China said on Friday that it has imposed counter-sanctions on U.S. individuals including former U.S. commerce secretary Wilbur Ross in response to U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials with Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong.
The sanctions are the first imposed by China under its new anti-foreign sanction law, passed in June, and come days before U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is due to visit China amid deeply strained ties.
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China also imposed unspecified “reciprocal counter-sanctions” on the current or former heads of a range of organisations, including the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, International Republican Institute, Human Rights Watch, and on the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested the possible move during an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, adding that “we’re taking this very seriously.”
Pompeo was asked by Ingraham whether the United States should be considering a ban on Chinese social media apps, “especially TikTok.”
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“With respect to Chinese apps on people’s cell phones, I can assure you the United States will get this one right too, Laura,” he said. “I don’t want to get out in front of the President [Donald Trump], but it’s something we’re looking at.”
HSBC and Standard Chartered have given their backing to China’s new security laws for Hong Kong.
Both banks made statements saying the proposed law can help maintain long-term stability in the troubled city.
On Wednesday, HSBC’s Asia Pacific chief executive Peter Wong signed a petition backing the law which has been widely criticised.
But this backing comes as Japanese bank Nomura said it was “seriously” examining its presence in Hong Kong.
It is unusual for a bank to enter into political debate, particularly one as controversial as China’s new security laws which many feel could mark the end of Hong Kong’s unique freedoms.
HSBC’s statement noted that the Hong Kong Association of Banks had already issued a statement saying the law would contribute to a stable business environment.
What did the banks say?
Although it is Europe’s largest bank, HSBC has a strong presence in Asia, particularly Hong Kong.
HSBC “respects and supports all laws that stabilise Hong Kong’s social order,” it said in a post on social media in China.
The bank’s full name is the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and it has its origins in the former British colony. While HSBC moved its headquarters to London in 1993, Hong Kong is still its biggest market.
Standard Chartered also has a strong presence in Asia. “We believe the national security law can help maintain the long-term economic and social stability of Hong Kong,” it said in a statement.
It added that “the ‘one country, two systems’ principle is core to the future success of Hong Kong and has always been the bedrock of the business community’s confidence”.
Meanwhile, Japanese investment bank Nomura said it was reviewing the scale of its operations in Hong Kong.
The bank’s chief executive, Kentaro Okuda, said that while Hong Kong remained its most critical Asian hub outside Japan, the situation now was “not the same as it used to be” in an interview with the FT.
What are the new security laws?
While the details are still being fleshed out, the new security laws would make criminal any act of:
secession – breaking away from the country
subversion – undermining the power or authority of the central government
terrorism – using violence or intimidation against people
activities by foreign forces that interfere in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong residents are concerned this will affect free speech and their right to protest. In China this would be seen as subversion. People are also worried about suggestions that China could set up its own institutions in Hong Kong responsible for security.
“The new national security law will deal the most severe blow to the rights of people in Hong Kong since the territory’s transfer to China in 1997,” according to Human Rights Watch.
HSBC had been previously caught up in Hong Kong’s anti-government protests, with its branches vandalised and bronze lion statues outside its headquarters defaced during a protest march in January.
The bank is also facing its own challenges from the coronavirus pandemic with the prospect of thousands of job losses and a significant drop in earnings.
HSBC didn’t respond to a request from the BBC for further comments about the social media post.
More than 40% of cinemas in China could go bust, according to a bleak report by the China Film Association.
Having been temporary closed during the virus pandemic, audiences may struggle to return, the association says.
Millions of Chinese have enjoyed watching movies online during cinema closures thanks to a wide range of streaming services.
As a result, thousands could shut permanently in a “massive bloodbath” predicts one Chinese business expert.
There are now more than 12,000 cinemas in China, according to market research firm IBISWorld. This figure has more than doubled in the past decade as China has embraced movie-going.
But four out of 10 said they “are very likely to close” in the near future, according to the China Film Association survey. This could mean nearly 5,000 cinemas going bust as a result of the pandemic.
Cinemas have been among the last venues to reopen in China as lockdown measures are gradually lifted. The Chinese government said that cinemas, along with other indoor entertainment venues, could reopen with limited bookings.
In the first quarter of 2020, China’s box office takings have fallen significantly, according to the film association. Small cinemas with fewer than 500 seats suffered the most, with revenues only reaching 10% of those taken during the same period last year.
