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Robert Peckham
Robert Peckham
Robert Peckham is professor of history and director of the Centre for the Humanities and Medicine at the University of Hong Kong.

Epidemics confront us with existential life-and-death questions that invoke strong emotions. Medical science and public health practitioners should address feelings as a key part of communication and preparedness, rather than dismiss them.

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Mounting criticism of Beijing’s response to the outbreak and depictions of life in a society under lockdown puncture the image of China’s efficient, tech-invested regime. In Hong Kong, the crisis is exposing the fault lines of a divided city.

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Universities play an increasingly economic role in society but, more importantly, they should be places of thinking. In a polarised Hong Kong, it is the study of humanities that will equip people with critical thinking skills and empathy.

Hong Kong can draw on both its history of epidemics and the talent and technological expertise in the Pearl River Delta region to tackle mosquito-borne diseases.

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