With Hong Kongers being in the midst of battling their way through the most disastrous wave the city has experienced yet, holding the title of the world’s worst death-rate. This is not only represented by the large number of cases that are seen on a day to day basis, but also by the lifestyles and ways Hong Kongers have tried to adapt to follow China’s zero-Covid strategy.
Local schools closing down for the summer
It was announced on the 22nd of February that local primary and secondary students will have an early summer break commencing from the beginning of March until the middle of April. “This would free up schools for Covid-19 testing, vaccination and isolation purposes,” said Chief Executive Carrie Lam. International schools and universities/colleges were the only exceptions to this plan.
However, parental concerns regarding the structure of their child’s school year are on the rise. “New plans to close schools early in March are disturbing the whole year,” Emily Kwong said, a mother to a 5 year old daughter, who is voicing the thoughts of both parents and teachers.
The mental health and wellbeing of Hong Kong students
Since the very beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, schools in Hong Kong have needed to alternate between online learning and in-person schooling on multiple occasions. However, it is evident that over a 2-year span, the mental issues of long-term online schooling are surging.
To lots of children, the absence from friends and teachers and a physical space to learn adds to anxiety and other mental health issues. According to Reuturs, a teacher at an international school strongly feels that the ‘kids are broken’ from the struggles of online school and that they have ‘nothing left in them’.
Additionally, countless children in Hong Kong do not have access to perfectly working wifi in their homes, which can make them unable to keep up with their studies.
The effect of the Omicron outbreak on domestic workers
Amidst the Omicron outbreak, many domestic workers in Hong Kong have been left homeless after being fired for contracting Covid-19 when their employers refused to let them return to their residence. A large number of these workers were even left without insurance to pay their medical bills.
Under the Hong Kong law, they are legally required to live with their employers, and it is illegal for them to be isolated anywhere else, excluding government facilities and hospitals.
According to the Guardian, Maria, a domestic worker from the Philippines, claimed that her employer only gave her three options after having tested positive on a rapid antigen test: to either pay for her own stay in a quarantine hotel for two weeks, to plead for residence in a hospital or to have her contract terminated.
Non-profit organizations and charities that are actively responding to the pandemic
Bethune House provides shelter services for migrant workers. The non-profit organization even offers medical support and education. Bethune House is currently accepting donations to help fund for necessities, including food and water in response to the effect Covid-19 has had on the migrant community.
Impact HK provides shelter and job opportunities to those in a state of homelessness as a result of the pandemic. This NGO is currently working towards bringing over 3,000 meals weekly, to supply safe shelters for 372 people and to ultimately develop the skills to attain permanent employment.
Food Angel is a charity that rescues excessive edible food from industries that are due to be thrown away and re-prepares them as nutritious meals which can be redistributed and served to underprivileged communities in Hong Kong.
The unvaccinated elderly of Hong Kong
Medical experts are starting to turn their heads towards the low vaccination rates of the elderly and how that has potentially caused the highly transmittable Omicron variant of Covid-19 to spread through to the elderly-care homes, which had left 3,000 staff infected, 11,000 elderly infected and 680 dead as of the 5th of march.
According to SCMP, infectious diseases expert Professor Yuen Kwok-yung estimated that only 20 to 30 per cent of care home residents remained uninfected, and even expected the death rate amongst them to remain at a high level.
Sources:
Writing: Bernice Lau
Editing: Anvita Verma
Graphics: Pihu Agarwal
Comments