If cinema re-openings are delayed until October, annual revenues would plunge by 91% across the board, the association predicts. Last year, China generated 64.2bn yuan (£7.2bn) from movie ticket sales as millions flocked to cinemas.
Online boom
Shaun Rein, founder of the China Market Research Group, believes a major challenge will be the growing strength of China’s online movie sector, which is hugely competitive with platforms such as Iqiyi, Youkou and Tencent Video.
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“Chinese players are just so cheap, often because they are subsidised as they are owned by giant internet players like Alibaba, Baidu or Tencent,” he said.
“Aside from fears over catching Covid-19, consumers won’t go back to cinemas anytime soon as the digital offerings are too good and cheap,”
He also predicted more pain for cinemas if film companies start to launch direct-to-digital offerings and charge higher prices for online movie releases on a pay-as-you-go basic on top of subscription rates. “I expect the cinema sector to face a massive bloodbath and many will go out of business,” he added.
Lack of new releases
Another challenge is getting people back into cinemas due to the lack of new films, with production curtailed due to travel and social restrictions.
“We hear about 20% of local productions have begun or resumed physical work, with the balance postponed or in financial difficulty related to the Covid-19 outbreak,” said Rance Pow, chief executive of Artisan Gateway, an Asian film industry consultant.
“So that complicates the timing and recovery of cinemas as well; ‘must see’ films will be needed like never before to bolster the industry recovery”.
Some have warned that China’s film industry will lose up to 30bn yuan this year, including the National Film Administration, a government body.
Others are less pessimistic about the fortunes of China’s cinemas. “The predictions are dire, but I’m more optimistic,” said Chris Fenton, a former motion picture president and author of Feeding the Dragon. He points to the Chinese government’s desire to have a world-class film industry and largest market in the world.
“Plus the Chinese have embraced movie-going into the cultural fabric of society. It’s a habit they are rabid about. That urge to visit cinemas regularly has not waned”.
Seven former UK foreign secretaries have urged Boris Johnson to form a global alliance to co-ordinate the response to the China-Hong Kong crisis.
China is facing mounting criticism over a planned security law for Hong Kong which would make it a crime to undermine Beijing’s authority.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK would not turn a blind eye.
Hong Kong was handed back to China from British control in 1997 but under a unique agreement.
The former British colony enjoys some freedoms not seen in mainland China – and these are set out in a mini-constitution called the Basic Law.
But there are fears the proposed law, which has sparked protests in Hong Kong, could compromise some of the freedoms guaranteed by the Basic Law.
In their letter to the prime minister, the cross-party group of former cabinet ministers says the UK government must be seen to lead the international response, as many countries take their cue from Britain over its former colony.
Jeremy Hunt, David Miliband, Jack Straw, William Hague, Malcolm Rifkind, David Owen and Margaret Beckett all expressed their concern at what they call China’s “flagrant breach” of Sino-British agreements by imposing tough national security laws on Hong Kong.
They urged Mr Johnson to set up an “international contact group” of allies to coordinate any joint action, similar to that set up in 1994 to try to end the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
A Downing Street spokesman insisted the government was already playing a leading role with international partners in urging China to think again.
Mr Raab said the new security legislation “very clearly violates” the autonomy that is guaranteed under Chinese law as well as that in the 1997 agreement.
He confirmed the UK will allow those who hold British National (Overseas) (BNO) passports to come to the UK and apply to study and work for an extendable 12-month period.
This will in turn “provide a path to citizenship”, he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday.
BNO passports were granted to Hong citizens born before the Chinese handover in 1997 and while they allow the holder some protection from the UK foreign service they do not give the right to live or work in Britain.
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Mr Raab said up to three million people registered as a British national (overseas) in Hong Kong could be eligible for UK citizenship if China presses ahead with the law.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Commons foreign affairs committee, Tom Tugendhat, said the government must realise that China has a “very, very authoritarian system of government” and should rethink the partnership between the two.
US President Donald Trump has announced that he is terminating the country’s relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO).
The president has accused the WHO of failing to hold Beijing to account over the coronavirus pandemic.
“China has total control over the World Health Organization,” the president said while announcing measures aimed at punishing Beijing.
