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From SARS to COVID-19: the role of experience and experts in Hong Kong’s initial policy response to an emerging pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Kira Matus

    (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

  • Naubahar Sharif

    (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

  • Alvin Li

    (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

  • Zhixin Cai

    (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

  • Wai Haang Lee

    (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

  • Max Song

    (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

Abstract

As one of the most densely populated places in the world, Hong Kong fared relatively well in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a very low number of cases and fatalities per capita. This was mostly due to the Hong Kong government, healthcare workers, and the general public’s institutional and individual memory after they successfully overcame the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. However, while Hong Kong was well accustomed to measures such as wearing masks and social distancing, the cooperation of the Hong Kong public to government restrictions was highly affected by its local political context, especially after widespread anti-government protests began mid-2019. This brought the public’s trust in government to an all-time low, creating a political ‘new normal’, which underpinned how COVID-19 policies would be proposed, accepted, and implemented, if at all. To understand how science advice was offered and how public health decisions were made, this research investigates the evolution of Hong Kong’s science advisory mechanisms for public health from before SARS, after SARS, and during COVID-19 in 2020, including the roles of key organisations and departments, the establishment of new centres and committees, and the creation of workgroups and expert advisory panels. This paper compares and analyses the reasons behind these differences in science advisory mechanisms between SARS and COVID-19. The findings from this research reinforce the unquestionable need for robust science advisory structures and knowledgeable scientific experts to solve health-related crises, though more research is required to understand the ways in which science advice influences both policy decisions and public acceptance of these policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Kira Matus & Naubahar Sharif & Alvin Li & Zhixin Cai & Wai Haang Lee & Max Song, 2023. "From SARS to COVID-19: the role of experience and experts in Hong Kong’s initial policy response to an emerging pandemic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-022-01467-z
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-022-01467-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chan, Ho-Yin & Chen, Anthony & Ma, Wei & Sze, Nang-Ngai & Liu, Xintao, 2021. "COVID-19, community response, public policy, and travel patterns: A tale of Hong Kong," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 173-184.
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    3. Janice Caulfield & Agnes Liu, 2006. "Shifting Concepts of Autonomy in the Hong Kong Hospital Authority," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 203-219, September.
    4. Arjen Boin & Sanneke Kuipers & Werner Overdijk, 2013. "Leadership in Times of Crisis: A Framework for Assessment," International Review of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 79-91, April.
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