Originally Posted by tropic:
What you are describing is called 'living with covid', which neither the mainland or HK subscribe to. Let's just say hypothetically by February or March HK has a 100% vaccination rate with the whole population boosted, do you really think HK will open up to the world? Absolutely not. In HK there is close to no benefit for being vaccinated, you don't get less time in quarantine, don't get exemption from ambush lockdown testing, mask exemption, or anything major, just basically more people per table at restaurants. That means the government is being very prudent towards the vaccine. And next month they are going to sanction all those haven't taken the vaccine, basically reducing benefits to the unvaccinated and to make it seem like the vaccinated have benefits, even though for the vaccinated it's the same thing no reduction in benefits or gain either. Those most at risk and the elderly should absolutely get the vaccine with the utmost priority, but at the end of the day it's a personal choice.
What you are advocating for is segregation, meanwhile other countries have shown that omicron is resistant to even the triple dosed, the triple dosed are contracting covid and spreading omicron at sky high levels, there is barely if any reduction in transmission from the vaccine. If you going to talk about reduction in hospitalizations and deaths, yes the vaccine absolutely achieves that very well, but then you should apply the same logic towards any other lifestyle choices that increase the risk factor of hospitalizations & death like obesity, cigarettes, drinking, dangerous sports & activities, etc. Why should smokers be allowed to live without segregation even though smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and hospitalizations in the world. I strongly disagree with the segregation that you are talking about, years from now you will see you are on the wrong side of history, making a minority of people second class citizens who have done nothing wrong. Healthcare is a human right and it is morally and ethically wrong to discriminate against people's lifestyle and health choices.
HK's one and only goal is to open up with the mainland. Please expect all the authoritarian vaccine passports and vaccine mandates without any of the opening up. In bound quarantine from elsewhere will still be 3 weeks or at least 2, they are splitting the airport into 2 sections china bubble vs rest of world bubble, ambush lockdowns will still be happening, close contact quarantine will still happen, masks will still be mandatory, schools will still be cycling through reopenings and closing down, animals will still be culled in the thousands, gyms & cinemas temporary closures, etc. The central and hk governments aim to eradicate omicron and other variants through the zero covid policy. Even the WHO has said the vaccines will not be the way out from the virus. If anyone disagrees I'm happy to have a civil discussion on this and to provide sources for any claims I've made.