Coronavirus advice, moral support and practical help for fellow Hong Kong people raises spirits amid pandemic

We underestimate the power of doing something together, says member of church group that’s handed out face masks, sanitiser and care packs to needy Hongkongers

Strangers encourage one another online as they go through quarantine, restaurants pack groceries with takeaway deliveries, as city comes together in a crisis

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Cherry Kwan, who works with Watermark Community Church in Hong Kong’s western district, has been coordinating care packages to elderly homes and distributing face masks to the disadvantaged. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 12:36pm, 27 Apr 2020Updated: 6:03pm, 27 Apr 2020

A dozen eggs or a carton of milk usually are not on the menu, but if you ask restaurateur TM Chan, she’ll gladly slip those items in with your food delivery order.

The New Zealand native, who oversees three restaurants and a bar in Hong Kong’s Sai Ying Pun district, says it’s something extra she can do to help her regular customers, with many in quarantine or practising social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

“For us to add anything extra is neither here nor there,” says Chan, 48, who has lived in Hong Kong for nearly three decades and owns The Den, Pete’s Place and Bingaz Street Food. “Just don’t give me a shopping list for [supermarket] City’super.”

Delivering groceries with takeaway orders, preparing care packages for residents of homes for the elderly, and supplying face masks to disadvantaged groups are just some of the ways Hongkongers are helping each other during the global pandemic.

Restaurateur TM Chan outside her restaurant Pete’s Place on High Street in Sai Ying Pun. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The growth in Hong Kong’s coronavirus infection count has slowed in recent days, while the government has extended most social distancing measures to the beginning of May. Experts say restrictions, including two-week compulsory quarantine for all overseas arrivals, have helped prevent a larger outbreak in the city.