{"id":2291,"date":"2021-08-25T14:18:25","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T06:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/?p=2291"},"modified":"2021-08-25T14:18:29","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T06:18:29","slug":"a-novel-way-of-enforcing-quarantine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hant\/%e7%b6%b2%e8%aa%8c\/a-novel-way-of-enforcing-quarantine\/","title":{"rendered":"A novel way of enforcing quarantine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hong Kong, 25 August 2021: <\/strong>\u201cAll animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.\u201d It is one of 20th<\/sup> century literature\u2019s most memorable quotes, penned by George Orwell in his classic 1945 novella Animal Farm<\/em>. The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human owner with the aim of creating a fairer society. But (spoiler alert), they begin squabbling among themselves and the farm ends up even worse than it was before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so it goes that all travellers to Hong Kong are equal, but some travellers are more equal than others. Upon returning from Zurich a week ago, I was struck by the number of signs with passengers\u2019 names being held up by waiting airport staff. These fortunate individuals, granted a Covid-19 quarantine exemption by our government, were duly tested and whisked through a designated channel to their waiting transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This administration\u2019s coronavirus website \u2013 slogan: \u201cTogether, We Fight the Virus!\u201d \u2013 details 12 categories of persons arriving from so-called Foreign Places who are exempted from compulsory quarantine. Aside from obvious ones such as aircraft and cargo ship crew, the list includes government officials carrying out governmental duties; senior officers in the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Securities and Futures Commission and Insurance Authority; and top executives of listed companies, financial institutions and licensed corporations. As for travellers from the Mainland, Macau and Taiwan, there are no less than 36 exempted groups. According to government figures, more than 41,200 notifications of medical surveillance were issued to exempted individuals last month. Perhaps we\u2019re not so \u201ctogether\u201d after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no exemption category for celebrities, but \u2013 as the whole of Hong Kong knows by now \u2013 this proved no barrier to Hollywood star Nicole Kidman (and entourage), who recently flew in on a private jet to commence filming a drama series for Amazon and took up residence in an upmarket home on the Peak. She was subsequently seen shopping at a high-end fashion store in Central.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cue outrage \u2013 howls of protest filling newspapers, airwaves and social media \u2013 among ordinary Hongkongers who are coping with the world\u2019s strictest pandemic controls. Scrambling to limit the damage, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau insisted Ms Kidman had been given permission to carry out \u201cdesignated professional work \u2026 conducive to maintaining the necessary operation and development of Hong Kong\u2019s economy\u201d. I guess it\u2019s obvious, when you think about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from clear issues regarding fairness and public health (Ms Kidman flew in from Sydney, currently gripped by a wave of Delta variant infections), you have to question \u2013 yet again \u2013 this administration\u2019s political acumen and social sensitivity. The drama series in question, Expats<\/em>, is about the lives of wealthy and glamorous foreigners in Hong Kong, which only adds to the perception of officials (and a movie star) wholly disconnected from everyday citizens. Honestly, who in our corridors of power considered all of this and decided it was a good idea?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alas, no pampering for this traveller, now on Day 8 of hotel isolation. It\u2019s not easy, of course, but I\u2019m making the best of it and am happy to share Colin\u2019s Quarantine Survival Guide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n