Washington will redirect funds to other bodies, he said.
The US is the global health agency’s largest single contributor, providing more than $400m (£324m; €360m) in 2019.
Mr Trump, who is campaigning for re-election this year and has been criticised for his own handling of the pandemic, has blamed China for trying to cover up the coronavirus outbreak.
More than 102,000 people in the US have lost their lives to Covid-19 – by far the biggest death toll in the world.
What did Trump say?
“We will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and directing those funds” to other global public health charities, Mr Trump said in the White House Rose Garden.
“The world is now suffering as a result of the malfeasance of the Chinese government,” he said.
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He added that China had “instigated a global pandemic that has cost over 100,000 American lives”.
The president accused China of pressurising the WHO to “mislead the world” about the virus.
What’s the background to this?
Mr Trump’s criticism of the WHO’s handling of the pandemic began last month when he threatened to permanently withdraw US funding, suggesting the UN health agency had “failed in its basic duty” in its response.
“It is clear the repeated missteps by you and your organisation in responding to the pandemic have been extremely costly for the world,” he wrote in a letter to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on 18 May.
He later labelled the WHO a “puppet of China”.
China has accused the US of being responsible for the spread of the virus on its own soil, attributing the outbreak to American “politicians who lie”.
Earlier this month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Mr Trump was trying to mislead the public, smear China and “shift the blame for [the US’s] own incompetent response”.
WHO member states have since agreed to set up an independent inquiry into the global response to the pandemic.
President Donald Trump has announced that he will start to end preferential treatment for Hong Kong in trade and travel, in response to a new security law pushed by Beijing.
He described the Chinese government’s moves to introduce the measure in Hong Kong as a “tragedy”.
Mr Trump also said he was “terminating” the US relationship with the World Health Organization over Covid-19.
China has told the West to “stop interfering” in Hong Kong.
The territory, a former British colony, enjoys unique freedoms not seen in mainland China. But many people there see the looming security law as bringing an end to Hong Kong’s special status, agreed under a 1984 agreement between China and the UK.
There are fears the proposed measure – which has sparked a wave of anti-mainland protests – could end Hong Kong’s unique status and make it a crime to undermine Beijing’s authority in the territory.
This week, Britain said that if China went forward with the law, it could offer British National (Overseas) passport holders in Hong Kong a path to UK citizenship.
On Friday, the UK Home Office confirmed that up to three million people with BNO status could acquire citizenship in this way – as long as they applied for and were granted a passport.
What did President Trump outline?
Mr Trump said that he no longer considered Hong Kong to be separate from China.
“China has replaced One Country, Two Systems with One Country, One System”, Mr Trump told reporters in the White House’s Rose Garden, in a prepared statement that attacked China on several fronts.
“This is a tragedy for Hong Kong… China has smothered Hong Kong’s freedom,” he said.
Mr Trump said sanctions would be imposed on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who were believed by Washington to be involved in eroding the territory’s autonomy. He did not outline what form these sanctions would take.
He added that the State Department would revise its travel advisory for Hong Kong in light of “increased danger of surveillance” from China.
The president also said the US would suspend the entry of foreign nationals from China identified by the US as potential security risks. There are fears that this could affect thousands of graduate students.
No further details were given on Mr Trump’s announcement that he would “terminate” the US relationship with the WHO. In April, the US president said he would halt funding to the UN agency because it has “failed in its basic duty” in its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
He accused the WHO of mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus after it emerged in China.
The Global Times newspaper – whose views are believed to reflect those of China’s leaders- called the move towards revoking Hong Kong’s special status with the US “recklessly arbitrary”.
Hong Kong’s Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng told the BBC’s Chinese Service earlier on Friday that any threat of sanctions was unacceptable.
“Are the sanctions being imposed with a view to coerce another state to change their policy…? Any such sanctions are not going to benefit anyone,” she said.
Adding a new edge to the deteriorating US-China relations
Analysis by Zhaoyin Feng, BBC Chinese
The US removing Hong Kong’s special privileges sent a strong warning signal to China, which activists and protesters in the territory will welcome.
The announced measures include not only Hong Kong, but also intellectual property theft and Chinese firms listed in the US.
According to media reports, Washington is expected to revoke more than 3,000 Chinese graduate students’ visas. While this accounts for only 1% of the total number of Chinese students in America, Washington’s move will open yet another front of the bilateral tensions.
