My businessman friend was standing outside the Victoria Park as I finished my morning walk and came out. I haven’t seen him for a while, other than an occasional glimpse of him on television when news of some big meeting comes up.

He was standing all geared up like a mountain biker with his gleaming, brand new bike.

Everyone is having a tough time, I thought to myself. With air travel restricted, his annual skiing vacation to Europe must have been disrupted and now he is reduced to having cycle tours around Hong Kong.

He waved as he spotted me and I walked towards him with a return wave and a “Hello”.

“How are you?” he asked as he took out a silk hankie and wiped his brow.

“I am ok. Just finished my walk and now heading home,” I said. “Haven’t seen you for more than two years. Good to see you have taken to biking.”

“Yeah, biked all the way down from my new home at The Peak,” he said, making sure that I get the message he has moved up a few rungs from the last time I met him.

I let that slide and said: “Your business doing ok?”

“What business?” he said. “Everything is going down. If the government don’t give us more subsidies many of us will be in deep trouble soon.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” I replied.

“We are hoping some of the businesses will get a boost when the vaccinations start,” he said.

“Like people who sell syringes?” I asked.

“Not just them. Our business association officials are planning to submit a detailed plan to involve several sectors in this vaccination drive, like restaurants, hotels and mobile phone sellers,” he said.

“How?” I was getting a bit foggy here.

“Well, as this is a mass vaccination and has to be given to people in all areas, we think it is a good idea to assemble the people in restaurants. We can give them breakfast, lunch or tea and the government can reimburse us,” he said.

“That is a good idea. That will avoid long line of people outside the vaccination centers,” I replied.

“And most of the restaurants have freezers, the health department can store the vaccines there for a nominal rent,” he said, pointing out more advantages.

“Another plan is to ask that everyone getting the jab be given a free mobile phone. We can provide them at a discounted price to the government,” he said.

“This is like a reward for volunteering for the vaccination?” I asked.

“As an incentive, yes. But they can also use that to contact health officials for any vaccination-related doubts they may have later. The contact tracing app also can be downloaded onto it,” he said as he opened a bottle of mineral water.

After a sip of that and another wipe with the silk hankie, he continued. “To make sure that no one misses their second jab three weeks later, we want the government to offer free hotel rooms for these people till then,” he said. “Hotel owners are willing to provide rooms at attractive rates to the government.”

“We can also keep them entertained during that time by organizing government-subsidized day trips around Hong Kong, visits to the Ocean Park and Disneyland. That will help the travel industry sector,” my businessman friend was now sounding like an agent trying to sell me a medical tourism package.

“Will the government agree to all this?” I asked.

“They have to do it. They have to help the businesses which are reeling under this pandemic and save Hong Kong,” he said forcefully.

A seven-seater van drew up to where we were standing and my friend signaled the driver to put the bike into the boot.

As the driver got around to do that, my friend turned to me and asked: “How are things with you?”

“Not too good,” I said. “My boss says as the government’s wage subsidy has stopped, we all have to take leave without pay from next month.”

“Tough times,” my friend said, patting my shoulders in sympathy.

The driver finished putting the bike into the boot, came back and opened the door for my friend.

“Sure, end of the wage subsidy will hurt some people. But the government has to be prudent with their money,” he said, while sliding into the front seat of the vehicle and turning up the air conditioner. “They need to take a targeted approach and help those hit hardest.”

“That is what Chief Secretary Mathew Cheung said last week,” I replied.

“He is right,” said my friend as the driver started the vehicle.

“Ok, see you later then,” he said, slamming the door as it started moving forward. I waved him off and started my slow walk towards the tram stop to head home.

(A fictional satire written by Hari Kumar, who is a journalist based in Hong Kong.)

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