Ariel entered the room and looked at the older one.
“We both started to cry,” she said.
Ariel’s family found themselves caught in the eye of Hong Kong’s inflexible, yet effective, pandemic prevention measures in late February. Although it has been more than 14 months since the territory identified its first coronavirus case, Hong Kong has shown little sign of easing numerous restrictions.
Almost all residents arriving in the city must spend 21 days in the hotel quarantine on their own. Restaurants close at 10 pm and the beaches close. Public meetings are limited to four people.
The territory tracking and tracing program remains among the strictest in the world. Anyone with a positive test for the virus should go to the hospital, while their close contacts must enter government-administered quarantine facilities for up to 14 days. The government frequently conducts “ambush-style” blockades, forcing entire apartment buildings or blocks to pass Covid-19 tests.
This approach makes Hong Kong unique. While many governments are easing restrictions as vaccination rates rise, Hong Kong appears to be doubling its proven methods as its own vaccination campaign increases.
From the point of view of public health, there is little discussion with the results. This city of more than 7 million inhabitants has identified only about 11,300 cases and 200 deaths, according to government data. And there were zero rigid blocks.
But the lack of flexibility, in many cases, left parents like Ariel with a painful decision: go to quarantine and send their children to the hospital alone, or accompany them to the hospital and run the risk of infection.
Ariel joined the children about a day after his admission, after spending hours on the phone trying to navigate the bureaucracy of a large health care system and calm the fears of his crying son.
The scene she arrived at was not what she or her husband expected when their children were admitted to the hospital as asymptomatic cases the day before. Ariel said they were told that their children would be “well looked after by the pediatric nurses and doctors there,” and not tied to their beds.
Restraints and diapers, the nurse told Ariel, were standard practice because hospitals do not have a labor reserve to care for all children with Covid-19 and want to limit the risk to staff.
“I understand the protocol,” said Ariel, “but as a parent, that is not acceptable.”
Ariel is a pseudonym CNN has agreed to use to protect his family’s privacy. She hesitated to share her story because of the personal nature of the family’s health decisions and said she didn’t want to sound like she was blaming someone. She agreed to talk about it so that other parents could learn from their situation – and insist that they are not separated from young children.
The newest cluster
Hong Kong’s Covid-19 cases have been on the rise since an outbreak related to a state-of-the-art gym in the Sai Ying Pun neighborhood last week.
The cluster reached affluent areas of the city, with bankers and teachers between the scores that were sent to quarantine camps across the territory. Many are housed in rooms up to 18 square meters (200 square feet) until they are discharged, including families with young children.
They receive meals and can deliver under certain conditions, but several say they cannot leave the room. Conflicting with these policies can result in heavy fines for individuals and businesses – or even imprisonment.
There have been dozens of others since the emergence of the academy group. However, it is not clear whether the increase is due to the fact that more expatriates – a segment of the population that is most likely to complain and speak to foreign media – are being forced to support them.
Carrie Lam, the city leader, said on Tuesday that the government “does not have a policy of deliberately separating children from their parents”.
“But public health concerns must be respected, because it is good for the community at large,” she said.
The Hong Kong Department of Health has not confirmed any of these incidents. In an email to CNN, he said family members living with Covid-19 positive patients “will be treated as close contacts and need to be quarantined in the quarantine center”.
“For Covid-19 cases involving children, the public hospital will, in special circumstances, decide whether or not their parents can stay with the children in the hospital,” he added.
“Hong Kong has comprehensive and robust measures to combat Covid-19, which include quarantine and isolation when necessary, and these measures are able to stabilize the recent epidemic wave in safeguarding the well-being of our community as a whole. However, we I would also like to emphasize that, where children are involved, any and all decisions have been made in the interests of children and their families, “says the statement.
Many in the Hong Kong expat community have expressed concern about the measures. An American Chamber of Commerce survey of 239 members found that most “were concerned or a little concerned about sending entire school classes to government quarantine facilities and that the policy is not justified when it comes to children’s health” .
More than half said that if such actions were to become routine, it would “influence their decision to stay in Hong Kong”.
While the quarantine strategy has been criticized as overzealous and inhumane – especially for those imprisoned in small spaces for weeks without fresh air – many also appreciate the government’s effectiveness when it comes to maintaining the safety of the general public.
After a slower-than-expected absorption at the launch of the vaccine, authorities announced on Monday that anyone over 30 – about 80% of the population – could apply for vaccination.
“It is extremely important that people are vaccinated as early as possible,” said a government spokesman. “We decided to expand the scope of the priority groups to allow more people to be vaccinated as quickly as possible to protect themselves and others.”