But the separate punishments announced for China may not be as harsh as what had been expected, as indicated in the stock markets’ rise after his speech.
Beijing will probably match some of Washington’s sanctions and restrictions in a tit-for-tat manner. After a short-lived honeymoon since the trade deal, China and the US appear to be heading towards the abyss at an accelerating speed.
What is the security law about?
China has proposed security legislation which would make it a crime to undermine Beijing’s authority in Hong Kong, and could also see China installing its own security agencies in the region for the first time.
China’s parliament has backed the resolution – which now passes to the country’s senior leadership.
Full details about exactly what behaviour will be outlawed under the new security law are not yet clear. It is due to be enacted before September.
However, it is expected to criminalise:
secession – breaking away from China
subversion – undermining the power or authority of the central government
terrorism – using violence or intimidation against people
activities by foreign forces that interfere in Hong Kong
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Experts say they fear the law could see people punished for criticising Beijing – as happens in mainland China. For example, Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo was jailed for 11 years for subversion after he co-authored a document calling for political reform.
China’s foreign ministry in Hong Kong described US criticism of the new draft law as “utterly imperious, unreasonable and shameless”.
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China on Thursday approved a controversial proposal to impose a national security law for Hong Kong, reigniting concerns over the financial hub’s diminishing freedoms.
The law will effectively bypass Hong Kong’s legislature, and raises concerns over whether it is a breach of the Chinese city’s autonomy, which was promised under the “one country, two systems” principle.
It comes after months of pro-democracy protests, which sometimes spiraled into chaos and violence, that have rocked Hong Kong and devastated key sectors in its economy, including tourism and retail.
Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, is a special administrative region of China. Under the “one country, two systems” framework, the city is given some freedoms that citizens in the mainland do not have. That includes self-governing power, limited election rights, and a largely separate legal and economic framework from mainland China.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has said the decision to implement the law was “designed for steady implementation of ‘one country, two systems’ and Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability.”
But critics of the law say it violates that policy and promise of freedom to the Hong Kong people.
Prior to the approval of the bill, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Hong Kong was no longer highly independent from China.
Here’s how other leaders around the world say about China’s move to pass the bill.
JOINT RESPONSE FROM U.S., UNITED KINGDOM, AUSTRALIA, CANADA
In a joint statement, the four countries expressed their “deep concern” regarding Beijing’s proposed law.
“Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of freedom. The international community has a significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability,” it said.
“Direct imposition of national security legislation on Hong Kong by the Beijing authorities, rather than through Hong Kong’s own institutions as provided for under Article 23 of the Basic Law, would curtail the Hong Kong people’s liberties.” The Basic Law is Hong Kong’s mini constitution.
The move will “dramatically erode Hong Kong’s autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous,” they added.
The joint statement pointed out that the law “will exacerbate the existing deep divisions in Hong Kong society” and “does nothing to build mutual understanding and foster reconciliation within Hong Kong.”
“Rebuilding trust across Hong Kong society by allowing the people of Hong Kong to enjoy the rights and freedoms they were promised can be the only way back from the tensions and unrest that the territory has seen over the last year,” they added.
GERMANY
“Hong Kong’s autonomy must not be undermined,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said in a statement, adding that it was an opinion shared by the European Union. “The citizens of Hong Kong enjoy freedoms and rights, that are afforded to them through the Basic Law and on the principle ‘one country, two systems’. We expect that law and order to be upheld.”
“The principle ‘one country, two systems’ and law and order are the base for Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity. Even the security law must not question these principles,” he added.
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“Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly as well as the democratic debate in Hong Kong have to be respected in the future.”
TAIWAN
Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen pledged support for Hong Kong immediately after Beijing proposed the law last week. She said Taiwan “stands with the people of Hong Kong,” and pledged “necessary assistance” to those who need help.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and considers the self-ruled island as a Chinese province, that must be united with the mainland, by force if necessary. The Chinese Communist Party has never governed Taiwan.
In a tweet after the bill was approved, Tsai said she has moved to create a “humanitarian assistance action plan” for Hong Kong citizens, some of whom have already emigrated to Taiwan amid the uncertainty.
JAPAN
Even before the bill was passed, Japan’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying: “Japan is seriously concerned” about China’s decision toward Hong Kong.
