Rav Yisrael Lieberman, a Chabad shaliach in Hong Kong, explained in a video why in a city of almost 7.5 million people, there are only 181 (140 at the time of the video) people diagnosed with the coronavirus a month and a half after the outbreak began. Furthermore, 70 patients have already recovered and returned home.
Rabbi Lieberman says that the reason for this is very simple. The residents of Hong Kong completely adhere to the instructions of the government, something he’s witnessed many times in the years he’s been living there. “It’s unbelievable. When’s there’s a line for the bus, they stand in place.They respect each other.”
“When the coronavirus broke out, the government here announced instructions regarding safety. When we went out to the streets we saw how 99% of the people – it’s rare to see someone without a mask.”
“There are bottles of alcohol in every building, in every hotel, in every office, in every home and in every taxi for disinfecting your hands and everyone, without exception, washes their hands dozens of times a day. And that’s how the numbers don’t increase.”
עדכוני חב"ד; קורונה
השליח הרב ישראל ליברמן, מנהל בית חב"ד בהונג קונג מספר מה הסוד למה יש רק 140 חולים בעיר של 9 מיליון איש! שווה צפייה, מצילת חיים: pic.twitter.com/Xqe9sl0qDK— שמחה בלוטניק simcha blotnik (@simcha_blotnik) March 17, 2020
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“Another thing – emunah and bitachon in Hashem,” Rav Lieberman added. “It’s important to believe in Hashem and “infect” people with emunah, to pass it on. We have to move to the positive side of the virus spreading and use our emunah to “infect” others.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem, Israel)
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12 Responses
The other secret?
Their ‘one child per family’ rule
Also of note is that that the city is much more densely populated than most areas in the west and they were still able to limit the number of cases
Their ‘one child per family’ rule
There has never been such a rule in Hong Kong.
Even in China, where there was such a rule for about 35 years, it no longer exists; the current policy in China is two children per family, but that’s got nothing to do with Hong Kong, which has its own laws. In Hong Kong not only is there no limit on families, but there are tax allowances for up to 9 children.
Yidden we have to take our guidance from our leaders. The problem is too many in our community don’t have a rov they can call their own. For shachris they daven in one shul, mincha a second, Marriv a third and on shabbos a forth, fifth and sometimes sixth. Of course, they go to a rov when they have a shaila, but in our situation, they try to use their own common sense. They think how can I not daven with a minyon. (That’s why on my block there is a closed shul and people made a minyon in the driveway) What not go to mikva? My children should stay home from yeshiva? I too would be guilty of this if not for my Rov closing my shul and giving clear instructions that everyone must stay indoors. There is a famous story of the Reb Meilech and his brother Reb zisha. They were once in jail. As they saw the sun go down Reb zisha began crying and told Reb meilch he’s crying because he can’t daven mincha due to a soiled smelly potty in the cell. Reb Meliech answered the same Hashem that said we should daven mincha also said we shouldn’t daven if it smells, Now we will serve Hashem by NOT davening and they began to dance in the cell. Now is the time to serve Hashem by staying home. The main point is we need to make for ourselves a rov or a rebbi not only to hear a good shmuz or to ask an occasional shaila, but to guide us in these types of situations.
@ril HK has no such one child rule… get your head out of the sand
ril well said!!!!
That’s mainland China. Btw, this “rule” has been relaxed somewhat in recent years.
Look at Italy, which doesn’t have that rule, (however, most people there just seem to want few, if any children) is having a terrible time of it. People did not take this illness seriously. As is the NYC area, with its large frum population and large families, kah. Nobody follows rules. Everyone is an oiberchuchem and knows better than the authorities what’s the right thing to do. Now, we have the most cases.
Ril: Hong Kong was not part of China at the time to have that rule.
Yidden don’t follow rules unfortunately. Everyone needs to be a macher and a tutzach which is “cool”. If you’re serious about anything you’re considered nerdy, yekkish, not chilled and that has carried over to this. Maybe Hashem is telling us it’s time to change?? There’s a time to chill and a time to get serious and a chocham knows when to be which. Looks like Hong Kong is a whole lot smarter than we are.
And once this is over, they’ll go back to protesting in the streets.
They have 208 cases now. 98 recovered and 4 deaths. Yes they are doing better. Eventually it will spread but the key is that it spreads slowly so the hospitals don’t collapse. They do seem to be doing a great job at it with nearly half of their cases recovered already
They took seriously in large part because they went through this in 2003 with 299 deaths from SARS, the most anywhere outside of China. SARS crippled the city’s economy.
Unfortunately, they do appear to becoming complacent and the numbers are growing again.