28 March 2020 The new coronavirus has hit more than 200 countries worldwide in just three months. After experiencing the first wave of epidemic outbreaks in January, the last two months has seen the people of Hong Kong working very hard to fight COVID-19 by working from home, suspending schools, wearing masks for a whole day at a time, washing hands thoroughly and reducing social activities. With our high awareness of epidemic prevention, we made it difficult for the coronavirus to spread in our community. The number of infected cases was controlled in Hong Kong with less than 150 two weeks ago (March 14). At that time, there were 140,000 infected people worldwide with a cumulative death toll of more than 5,000. However, the coronavirus is merciless. As long as there is negligence in prevention and control, it will continue to attack us, causing the second wave of a global pandemic to erupt. The number of deaths caused by the new coronavirus continues to rise. Imported cases in Hong Kong have increased sharply, and there have also been outbreaks in different groups and communities. This happened two weeks after the migration of many workers and students returning to their homeland. The number of infections in Hong Kong has soared to more than 500 today. At least 600,000 people have been infected worldwide. The death toll is as high as 25,000. Under the violent attack of the coronavirus, even though countries have taken aggressive measures such as national lockdowns and home isolation orders in an attempt to prevent the spread of the pandemic, it is still uncontrolled. The world's hospital resources have become scarce and the medical system has become overwhelmed. The Education Bureau announced on 21 March that the HKDSE will be postponed for one month, while schools will be resumed in due course. Last night, the government announced some new anti-epidemic measures, including: prohibiting groups of more than 4 people from gathering in public places (with some exceptions). The new measures will take effect from midnight on Sunday, for a period of 14 days. Indeed, it is understood that anti-epidemic measures need to strike a balance between the health of the people and the economy. The coming weeks are not only the Easter holiday, but also a critical moment for Hong Kong's fight against the epidemic. We should stay at home and reduce any gatherings and activities. Social distancing is now extremely important and will continue to be so for the coming weeks. Only with continued persistence and patience can we overcome this epidemic. The Bible says: "I said these things to you to make you safe in me. You have sufferings in the world, but you have courage, and I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). Easter is for us to remember that Jesus was nailed to the Cross for our sins. He overcame death and rose three days later. As long as we believe in Jesus, we can receive and enjoy an eternal and fruitful life led by Jesus. Life is impermanent, and we cannot predict which sudden disasters or miseries we will encounter. Although the epidemic has increased the physical distance between people in society, it cannot isolate us from Jesus. As John 16:33 tells us, Jesus loves us deeply, and love will be given to those who follow him. The love among people cannot be blocked by the epidemic. We can still care about family, friends and those in need through social platforms and other methods. We should not underestimate the impact of our care and love on others. For those in need of this care and love, it may be a great motivation to face their problems. With love, we can overcome our difficulties and overcome the distress that the virus has caused. Our Easter holiday will be from April 6th to April 17th. There will no online classes over this period. Please stay in Hong Kong, and more importantly, stay at home to complete your holiday homework and revision. After the Easter holiday, tests will be conducted in different subjects so that we can assess the learning progress and outcomes from the class suspension period. I would like to finish off by expressing my gratitude to the medical staff and frontline workers who stay at work to save lives. We should make sure we stay at home, not only for our community, but for those who put themselves at risk for us day in day out. May God bless us. Best regards, |
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“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love.“ |