This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published by ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom.
Sigh. This is a sincere piece written with good intentions that is nothing more than a sweet family reunion story. The writer fell for an outdated narrative that doesn’t match the more complex reality: “The community-minded and prevention-oriented attitude of Hong Kong citizens is one that Americans could benefit from.” As someone who has spent time in three countries during COVID: Hong Kong, the US, and Canada, it’s obvious to me that writer doesn’t know Hong Kong today very well and only knows her local area in the US. This is not a meaningful lens and has distorted the understanding of the realities on Hong Kong and the public health challenges of diverse societies (including Hong Kong). Who paid for her hotel quarantine? How much did it cost? How should less fortunate Hong Kong people who need to travel pay for equivalent treatment? Why are so many elderly in Hong Kong unvaccinated (less than in the US)? Why are they still vaccinating and boostering with the Sinovac vaccine which has much less efficacy against Omicron that than the Pfizer/Biontech mRNA vaccine? Why are government officials granted a free pass on COVID gathering transmission events when domestic helpers are ordered to testing en mass in unhealthy conditions? The lack of respect for a society’s front line workers has been a hallmark of COVID. Hong Kong has only gotten some of it right.
Perhaps you could help fill in some of the blanks.
“Sigh.”
I found this article detailed and informative, describing a personal experience with HK travel/immigration rules. It was particularly helpful to have read it before reading several articles in other sources about the current outbreaks in HK. It helped me put things in perspective and understand the context and policies.
How dare the author write from her own lived experience.