Anatomy Of The Hong Kong Disaster

Anatomy of the Hong Kong Disaster

Brownstone Institute

It’s hard to believe that after two years of government policies completely failing to prevent the spread of COVID, there hasn’t been universal acceptance that attempting to control a highly infectious respiratory virus is nearly impossible.

Nearly every country that was once praised for their “response” to COVID has seen their numbers rise dramatically over time.

The mitigation commands — mask mandates, vaccine passports, mandatory vaccinations, lockdowns and lockdowns for the “unvaccinated” have all been disastrous blunders; hopeless flailing borne out of a desire to “do something” and to coerce desired behavior.

Media reports have consistently attempted to credit masking and other interventions with stopping COVID, but Hong Kong provides a brilliant example of premature celebration.

Back in May 2020, Vox published an article with the unequivocal headline: “How masks helped Hong Kong control the coronavirus,” with the subtitle “New research shows that universal mask-wearing may help slow the spread of Covid-19.”

The article contains so many misguided assumptions about the spread of COVID that it’s stunning to see it hasn’t been retracted, but it helpfully summarizes how often experts have seemingly been making it up as they go during the pandemic:

More...