Michael Chugani 褚簡寧 - endemic｜又中又英

2022/03/29 04:12:16 網誌分類: 生活

29 Mar

The darkest hour is just before the dawn. This is a well-known English proverb which means things often seem at their worst just before they get better. The word “dawn” means the first light from the sun in the early morning just before sunrise. Many people feel things are often at their worst in the dark but they get fresh hope in the dawn when the sun comes up. The coronavirus pandemic has made many people depressed. This proverb can help them regain hope. In the US, where I am now, it was the darkest hour several months ago when Omicron infected many people. The dawn has now arrived. Infections are going down daily.

Most US states no longer require people to wear facemasks. Restaurants are bustling, which means they are noisy and full of people. Most Americans are fed up with coronavirus restrictions such as having to wear facemasks. They want to get back to normal by learning to live with the virus. Hong Kong has also gone past its darkest hour. The dawn has arrived. Infections are dropping daily. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has decided to open bars, gyms, and other places in stages. But she has refused to give up her dynamic zero policy. And she still requires returning Hong Kong residents to quarantine for a week.

This makes no sense to me even though I am not an expert. Omicron is already in Hong Kong. Some experts say several million Hong Kong people have already been infected. What sense does it make to fear returning residents bringing in the virus when it is already circulating widely in Hong Kong? Many countries have decided to treat the virus as endemic, which means it is present in society. University of Hong Kong medical dean Gabriel Leung believes treating the virus as endemic and living with it is an alternative to dynamic zero for Hong Kong. I think Hong Kong should consider this alternative so it can open up to the world again.
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The darkest hour is just before the dawn.這是一句很有名的英文諺語，說的是黎明之前的時刻最為黑暗，意指事情看來最為惡劣之際，往往是快要轉好之時。Dawn是清晨日出前的破曉。許多人覺得事情在黑暗中往往最為惡劣，但當太陽升起，他們就會在黎明（dawn）之中找到新的希望。新冠肺炎疫情令許多人深感沮喪，這個諺語有助他們重燃希望。在我現時身處的美國，幾個月前有許多人感染到Omicron病毒時，確實是最黑暗的時刻（darkest hour）。現在黎明（dawn）已來臨，感染率每天下降。

大部份美國州份不再強制人們佩戴口罩；餐廳都是 bustling，意即都是熙來攘往、門庭如市的。美國人大多對抗疫措施例如戴口罩感到厭煩，他們想學懂與病毒共存，讓生活重回正軌。香港最黑暗的時刻（darkest hour）亦已過去了，黎明（dawn）已經來到，感染率每天回落。特首林鄭月娥已決定分階段開放酒吧、健身室和其他場所。然而她卻拒絕放棄動態清零政策，而且仍要求回港的香港市民必須隔離一周。

即使我並非專家，在我看來這是毫無意義的。Omicron病毒已經進入香港，一些專家說已有數百萬香港市民受到感染。當病毒已在香港廣泛傳播，害怕香港居民帶病毒回港，又有何道理可言？許多國家已經決定將病毒視為 endemic，意即地方性的風土病。香港大學醫學院院長梁卓偉認為，將病毒視為風土病（endemic），與之共存，是香港推行動態清零的替代方案。我認為香港好應考慮此一選擇，好使它能再次向世界開放。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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