{"id":4060,"date":"2023-03-01T15:03:01","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T07:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/?p=4060"},"modified":"2023-03-01T15:03:03","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T07:03:03","slug":"land-ahoy-our-rocky-voyage-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hans\/%e7%bd%91%e8%aa%8c\/land-ahoy-our-rocky-voyage-ends\/","title":{"rendered":"Land ahoy! Our rocky voyage ends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hong Kong, 1 March 2023: <\/strong>\u201cA smooth sea never made a skilled sailor,\u201d observed ex-US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Certainly, the 150 students taking part in this weekend\u2019s BC&C Inter-School Sailing Festival<\/a> have navigated stormy waters these past three years. Covid-19 has brought class suspensions, online learning, separation from friends, cancellation of sports, constant mask-wearing and daily rapid tests. It has been a difficult time for everyone, especially young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, we can relax. Only today, Hong Kong\u2019s protracted, tiresome and wholly unscientific mask mandate \u2013 this city\u2019s last major anti-pandemic restriction \u2013 has been lifted by our government. Finally! Many citizens are smiling. We know because we can see each other\u2019s faces. And this welcome development, though long overdue, will make our annual regatta \u2013 returning for the first time since 2019 \u2013 even more special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some 15 schools will engage in two days of intense match racing off Middle Island. They have been training for months, with many of the participants learning to sail for the first time. Yours truly is joining them. Well, sort of. Together with dozens of our guests, I\u2019ll be staying firmly on dry land and enjoying the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club\u2019s excellent hospitality. We\u2019re looking forward to a wonderful weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These teenagers deserve their moment in the sun. Readers of this column know I\u2019ve been highly critical<\/a> of our government\u2019s harmful anti-pandemic policies towards young people. This week, we\u2019ve discovered that the number of children with speech-related problems rose significantly<\/a> as mask-wearing became mandatory and schools were closed. Students were affected because they could not see how teachers moved their mouths. Some had problems hearing how words were pronounced. Generally, masked-up children spoke less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Department of Health, the number of youngsters under 12 newly diagnosed with speech problems, language delay or disorders increased from 4,300 in 2019 to 5,401 in 2021. Clinical psychologist Vivian Siu of the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society notes how children aged 2-6 are in a \u201cgolden training period\u201d and those with various conditions need help immediately, not later when it requires more effort. In response, one enterprising primary school principal has engaged a speech therapist and arranged extended break periods to give students more time to mix. So, we can add speech development issues to juvenile myopia, weight-gain and mental health concerns. In summary, it seems school closures and constant masking are bad for children. Oh wow, who knew?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s possible, but unlikely, these are considerations in Chief Executive John Lee\u2019s out-of-the-blue announcement<\/a> ending the mask mandate. He insists the move \u2013 one day after health officials were still calling for caution \u2013 is logical and calculated: \u201cIt is because of the overall assessment and factors taken into account that I made the decision. I said two months ago that this was an issue that I would be actively monitoring.\u201d Right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, neighbouring Macau lifting its mask mandate two days ago \u2013 leaving Hong Kong alone in the region, perhaps even the world, as the last holdout \u2013 is pure coincidence. As is the return this weekend (for the first time since 2018) of this city\u2019s biggest music festival, Clockenflap<\/a>. John Lee\u2019s scientific reasoning thus averts embarrassing images of masked concert-goers being beamed around the world so soon after launching his administration\u2019s HK$100 million \u201cHello Hong Kong\u201d campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau hails his boss\u2019s bold move as the \u201cofficial end to all social distancing measures\u201d. Er, not quite. Kindergarten and primary school students are required to take daily rapid tests for another two weeks. Naturally, children come last again. He also says dismantling the rule step by step \u2013 for example, keeping masks compulsory on public transport \u2013 was ruled out because it would be complicated, difficult to enforce and inconvenient for the public. Oh, the irony. On this note, one visitor with first-hand experience of our city\u2019s painful pandemic policies is eminent London-based barrister Tim Owen KC. I invite you to tune in for our entertaining chat<\/a> about politics, rule of law and his regular (if, too often, quarantine-ensnared) trips to Hong Kong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there is widespread relief that masks have officially gone, it is tinged with anger that we\u2019ve had to wait so long. Dr David Owens<\/a>, ever the voice of sanity, points out<\/a> we\u2019ve endured months of unscientific and unnecessary restrictions that have damaged public health and the economy while raising children in a culture of fear. But perhaps we should let legendary Covid chronicler Aaron Busch<\/a>, AKA Tripperhead, deliver the definitive verdict<\/a> on this saga: \u201cThe removal of a 950+ day mask mandate with a \u2018we’re scrapping it in 17 hours\u2019 is the perfect finale to what has been a nonsensical, aberrant, no roadmap three years of pandemic response in Hong Kong.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

True, but enough. We sail onwards \u2013 starting with our regatta this weekend \u2013 towards, hopefully, calmer seas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next time, everybody!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colin Cohen<\/strong>
Senior Partner<\/strong>
Boase Cohen & Collins<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hong Kong, 1 March 2023: \u201cA smooth sea never made a ski […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-54"],"yoast_head":"\nLand ahoy! Our rocky voyage ends - \u5e03\u9ad8\u6c5f\u5f8b\u5e08\u884c<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hans\/%e7%bd%91%e8%aa%8c\/land-ahoy-our-rocky-voyage-ends\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"zh_CN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Land ahoy! 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