends and cultural attitudes.

To see what we mean, we have to go back to the anti-government protests that began last summer. During this time, a handful of activists in Hong Kong argued, mostly from an anti-colonialย perspective, that overt Western support for the protests may not necessarily be desirable. Now, amid the increasingly evident shortcomings of many Western states, a wider segment of Hong Kongโ€™s population is beginning to more fully appreciate what the city can offer the rest of the world, instead of vice versa. At the same time, many Hong Kongers abroad have felt stigmatizedย for wearing masks, and reports of physical assaultย directed at people of East Asian descent in the West have understandably stirred unease and anger.

In the early days of COVID-19, Hong Kong activists on social mediaย actively tried to persuade the international community to embrace mask-wearing, only to be summarily ignored. Itโ€™s only been in recent weeks that the rest of the world has caught up to what Hong Kongers have known all along: masksย can limit infections. People are now calling Hong Kong exemplaryย in this pandemic, and the cityโ€™s public health experts have received international attentionย for their work. A city described as a โ€œfailed stateโ€ only a few months ago now appears to be something of a refuge amidst international turmoil.ย The cityโ€™s civil society is currently organizing donations for Britainโ€™s NHSย and beleagueredย hospitals in New York.

What has perhaps gone under-appreciated is the extent to which Hong Kongโ€™s successful pandemic response has been a bottom-up effort. Recent pollingย shows that a majority of citizens credit community response as opposed to government intervention. Many activists have remained highly skepticalย of the governmentโ€™s motives to allow the police to enforce a ban on public gatherings of more than four people, reflecting a degree of vigilance that is essential for the preservation of democratic values.

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Hong Kong can serve as a model for how a robust civil society can both serve to hold governments to account and fill in the gap when political leaders are incapable of protecting their citizens.

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The emphasis on a community-led response to COVID-19 contrasts sharply with the state-imposed interventions seen inย much of Europeย and America. Inย Hong Kong, the diffuse support networks that emerged over the course of last yearโ€™s protests have been redirected toward sourcing face masksย for local residents. The pro-democracy district councillors swept into officeย in last yearโ€™s local electionsย have coordinated efforts to distribute imported face masks to marginalized groups, even as Carrie Lamโ€™s administrationย has failedย to ensure adequate supplies for worried citizens. Pro-protest activists have also urged the government to do more to helpย struggling businesses and their employees, highlighting the plight of the worst-affected industries. This community-led response has also seen local businesses voluntarily closing down or reducing their opening hoursย to encourage social distancing. Ironically, the city may have avoided a total lockdown thus far precisely because many citizens have been self-isolating on their own accord.

Hong Kong can also serve as a model for how a robust civil society can both serve to hold governments to account and fill in the gap when political leaders are incapable of protecting their citizens.ย In an era of โ€œfake newsโ€ and widespread disenchantment with politicians, this form of grassroots solidarity is arguably more important than ever in ensuring responsible governance and countering disinformation. Like many urban centers around the world, Hong Kong has introduced restrictions on mass gatherings to combat the spread of the pandemic. While most protesters understand the need for these measures, there has been criticism of attempts by the police to cite the new public health measures to prohibit peaceful commemorative events or target restaurants owned by pro-protest entrepreneurs. Given the unprecedented reach of and intrusiveness of anti-pandemic legislation passed across the globe, this form of scrutiny is essential for the preservation of individual rights and liberties.

Whatโ€™s more, Hong Kong has thus far mostly avoided the overt hostility toward foreigners that is now increasingly evidentย elsewhereย But that doesnโ€™t mean there isnโ€™t reason to worry. There were reported instances of restaurants refusing to serveย mainland China customers in the early days of the outbreak. With COVID-19 leading to a resurgence in racism and bigotry across the globe, there is real danger of the protest movement taking a xenophobic turn โ€” not just toward Chinese immigrants and visitors, but also toward Hong Kongโ€™s other ethnic communities.ย That would mark a troubling step backwards after the cross-ethnic solidarityย built up over the course of last yearโ€™s protests.

The temptation to turn inward and stigmatize the โ€œotherโ€ is particularly powerful in times of crisis, but this instinct stands against the liberal values that the protesters proclaim. Ultimately, Hong Kongโ€™s distinctiveness is rooted in its past and present as a cosmopolitan, multicultural melting pot. It would be little short of disastrous for the pandemic to drive the protest movement in a nativist, insular direction at precisely the moment when liberal values are seemingly under threat everywhere.