“Hong Kong is an extremely important partner for Japan with which Japan maintains close economic ties and people-to-people exchanges,” the ministry said. “It is the long-standing policy of Japan to attach great importance to upholding a free and open system which Hong Kong has been enjoying and the democratic and stable development of Hong Kong under the ‘One Country Two System’ framework.”
The statement added that Japan has conveyed such views to China and “will continue to carefully observe developments surrounding Hong Kong.”
China’s Ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, has been found dead in his apartment north of Tel Aviv, an Israeli official told BBC News.
The official said Israeli police had launched an investigation but initial findings suggested no foul play.
Mr Du, 57, was only appointed ambassador in February having previously served as envoy to Ukraine.
The ambassador was married and had a son but his family had still to join him in Israel.
He was living in Herzliya, some 10km north of Tel Aviv.
An Israeli police spokesman told Reuters news agency: “As part of the regular procedure, police units are at the scene.”
Israel’s Channel 12 TV, quoting unnamed medical sources, said initial indications were that Mr Du had died in his sleep of natural causes.
There was no immediate comment on Mr Du’s death from Chinese officials.
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In a message published on the embassy’s website just after his appointment as ambassador, Mr Du praised the relations between “the second largest economy in the world and Israel the start-up nation”.
Self-isolation on arrival
When he arrived in Israel on 15 February, Mr Du had immediately to self-isolate for two weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.
In an interview with Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon last month, Mr Du said China was being made the world’s scapegoat.
“In history, more than once, a certain group of people was accused of spreading pandemics,” he said.
“That is despicable and should be condemned. The disease is an enemy of the entire humankind and the world should fight it together.”
On Friday, his embassy made a scathing attack on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who had criticised China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic on a visit to Israel.
In a response published in the Jerusalem Post, the embassy condemned Mr Pompeo’s “absurd comments”, denying that China had ever covered up the crisis.
Step outside your door without a face mask in Hong Kong, Seoul or Tokyo, and you may well get a disapproving look.
In recent weeks, many European nations have issued advisories to wear a mask in certain public settings, and in England the latest advice is to wear a face covering in “enclosed spaces where social distancing is not always possible”, such as public transport and some shops.
Several US states have also given similar advice, and even the White House now makes it compulsory for all staff to wear face masks – though President Donald Trump still refuses to wear one.
Many people are still not wearing masks despite official advice though, and some governments remain unconvinced about the science.
Why some people embrace masks while others shun them is not just about government directives and medical advice – it’s also about culture and history, a debate over evidence, and even about personal liberties.
The official word on face masks
Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, the official advice from the World Health Organization has been that only two types of people should wear masks: those who are sick and show symptoms, and those who are caring for people who are suspected to have the coronavirus.
Nobody else needs to wear a mask, and experts have given several reasons for that.
One is that a mask is not seen as reliable protection as other methods, given that current research shows the virus is spread by droplets and contact with contaminated surfaces. So it could protect you, but only in certain situations such as when you’re in close quarters with others where someone infected might sneeze or cough near your face. This is why experts say frequent hand washing with soap and water is far more effective.
Removing a mask requires special attention to avoid hand contamination, and it could also breed a false sense of security where you end up ignoring or forgetting to practice good hygiene.
Yet in some parts of Asia everyone wears a mask by default – it is seen as safer and more considerate.
In mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan, the broad assumption is that anyone could be a carrier of the virus, even healthy people. So in the spirit of solidarity, you need to protect others from yourself.
Some places take this idea very seriously: in some parts of China, you could be arrested or punished for not wearing a mask. In Singapore, which used to discourage citizens from wearing masks, it’s now compulsory to wear one outside or risk a fine of S$300 (£170, $210).
Meanwhile in Indonesia and the Philippines, where there are suspicions that there are many under-reported cases, most people in major cities wear masks to protect themselves from others.
For many of these countries, mask-wearing was a cultural norm even before the coronavirus outbreak. They’ve even become fashion statements – at one point Hello Kitty face masks were all the rage in the street markets of Hong Kong.
In East Asia, many people are used to wearing masks when they are sick or when it’s hay fever season, because it’s considered impolite to be sneezing or coughing openly.
