Juliana, who we interviewed last year for getting through 4 years of topical steroid withdrawal, is a sales and operations executive living in Hong Kong with 2 family members and 3 dogs, 919km away from Wuhan. She told us how the COVID-19 epidemic caused her to lose her primary source of income and explained why the people of Hong Kong have been hoarding toilet paper.
“There are no apparent clusters, because it’s basically everywhere now.”Q: Hi Juliana, thanks for connecting with us all the way from Hong Kong! When did you first hear about the 2019-nCoV / COVID-19 coronavirus and what did you think of it then?
A: I heard in the second week of January. They were rumours at first. I was just observing people talk about it. Some are extremely fearful, while some couldn’t be bothered. A lot were mocking the government’s response to the news. It was entertaining I’d say. Personally, I didn’t think it was going to be that serious.
How concerned are you and the rest of Hong Kong now? Do you personally know anyone who’s been infected by the novel coronavirus?
I’m not that concerned for myself, because I take the precautions like wearing a mask, washing my hands, and staying away from crowded places. The rest of Hong Kong right now has settled after the initial mask-hoarding weeks. Most people have access to face masks now, and they are all very hygienic all of a sudden. Fortunately, I do not personally know anyone who’s been affected.
How many cases are there in Hong Kong at the moment of this interview? And how did most of the cases in Hong Kong get infected? Are there any notable clusters?
There are 101 cases as of 3 Mar 2020. Most of them got infected by having travelled to China. And then there were meal gatherings that propagated the spread. Lately, there was a family of 19 having a family gathering, and 9 got diagnosed with the virus after that meal. There are no apparent clusters, because it’s basically everywhere now.
When SARS happened 17 years ago, Hong Kong had 1755 people infected vs Singapore’s 238. Yet this time round, Singapore has had more confirmed cases than Hong Kong for many days running. Why do you think this is the case?
Firstly, the COVID-19 is more contagious than SARS. Singapore did not force their people to take necessary precautions. I remember in the beginning of February, most of Hong Kong were already wearing masks and practicing hand washing rituals. Friends and family in Singapore told me they have no masks due to limited supplies, and the government told them NOT to wear masks? If we only relied on the sick to wear a mask to limit the spread of the virus, this will be kind of what has happened in Singapore.
How has the government of Hong Kong been dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak thus far? Where do you think they did well and what can they do better?
The Hong Kong government closed certain borders connected to China, and imposed a compulsory 14 days quarantine. They did well in the sense that they tried to keep the door open to people in need of medical treatment, and they can do better by closing the borders and implementing the quarantine a lot earlier. How can you try to take care of others when you don’t even have enough supplies for the medical team, and local patients?
Is there anything you know about the situation within China or in Hong Kong that has not been mentioned, or has been misrepresented, by news agencies outside of China?
This I do not know. I realise most foreign press talk mostly about their own country’s situation. As for the situation within China, I only hear of it through the newspaper, which may already be misrepresented.
What is the status of food, water and supplies like masks and toilet paper in stores in Hong Kong right now? And why are people stock-piling toilet paper, of all things?
Supplies for all the necessities are steadying since it’s been 1 month after the Chinese New Year break and most factories are back in operation. People were stock-piling toilet paper because the older folks heard rumours about a lack of supply for toilet paper as it’s a raw material in the mask-making process. When people think supply is going to dwindle, they hoard. You know old folks are really gullible, although they have a lot more experience and wisdom in them? If it’s on the internet or whatsapp, it must be true!
How has COVID-19 affected your life?
In so many ways. I have to wear a mask 12 hours a day, stop hanging out (it’s been 1.5 months since I last had a happy Friday night out!), family gatherings got cancelled, got extra day offs at work because we can’t work from home so our company let us have one more day to stay at home. A lot of brands are having sales now, and I got laid off at work because retail business is so bad.
What will you do if you or any one of the members of your family develops symptoms of the virus? What do the officials in Hong Kong recommend you do?
Self-quarantine and see a doctor.
What will you do if the COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong takes a turn for the worse? Have you prepared in any way for the situation taking a turn for the worse?
Probably go on a holiday somewhere else. Since the job market is really bad right now, might as well take a break. I can’t say I’m prepared, but I’ll just stick it out together with my family.
Which 3 items or people are most useful for you right now?
Surgical face masks, hand wash, and iso-propyl alcohol.
Is there anything you regret not doing earlier?
Fortunately for me, I lived a very full life before this virus happened. I’m glad I got to do all those, and I can’t wait to explore more of Hong Kong once this situation is under control!
Lastly, what have you learned from this novel coronavirus outbreak that you didn’t know before?
That the average Hong Kong citizen has more common sense than the government, and they are all very well prepared to face this coronavirus. I have to say, if there is another contagious respiratory disease hitting the different cities, Hong Kong is probably one of the safer cities to be in because everyone protects themselves. If everyone else wears a mask and you don’t, you’re safe.
Juliana is presently working on a side gig, building a brand she envisioned but hopes to get a day job at L’Oreal or Estee Lauder too someday. She no longer blogs (“My blogs are all kinda dead now ahahaha!”) but you may still converse with her here using the contact box below.
Tomorrow, we chat with a businessman from Singapore to find out how the novel coronavirus has affected him. Follow the latest in our COVID-19 Diaries series here.
If you’re in a country that has been affected by the novel coronavirus and would like to share information about the situation where you’re at, do get in touch with us here.
Other interviews with Juliana:
How I Made It Through 4 Years of Topical Steroid Withdrawal, And How It Changed Me
Photographs courtesy and copyright of Juliana. Interviewer: Sy
Sponsor or support the COVID-19 Diaries series here.
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Thank you so much for sharing this interview. I’m in the US now, and it’s really hard to understand what’s happening right now. I appreciate having the perspective of someone else in Hong Kong, which may give us insight as to what will happen here.
No problem, Will. Happy to have helped. The world around is in this together this time round. We should be sharing everything we know in order to be able to collectively end this strange period in time faster.