Fines Alone Can't Stop Covid: Matthew Cheung

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said on Sunday the government will continue to strengthen enforcement of its social-distancing regulations, to try to curb local Covid-19 infections.

Writing in his blog, Cheung said the authorities had issued more than 118 tickets to people from December 11-18, after the fixed-penalty fine for violations was increased from HK$2,000 to HK$5,000 last month.

But he urged people to cooperate and exercise self-discipline, to avoid social activities as much as possible, and maintain good personal and environmental hygiene.

“I want to stress that increasing fines can also increase deterrence, but relying solely on the government to impose restrictions through legal means won’t be enough to quickly curb the epidemic,” Cheung said.

He also urged people to quickly seek medical attention if they fall ill, warning them not to delay treatment or overestimate their resilience to the virus.

He noted that there have been recent cases of Covid patients seeking help at hospitals only when they became seriously ill, and that there have been fatalities involving people under the age of 60.

“People must not make the mistake of putting off seeking medical help just because they are young, or have mild symptoms,” Cheung wrote. “If you have any symptoms, consult a doctor as soon as possible and get tested.”

He noted that people infected with Covid-19 often display similar symptoms to that of colds and flus, and urged people to bundle up as the weather turns cold.

Cheung also said operations at five hotels currently being used to quarantine people flying into Hong Kong from abroad are going smoothly, and government inspectors have been checking up on things.