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#Poll #PublicOpinion
57% Hongkongers tend to "live with COVID" as "zero-COVID" is unreachable

The Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (#HKPORI), a research institution in Hong Kong, conducted a survey by asking 7,000 Hong Kong citizens to evaluate the existing COVID19 measures.

57% of the respondents believe that "living with the virus" is more realistic than having zero COVID19 cases. Almost 90% of the pro-democratic citizens shared this view.

Among the non-democratic supporters, 40% supported the view of "living with the virus" and while another 40% looked for a "zero case" scenario.

The supporters and the opponents to the implementation of population-wide compulsory testing are divided into 41% in respective fraction; however, the opposition to other COVID-19 measures was more than half.

55% of the respondents oppose "3-dose vaccination". 53% of them disagree to shut down more venues. At last, 54% of them do not want gathering regulation to be tightened.

The survey reveals that the people opt for "living with the virus" as having "zero COVID cases" is almost impossible due to the continuous mutation,

The spokeperson of the institute Dr Chung Kim-Wah pointed out that there is a gap between "believing that the policy is helpful" and "supporting the policy". This reflects the tendency of Hong Kong people to take risks in order to return to their normal life.

Source: Inmedia #Feb11

https://bit.ly/3I06o49

#zeroCOVID #ChungKimWah #Covid19 #GatheringBan #PolicyMaking
Hong Kong Police Arrest #StandWithUkraine Citizens

A netizen uploaded a 11-second video on Twitter. In the video, a man and a woman, wrapped in Ukranien flag, were taken away by the Hong Kong police on March 24, 2022 in Central.

The police confirmed that they ticked 5 people for violating anti-gathering ban in the area.

Video: https://mobile.twitter.com/virginiaylau/status/1506931402247671813

Source: Twitter; Ming Pao #Mar24

https://bit.ly/3qCwrYw

#PoliceState #GatheringBan #HongKongProtest
$90 Million HKD Collected in Anti-Pandemic Fines, Govt Data Shows

In response to the outbreak of #WuhanPneumonia in early 2020, the government enacted a series of social distancing measures, including a #GatheringBan, #MaskMandate, and mandatory use of the "#LeaveHomeSafe" contact tracing app. These regulations are part of the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance, also known as Cap. 599.

From April 1, 2021 to Feb 28, 2022, police had issued 21,613 tickets against more than 1,100 individuals for Cap. 599 violations, collecting $89,980,000HKD in fines for the government.

The number of tickets issued, by regulation, are:

Gathering ban (599G): 13,525 tickets
Mask mandate (599I): 6102 tickets
Business and premises regulation (599F): 1986 tickets

Since the 5th wave of outbreak earlier this year, the number tickets for violating the mask mandate more than doubled, rising from January's 550 to February's 1909.

Source: In-Media HK
https://bit.ly/37enUnZ

Related news: a few instances when 599G and 599I tickets were issued:

Hong Kong Police Ticket 14 Pro-democracy Elderly for violating gathering ban, each fined for HK$5,000
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/27235

Hong Kong Police Accuse Civilians Queueing Up to Enter Courtroom of Breaching the Gathering Ban
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/28952

Carrie Lam Defends Top Officials for Violating Gathering Ban in Extravagant Banquet with Property Developer: "You can't just turn away after seeing abalone"
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/30485

#SocialDistancing #COVID19 #PoliceState
Report: Gathering Penalty Ticket has no effect on the Controlling Coronavirus Outbreak


Mingpao, a Hong Kong newspaper, compared the monthly enforcement figures of the "Prohibition on group gatherings" (Cap. 599G*) and "Compulsory mask-wearing" rule (Cap. 599I**).

It was found that the Hong Kong police issued 2,460 fixed penalty tickets on 599G in April 2021, highest in a single month, but there was only 60 confirmed local cases of Covid-19 infection in that month.

On the other hand, the maximum number of fixed penalty tickets on 599I was issued in March last year, when the 5th wave of the pandemic peaked.

Dr. Ho Pak-leung, President of the Carol Yu's Centre for Infection at the University of Hong Kong, believes that the variation in fixed penalty tickets issued is not correlated with that of infection cases, and the fixed penalty is not an effective way to control the pandemic.

According to Dr. Ho Pak-leung, the government stepped up the enforcement of the compulsory mask-wearing rule during the 5th wave of the pandemic, which led to a significant increase in the number of fixed penalty tickets. However, the variation in the group gatherings prohibition ticket issued is not correlated to the pandemic but is probably more related to places and police verbal warnings rather than pandemic risk assessment.

Ramon Yuen Hoi-man, a member of the Sham Shui Po District Council and the spokesman of the Democratic Party on medical policy, questions if it is necessary to issue fixed penalty tickets so relentlessly when the pandemic subsides, "the government should not make an impression that there's a hidden agenda proceed in the name public health".

* Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Gathering) Regulation

** Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation

Source: Mingpao #May19

#599G #599I #GatheringBan #FailedState

https://life.mingpao.com/general/article?issue=20220519&nodeid=1652897733454