Pandemic postcard: COVID outbreak leaves Hong Kong in limbo

By ALICE FUNG and ZEN SOO
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — As a COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms Hong Kong, it’s hard for its 7.4 million residents to know what’s next. Uncertainty is the only certainty as store shelves are stripped of goods, mainland Chinese companies are throwing up sprawling isolation and testing centers and the government sends mixed messages on whether it will lock down the population for a citywide mass testing. Pandemic restrictions have sucked much of the energy out of a cosmopolitan city known for its neon lights and dense crowds. An overburdened health system means those who get sick often have to fend for themselves. And the death toll, particularly among the elderly, keeps rising. China has sent medical staff and construction crews that raised fears that Hong Kong might adopt tough mainland-style restrictions.