The 2003 Sars virus outbreak, which affected several countries in the region, also drove home the importance of wearing masks, particularly in Hong Kong, where many died as a result of the virus. So one key difference between these societies and Western ones, is that they have experienced contagion before – and the memories are still fresh and painful.
In some parts of Asia, seasonal air pollution or heavy traffic pollution in crowded cities have also made it pretty normal for people to wear masks outside.
The mask as a social nudge
Some argue that ubiquitous mask wearing, as a very visual reminder of the dangers of the virus, could actually act as a “behavioural nudge” to you and others for overall better personal hygiene.
“Putting on a mask every day before you go out is like a ritual, like putting on a uniform, and in ritual behaviour you feel you have to live up to what the uniform stands for, which is more hygienic behaviour like not touching your face or avoiding crowded places and social distancing,” said Donald Low, a behavioural economist and professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Then, there’s the idea that every little bit counts in the war the world is waging against the virus.
“We can’t say if face masks are ineffective, but we presume they have some effect because that’s the protection we give to healthcare workers,” said Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist with Hong Kong University. That’s my shop levitra open offer – call it a challenge if you like – to those manufacturers/sellers/proponents making some outlandish claims about T-boosting products. Secondary: -an individual with inhibited sexual desire initiated with a liaison with usual sexual desire, but later viagra online buy turns unbiased. No issues take place if Kamagra 100mg is consumed orally with water, then you can get away from any type of impotence with assured erectness of male reproductive organ. discount viagra usa If only get viagra that anatomy in your body has a mind of being sick.
“If face masks are used on a lot of people in crowded areas, I think it would have some effect on public transmission, and at the moment we’re looking for every small measure we can to reduce transmission – it adds up.”
But there are down sides of course. Some places such as Japan, Indonesia and Thailand have faced shortages, and South Korea has had to ration out surgical masks.
There is the fear that people may end up re-using disposable masks, which is unhygienic, or use inferior masks sold on the black market. Japan and Singapore have since given out reusable masks to its citizens.
People who do not wear masks in these places have also been stigmatised, to the point that they are shunned and blocked from shops and buildings.
In Hong Kong, some tabloids have splashed pictures on their covers of Westerners not wearing masks and congregating in groups in the city’s nightlife district, and criticised expatriates and tourists for not taking enough precautions.
But the discrimination works both ways.
In places where mask wearing is still not the norm despite government advisories, those who do wear masks have been shunned or even attacked. It hasn’t helped that many of these mask wearers are Asians.
In the US, it’s become an issue of personal freedoms, with some arguing that making everyone wear face masks infringes on civil liberties. The city of Stillwater in Oklahoma was forced to soften a mask law to an advisory after threats of violence, while a Michigan security guard was killed after he barred a shopper who didn’t have a mask from entering a store.
But those societies that do advocate everyone wearing a mask may have a point and increasingly, experts are now questioning the official WHO advice.
Undocumented cases
Firstly, there is some emerging evidence that there are more “silent carriers”, or healthy people with the virus who show little or no symptoms, than experts initially thought.
In China, it is estimated that a third of all positive cases show no symptoms, according to classified Chinese government data seen by the South China Morning Post.
On the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that docked in Yokohama, about half of the more than 600 positive cases found onboard were found to have no symptoms. A similar proportion of asymptomatic cases has been reported in Iceland.
The prevailing belief has been that because these people do not exhibit symptoms, they are not very contagious. But some are questioning this now.
A recently published study of cases in China found that “undocumented cases of infection”, or those with either mild or no symptoms, were significantly contagious and could have been responsible for nearly 80% of positive virus cases.
Meanwhile a Hong Kong study estimates that up to 44% of virus transmission from an infected person can happen before that person starts showing any symptoms.
So does that mean if everyone wore a mask, these silent carriers wouldn’t turn into spreaders?
The jury is still out on this issue, with various studies proving and disproving the effectiveness of a mask in stopping transmission of the coronavirus. This is why some places have so far held back from mask laws and advisories, such as New Zealand which successfully controlled its outbreak and is holding back on advising citizens to wear masks because of the lack of scientific consensus and clinical trials.
Research is ongoing, and future studies will no doubt add nuance to the overall picture.
The face mask may be a product of recent history, experience with contagion, and cultural norm. But as this pandemic evolves, along with evidence and research, our behaviour may change again.
