The fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong began on 27 December 2021, and the opportunity to "dynamically clear zero" for 21 days has been missed, and it has intensified. Multiple chains of transmission continue to spread. Both Omiqueron and Delta branched out, and both variants of the virus spread to the community. Not only is it transmitted from person to person, but hamsters are also transmitted to humans.
The HKSAR Government is tired of coping. It not only continues to expose the lack of a strong and effective system and mechanism for tracing the source of circulation in Hong Kong, but also further exposes the lack of ability and efficiency of traditional civil servants.
From 6:00 p.m. on 21 January 2022, the government tested the enclosure of Yi Kwai Lou in the New Territories for five days, and by the morning of 26 January, all 2,700 residents needed to be tested every day and stay at home after testing.
This is the second time in the past year that the SAR government has implemented a small-scale "lockdown" to fight the epidemic. A year ago, at 4:00 a.m. on 23 January 2021, on the first anniversary of the outbreak in Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government for the first time used the powers of the Prevention and Control of Diseases (Mandatory Testing of Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to enclose Kwan Chung in Kowloon as a "restricted area" and about 10,000 residents "grounded" for 2 days.
However, after a year, the ability of the relevant government departments to implement small-scale "fasting" has not improved. On January 20, 2022, the relevant government departments announced the outbreak of the epidemic in Yikui Building, but did not immediately close the building, allowing residents to freely enter and exit for most of the day.
The fifth wave of the epidemic also exposed the inadequacy of Hong Kong's anti-epidemic facilities to provide the necessary shelter for all those in need of quarantine and the ability to conduct large-scale nucleic acid testing.
As a result, more and more experts and doctors who provide anti-epidemic consultation for the SAR government have suggested that the government abandon "dynamic clearance" in recent days. They are Leung Cheuk-wai, Government Expert Consultant and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, Leung Pak-yin, member of the Vaccination Programme Task Force and former Chief Executive Officer of the HA, and Hui Shu-cheung, Advisor to Government Experts and Chair Professor of the Respiratory Sciences of CUHK, and Mr Yuen Kwok-ying, Chair Professor of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong.
Liang Zhuowei and Liang Baixian advocated immediately abandoning the "dynamic clearance".
Xu Shuchang believes that sooner or later we must consider coexisting with the new crown virus. Yuan Guoyong said that he "hopes to be able to play a draw with the speed of Omit Kron's spread", arguing that Hong Kong still has the opportunity to "dynamically clear zero", but if the tracking ability cannot exceed the speed of Omi Kerong's development, "it is really necessary to consider other possibilities". Yuen described Hong Kong's fight against the epidemic as having entered a very difficult stage.
With a weak government and a willingness on the part of experts to compromise, Hong Kong's fifth wave of the epidemic is at risk of spiralling out of control. If this is the case, social stability and economic recovery will be hit hard.