Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

New guidebook aims to help Hongkongers beat quarantine stress

New guidebook aims to help Hongkongers beat quarantine stress

University of Hong Kong professors compile 14-day wellness guide, with drawing and rearranging furniture among top tips for staying sane while in lockdown.

The mental health of Hong Kong’s residents has come under the spotlight with thousands quarantining in tiny spaces amid the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, but experts have said simple activities such as drawing or even rearranging furniture could ease the stress.

A group of professors from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have compiled a “14-day Wellcation” guidebook to provide mental health support for those in isolation.

The booklet, consisting of practical tips, daily readings, and personal reflection questions, was put together after they collected information from people who went through the 14-day isolation process, said Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, director of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at HKU.

“We’re not just dealing with a public health crisis, but putting people under quarantine also causes a lot of mental stress and we need to address this oversight,” Yip said.


A group of professors from the University of Hong Kong have produced a guidebook to provide mental health support for those in isolation.


While stuck in the same room for two weeks, the guidebook recommends people make their space feel as much like home as possible. Suggestions include creating an area for a quick YouTube workout, while setting up a little work-from-home corner could also boost productivity.

Daily readings on kindness, the love of learning, and spirituality also aim to help those in isolation achieve a more relaxed frame of mind.

A surge of overseas students and families returning to the city over the Christmas period, with more to come during the new year holidays, has left thousands of people largely isolated over the festive season.

In the midst of a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, Hong Kong recorded another 74 new cases on Sunday, after confirming 109 infections the day before. The city’s official tally now stands at 8,152 cases, with 129 related deaths.

Travellers returning to Hong Kong from overseas have to quarantine in one of 36 designated hotels, while people deemed close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases, or those living on estates with growing clusters of infections, have been sent to government-run quarantine camps.

According to the Department of Health, more than 568,000 people entering Hong Kong from mainland China, Macau, Taiwan, and other overseas locations, had been quarantined this year, as of December 19.

But Yip said there had been hardly any effort made to provide mental health assistance to those in quarantine.

“Whenever we hear about the government’s rules, it’s always about sending people to quarantine and stopping social engagements,” he said. “There’s never enough attention paid to [giving] emotional support to those in quarantine.”

Edward Pinkney, who helped draft the English version of the guidebook, said staying in touch with family members and colleagues had been an important outlet for him after quarantining when he returned to Hong Kong from Britain last month.

“We hope that they will say how they’re feeling day to day, and then we can use that to learn and improve the support we provide in the quarantine facilities,” he said.

He also encouraged people in quarantine to use the book as a mental wellness exercise and to keep track of their mood while in isolation.

One of those interviewed for the guidebook, a doctoral student who only gave her name as Michelle, said she had experienced ups and downs while quarantining alone at home.

Having returned to Hong Kong in September, she said there were days when she would binge-watch Netflix, or nibble on snacks endlessly, which left her feeling unproductive.

“During the 14 days I had a lot of time for self-reflection, so I worked on setting a routine and developing a positive mindset,” she said, adding she documented her two weeks on social media as a way to help process her thoughts.

Yip said the mental health guidebook had been well-received by the Department of Health and several of the designated hotels, and hoped facilities would distribute the booklet to help people get through the fortnight on their own.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×