Hello, Dior 999! Goodbye, N95!
Five and nine are the two numbers to remember about the three-year-long pandemic in Hong Kong.
Today finally marks the end of the mask mandate, known as the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation (Cap. 599).
Let’s celebrate the 959 days we have survived that we have no choice but to cover our noses and mouths over an ultra-long period way beyond our expectations.
Farewell to the signature N95 and other surgical masks that protect us from the deadly coronavirus.
When we look back, masks are the most effective way to prevent the spread of Covid-19 yet they are also the most inhumane way that most of the 7 billion people on the planet had to put up with.
Now take a deep breath and smile.
We must have lost count of how many masks we bought and wore but one thing we are more certain of is we shall see much fewer mask shops on the street.
One estimate by shop expert Edwin Lee, founder of Bridgeway Prime Shop Fund Management, is that ninety per cent of the mask shops will be eventually closed.
Currently, there are about 300 mask shops, and most of them are on short leases.
Mask maker Savewo told local papers that said its sales dropped 90 per cent in February compared to the same month last year. For a change, Dior 999 and other beauty items are back on the stage.
It was said that there are more beautiful ladies in the city with their masks on. Now lipsticks, cosmetics and other beauty items will need to work the magic.
Sorry ladies, no more pajamas and the hybrid multi-tasking of cooking, babysitting and watching Netflix as the days of working from home would be dearly missed.
But bars and restaurants, snack stores, gym, even dating companies will see a robust and well-deserved comeback.
Welcome to the return of the face-to-face era!
-- Contact us at [email protected]
-
How should leaders govern the people? Michael Chugani
A senior Mainland official once advised Donald Tsang Yam-kuen when he was the chief executive to think like the people do. It was good advice. Leaders who want to effectively serve the people need to
-
Hong Kong Tourism Board Unveils ‘Only in Hong Kong’
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) launched ‘Only in Hong Kong’, a new global campaign that redefines how the city is experienced and differentiating Hong Kong as Asia’s World City. Moving beyond a
-
Zhang Daqian, China's Best Painter for 500 Years Mark O'Neill
At Sotheby’s art auction in Hong Kong in April this year, it put on sale three works by Zhang Daqian ( 張大千). One of them, Sunshine after Rain (雨後斜陽), sold for HK$15.36 million. It was evidence that,
-
Government celebrates success of Kai Tak Sports Park Mark O'Neill
The Hong Kong government is celebrating the success of the Kai Tak Sports Park which opened in March last year – nearly 600,000 people have attended major sports events there. In a written reply in
-
Government rewrites history of Hong Kong Mark O'Neill
The government has rewritten the history of Hong Kong, saying that it was never a colony because British rule was illegal and was never democratic and downplaying the events of 1989. “The Hong Kong
