Carrie Lam must redouble efforts to win back public confidence

• Hong Kong leader has rich administrative experience and extensive knowledge of the government machinery, so she should be able to weather this storm despite the difficulties

Governments around the world are being put to the test for their response to one of the worst pandemics mankind has ever seen. For Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the challenge is even greater. Coming after months of social unrest, the coronavirus outbreak may well be make-or-break for her leadership. The beleaguered Hong Kong leader is still struggling to regain public trust in her governance. According to a survey commissioned by this newspaper, fewer than 24 per cent of the respondents would give credit to the government should the city avoid a large-scale outbreak. More than 70 per cent would instead attribute the success to collective community efforts.

So unprecedented is the scale and speed of infections that no government could have prepared for this calamity. Indeed, when the pneumonia-like disease first spread beyond mainland China to Hong Kong early this year, few could have foreseen the devastating impact it has had today. Those who had not experienced the painful lesson of 2003, when the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) killed 299 people in the city, might even have thought the current health scare would soon be over with minimum measures.

Most Hongkongers unhappy with official Covid-19 response, Post poll shows

We do not know whether Lam sees the Covid-19 pandemic as a turning point for the political crisis of her own making " the protracted and unruly protests fuelled by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, under which criminal suspects would have been handed over for trials to jurisdictions that had no such treaties with the city. The coronavirus outbreak has diverted the focus and dampened the unrest, and gives her a window to show her true abilities. The veteran public servant is, after all, reputedly a good fighter. With rich administrative experience and extensive knowledge of the government machinery, she ought to be able to weather the storm.

With still no end in sight to the pandemic and so many restrictions in place to curb infections, the public is understandably disgruntled. More than half of the respondents said their social lives had been adversely affected. But that should not necessarily mean discontent with the government's performance in fighting the virus. A survey in the United States showed 48 per cent of respondents found the Trump administration was doing a good job in curbing the spread, albeit disapproval has crept up to 47 per cent in recent weeks. In Britain, the approval rating is 44 per cent and disapproval 30 per cent.

In terms of infections and fatalities, the Hong Kong government has outperformed many counterparts overseas. But indecision and complacency have led to a worrying trend of a continuing spread of the virus in recent weeks. Lam must work harder if she is to restore confidence in her governance.

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