Skip to content

Something urgent? Call us now! (852) 3416 1711

Let the quarantine games begin

Basel, 28 July 2021: As a criminal defence lawyer, my primary knowledge of “fencing” concerns the illegal practice of knowingly acquiring stolen goods and selling them for profit. Now, I’m more familiar with terms such as en-guarde, counter-parry and corps-a-corps after watching Edgar Cheung’s fencing triumph at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday. In winning the individual foil competition, Edgar earned only Hong Kong’s second-ever gold medal – after famed windsurfer Lee Lai-shan – and our first since the Handover.

This morning has brought more joy for our city with Siobhan Haughey’s astounding swim (knocking almost a second off her previous best time) to win silver in the women’s 200m freestyle. It is already Hong Kong’s most successful Olympics and we’re only on day five. There are hopes for more medals in badminton and cycling, at least.

While applauding Edgar and Siobhan’s magnificent achievements, which have given the whole city a lift, perhaps we can have a conversation about health, particularly the benefits of sports participation. Children and teenagers who play sport regularly are usually more healthy; they learn how to overcome adversity; sport teaches them life skills such as respect, teamwork and communication; and it gives them confidence. Hong Kong’s education-conscious parents should also take note that numerous studies prove sporting prowess and academic achievement go hand in hand.

Yet a citywide health survey by the government four years ago painted a damning picture of dietary habits and exercise levels in Hong Kong, revealing half of our citizens aged 15 or older to be overweight or obese. A report by the Legislative Council Secretariat six months ago noted one in six adults aged 18 or above have insufficient exercise based on World Health Organisation recommendations, while 90% of primary and secondary students are not meeting WHO standards of daily physical activity. Covid-19, with schools closed for much of last year, has exacerbated this, causing youngsters to gain up to 3kg in weight during home learning, according to a Chinese University study. Throw in lengthy closures of tennis courts, swimming pools, beaches, multi-sports venues, gyms and even golf courses and it is clear our population’s physical and mental health have been compromised.

Sports facilities are open again and online schooling has disappeared, thankfully, but the pandemic is still very much with us. How does Hong Kong move forward? There are growing calls for our government to rethink its “zero Covid” strategy, which is being pursued with the aim of reopening the border with mainland China, and instead “live with the virus”, as many other jurisdictions are choosing. And these views are now coming from the medical sector, not just the business community.

Professor Ben Cowling, epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post this past weekend: “We will certainly have to live with the virus at some point, unless we are planning to stay in our ‘zero Covid’ bubble for the foreseeable future.” His views are echoed by peers who note the 70% vaccination threshold for achieving herd immunity is now outdated due to faster-spreading virus variants. Professor Cowling, of course, is familiar to many of you via his monthly podcasts with Dr David Owens. I recommend their latest episode in which they discuss the evolving public health strategies playing out in different parts of the world. For the record, health officials confirmed just one new (imported) Covid-19 case yesterday, pushing the cumulative total to 11,979, with 212 related fatalities. Our city has now gone 50 days without a local infection. Just over 41% of the population have received at least one vaccine dose.

Switzerland, where I’m in the second week of an extended break, is one such nation living with the virus. Mask wearing is no longer required outdoors and most social distancing curbs have been dropped, despite a surge in new infections driven by the Delta variant. This country – which has a population just 1.1 million bigger than Hong Kong’s, remember – recorded 849 new infections on Monday although hospitalisations remain relatively low.

Taking the view that fresh air and exercise (plus, of course, vaccination) are the best ways to combat Covid-19, this traveller is about to go hiking in the Alps. I’m looking forward to celebrating Swiss National Day on Sunday but, alas, I shall miss grandson Nathan’s seventh birthday party on 6 August. Typifying these times, I will join in via Zoom. I will also take another opportunity to listen to our firm’s latest Law & More podcast, this one featuring former Court of Final Appeal judge Michael Hartmann. His views on judicial independence and the future of Hong Kong are well worth hearing. My holiday proper starts here, so my next blog will be on 18 August, by which time I will be almost a week into my quarantine in Hong Kong.

Ah yes, quarantine, what a pleasant prospect. If Hong Kong’s Olympic medals were unforeseen, the least surprising news this week is that our government has delayed its much-anticipated plan to set up antibodies tests at Hong Kong airport for returning residents. The idea was, produce a positive result and you can have your quarantine halved. But not yet. So, from mid-August, this Covid-negative, fully vaccinated and fit-as-a-fiddle citizen will be spending 14 days in a hotel room, windows sealed, breathing in recycled air, with meals delivered to his door, no laundry service and no face-to-face contact. No one will ever convince me this is sensible. Certainly, it’s not healthy.

Stay safe and well, everybody!

Colin Cohen
Senior Partner
Boase Cohen & Collins

39+ years of legal experience is just a click away.

Friendly and approachable, we are ready to answer your questions and offer you sound advice.

Contact us now

BC&C-contact-us

News & Knowledge

Learn more about what we do and what we say. Subscribe to our newsletter to ensure you receive our updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Law & More: Episode 49 – Iñaki Amate

Hong Kong, 3 February 2025: In this episode, we welcome Iñaki Amate, design industry innovator and chair of the European Chamber of Commerce. Iñaki traces his globetrotting career, which has taken him from his native Spain to Finland, Hong Kong and many places in between, the work of EuroCham, and why it is important for […]

Read more

A window of opportunity awaits

Hong Kong, 22 January 2025: A lonely young lady, a middle-aged couple, a professional dancer and a songwriter at his piano – these and other neighbours are spied on by photographer LB “Jeff” Jeffries, confined to his apartment with a broken leg, in the classic 1954 thriller Rear Window. Jeff spends long days and nights […]

Read more

Clock ticking after LGBTQ+ legal victory

By Jasmine Kwong Hong Kong, 10 January 2025: After another landmark court victory for Hong Kong’s LGBTQ+ community, attention now turns to a looming deadline for the government to provide an alternative legal framework that recognises same-sex relationships. Thus far, the authorities have yet to provide an update on their deliberations or engage in any […]

Read more

Law & More: Episode 48 – Geoffrey Ma

Hong Kong, 6 January 2025: In this episode, we are thrilled to be joined by the Honourable Geoffrey Ma, the former Chief Justice of Hong Kong. Geoffrey looks back on his distinguished career, from his upbringing and education in the UK, to his many years at the Hong Kong Bar, and two decades of service […]

Read more

The plague of fake traffic accidents

By Jeffrey Chan Hong Kong, 30 December 2024: Two major police operations in recent weeks have highlighted the long-running issue of fake traffic accidents and the headaches these cause for insurance companies, the government and law enforcement agencies. Bogus claims around motor incidents are part of a rising trend of insurance fraud, with the authorities […]

Read more