Redesigning our city for living with Covid-19

Redesigning our city for living with Covid-19

Hong Kong and other places including New Zealand and Taiwan, have literally become islands of “virus virgins”. Initial study results underway show that only around 0.1 percent of Hong Kong’s population have antibodies for Covid-19.

Alert to the risks after SARS, Hongkongers acted quickly to tighten up hygiene, wear masks and keep a physical distance. The community pushed to shut down cross border traffic. While the rest of the world by gun point or otherwise is heading for herd immunity, Hong Kong has quarantined itself. Except for a minor leakage, we stayed clear from the waves of coronavirus sloshing around the world. 

While everyone works at ‘warp speed’ on safe vaccines, the inoculation of the world’s population will require several years. To stave off economic disaster, selective resumption of cross border traffic is imminent. By rethinking our city life, we can make sure the inevitable leakage of the virus into the community does not turn into a local outbreak.

Schools have re-engineered their operations to minimise infection rates. Screens on restaurant tables will be here to stay, increasing hygiene and privacy at the same time. Our informal sector offers cardboard box rentals to domestic helpers who use these as screens so they can rest in small groups of friends.

I have spotted ‘footles’ a foot pedal attached to the bottom of doors so you can pull it open with your foot. Others put wedges to keep doors permanently open. Temperature checks and alcohol sanitizers are now ubiquitous at entrances. What we’re missing are hand washing basins at entrances or at least accessible without having to touch door handles. Missing also is the re-engineering of water fountains so we can safely refill water bottles.

We need a strategy to subsidise transport operators to increase frequency and reduce crowding instead of reducing frequency with the drop in ridership. We should mimic overseas initiatives to create more space for pedestrians and cyclists. The aviation and cruise industry will have to adapt their services to convince us of minimal infection risks. It is hard to imagine how to redesign karaoke bars where one drunkenly sheds saliva on friends while torturing old songs.

We need to think creatively to safeguard both lives and livelihoods. It is on all of us to redesign our social life, business operations and city life to safely restart direct interactions without infecting others.

(Based on 'Redesigning our city for living with Covid-19' by Paul Zimmerman published in Southside Magazine, 1 June 2020)

重新構想 — 與疫症共存的城市

「我們該問的是如何令我們的城市，能在未來與疫症共存。」

香港與新西蘭、台灣等地相對成功抵禦病毒。曾歷「沙士」的香港人在病毒初現之時便如臨大敵，加緊注重個人衛生，全民紛紛配戴口罩及保持社交距離。當世界各地各施其法達致群體免疫，香港人則以社會輿論壓力迫使政府封關，從源頭堵截病毒，令香港做到實質上的自我隔離。與其他地方暴增的數字相比，香港的情況僅屬零星。最近確診數字有所上升，但是未有出現如外地的大規模爆發。

儘管國際科研機關正全速研發疫苗，但離全人類安全應用需時仍以年計。為免造成經濟蕭條，我們有必要逐步解封。現實是沒有方法能百分百杜絕病毒感染個案，重點是如何避免零星感染演變成社區爆發。

學校已從日常運作着手減少感染機會；食肆餐桌間的隔板恐怕亦要保留一段長時：亦有人士提向家傭租出卡板，令他們能繼續在安全衛生情況下相聚。

我亦開始在不同地方的門腳發現腳踏，令訪客能用腳打開門；亦有管理公司用門檔保持大門開啟。市民對出入口的體溫檢測已見慣不怪，酒精搓手液亦隨時可見。若說要如何做得更好，我認為可以在大門附近設置洗手盆，或在不同公共空間設置讓市民在無需觸碰門柄的情況下可進入的洗手設施。此外亦要檢討飲水機的設計，讓市民能安全衛生的情況下填充水樽。

除公共空間設計，在交通上政府亦應資助營運商增加班次，減少人多擠迫的情況，更要儘量避免因客流量減少而縮減班次。我們亦可參考外國做法，為步行及單車人士提供更多道路空間；航空業則要改變其營運及服務，以說服社會大眾它們已盡可能減少機艙內的感染風險。然而，就酒吧及卡拉OK行業，誠然現時仍未有確實方案減低營運活動的傳播風險。

在疫情下，我們要有創意地思考如何平衡人命安全及生活質素，這樣才可能找到安全可行的方法繼續我們的社交生活及商業社會。新濠國際發展宣布把珍寶海鮮舫暫停營運，有市民趕至拍照留念，網上亦有不少討論及相片瘋傳。這既是對經濟前景的唏噓，亦是過去社會動盪的餘震。餐廳近年放棄本地市場，專心經營旅遊生意；現在遊客減少，生意自然一落千丈。

(立場新聞2020年7月9日連結: 重新構想 — 與疫症共存的城市)