People in Hong Kong tend to do the same thing at the same time. This results, for example, in enormous swings in consumption when something becomes fashionable. May it be the new iPhone, a restaurant, a handbag or a celebrity. That's silly but harmless. But in times, where disease may strike the Special Administrative Region of China, it also is a self-amplifying environment for anxiety, superstition, homophobia and selfishness. No surprise the 2019-nCoV outbreak in China triggered again Hong Kong to make a fool of itself. For me, at a certain point, there was nothing to do anymore, and also nothing to help. So, I aborted my stay and flew out on a long trip through Dubai. Sorry, I did not post about culture, arts and experiences. All of that did not happen, and many other things did not happen as well.

I am impressed, though, by how Mainland China handles this emergency. No country in the world would be able to react like this. Of course, there are also things which don't work perfectly. Unnecessary tragedy struck many times. But still, nobody knows what we are really up against, and assessment and measures have to evolve by gaining more insight. I hope the situation will get under control soon. And also, this time it becomes clear that more research is needed to brace for the future.

Personally, I was during SARS-CoV in Shanghai, during MERS-CoV in the Middle East and now with 2019-nCoV in Hong Kong. Just happened to be there. Missed Ebola. Let’s see what’s next.

Trying out a supernatural approach to desinfection (Hong Kong, 10.02.2020)

Hoarding induced shortage (Hong Kong 08.02.2020)