The Doctor Will See You Now [Non-Fiction]

Chapter 92: The COVID Series

Day 3 of Strike.

Our union, for the third day in a row, headed to our chief executive Carrie Lam's office to hand in petitions for our five demands. For the third day in a row, she refused to meet them.

The head of department sent us all an email asking why there isn't anyone on call. We reply it's because we are striking (like we mentioned in last week's email and every single day this week). He phoned the doctor who was originally scheduled to take the call and berated him.

He's a good boss. He tries to fulfil our leave requests, ensure we get paid when our duties ran over time even though we weren't scheduled for OT that day, and actively tries to learn the names of his juniors even though there are some 40 of us (10 of them new this year). He's under tremendous amount of pressure right now with the strike, massive bed shortages, nCoV outbreak, and no doubt pressure from above. I won't bear a grudge against him but I'll be lying to say I'm not disappointed in his words.

A cruise ship carrying over 1800 people (most of them from HK) was stopped from alighting at Taiwan today (search for 'World Dream', the name of the cruise ship). This is because three people on the ship tested positive for nCOV and 200 others have fevers. Taiwan refused their entry -- smart choice. Now the ship is docked at HK.

Carrie Lam announced today that, three days from now, everyone who comes to HK via mainland, locals or visitors, must undergo a compulsory 14-day quarantine period to monitor for symptoms of nCoV. I'm not sure how this will be reinforced or even where this isolation will take place. The isolation camps have nowhere the amount of space to accommodate the (tens of?) thousands of people coming over the border daily. Are they to be isolated at home? Who will ensure they stay at home? Will there be policemen stationed outside? Or tracking bracelets? She says details "are still being drafted". 0/5 demands fulfilled.

The border remains open. At least 10,000 people come in via mainland every day still. We have had three cases of people-to-people transmission now.

Also who wants to place bets on a massive surge of mainlanders to HK in the three days until this gets implemented? It's like the Wuhan city lockdown. The six hour window allowed half the city to evacuate. I can't even.

My friend who passed through the border recently said she signed a health declaration (as is suggested ?or enforced) as she came through to Hong Kong. Nobody took her declaration. She took it home with her.

The city's infectious disease ward quota is now full. Further suspected nCoV cases will be spilling out to other hospitals' infectious disease wards. Colleagues are talking about calling off the strike early because those infected cases will be a heavy strain on our non-striking colleagues.

Seniors phoned us striking juniors. They are very displeased we aren't even going on call and said they do support us striking, but being on call was the bare requirement. My colleagues folded and returned to work. I will return with them; we stand together, after all.

Oh, and our department of health's chief said he will give out pot noodles to everyone who attends work today. Wow.