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
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
明報教育網
票控高峰適值確診低谷 何栢良：限聚控疫效用不大
【明報專訊】本報比較警方就「限聚令」及「口罩令」按月的執法數字及每月的新冠本地陽性個案數字，發現限聚令票控數字最多的是去年4月，警方單月發出2460張定額罰款通知書，該月本地確診數僅60宗；口罩令票控最多則發生於今年3月、即第五波疫情高峰。港大感染及傳染病中心總監何栢良認為，限聚令票控數字波動與疫情無關係，認為限聚令對控制疫情的效用不大。