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Hong Kong mass virus test plan hampered by swirling China distrust
HONG KONG, Aug 29, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Hong Kong’s plan to offer free
coronavirus tests to all residents has become swept up in the festering
political debate dividing the city, where many remain deeply distrustful of
both local leaders and China.
Billed as a benevolent public health initiative made possible with Chinese
help, the city-wide tests are set to start on Tuesday in an attempt to stamp
out a third wave of infections that have swept through the densely populated
financial hub.
But the involvement of doctors and companies from the mainland has sent
the rumour mills into overdrive and compounded fears of Beijing’s
surveillance state, while many health experts in the city have questioned the
efficacy of a mass testing programme.
On the authoritarian mainland, biometric data forms a crucial part of
China’s vast security dragnet and many Hong Kongers fear mass testing will
lead to widespread DNA collection — something local authorities have
strenuously denied.
The furore is the latest illustration of the polarisation in Hong Kong as
Beijing clamps down on its critics after months of huge, often violent and
ultimately unsuccessful pro-democracy protests last year.
“Public trust in Hong Kong’s government has been hovering at all-time lows
for many months,” Dixon Sing, a political expert at Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology told AFP.
China’s involvement in the testing scheme, he added, “simply intensifies
that distrust among the majority of the population”.
– ‘Passive resistance’ –
The city had an enviable track record of keeping the coronavirus under
control until July when infections began to soar, brought in by small groups
of arrivals who were exempted from strict quarantine controls.
New cases rose to more than 150 a day and the city went back into an
economically painful semi-lockdown. Citing the spike in coronavirus
infections, Chief Executive Carrie Lam — a pro-Beijing appointee —
postponed local elections for a year.
Daily infections have since dropped to the low double digits but
authorities believe mass voluntary testing will help eliminate hidden
transmissions.
More than 100 locations across the city, including schools and stadiums,
have been set up to offer tests, staffed by some 5,000 volunteers.
“Although the tests are voluntary, we hope the public will take part
together, for themselves and for society,” civil service chief Patrick Nip
said earlier this week.
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But it is far from clear whether Hong Kongers will register en masse given
the government’s record-low approval ratings, especially after Beijing
imposed a national security law on the city in late June to stamp out pro-
democracy protests.
Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy newspaper owner who was recently arrested under
that law, said on Twitter that non-compliance with the mass testing might be
a form of “passive resistance”.
“(The national security law) atrophied trust in HK government, making it
impossible to govern,” he wrote alongside a link to a story on the testing
scheme.
A major source of contention has been the involvement of three Chinese
testing firms and doctors from the mainland.
Facebook groups have been filled with concerns ranging from whether the
tests will meet international standards, fears of DNA collection and whether
Hong Kong might introduce the colour-coded health apps used by China to
control where people can travel.
– ‘New normal’ –
Hong Kong’s government has vowed that testing standards are up to par and
that suggestions of DNA harvesting are “absolutely unfounded”.
It said samples “will not be transported to the mainland for testing” and
warned anyone spreading false rumours could be prosecuted.
On Tuesday, Lam accused health experts who had criticised the mass testing
plan were motivated by politics and anti-China sentiment.
“I can’t think of any other reason,” she said, in comments that sparked
anger within the medical sector.
Much of the criticism of the testing plan has come from leading
epidemiologists helping the government battle the virus.
Microbiologist Ho Pak-leung likened city-wide testing to “wasting
bullets”, saying a targeted pursuit of vulnerable and at-risk communities
would be better. Others said they feared gathering people for mass testing
might help spread the virus.
David Hui, a leading epidemiologist, has supported the mass testing but
said it needs widespread take-up to work.
Surya Deva, a public policy expert at the City University of Hong Kong,
said that may be tricky given the deep distrust in the government.
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