Post-HK facemask disorder (PhFD)

I think I have PhFD

...while it might sound like a new qualification, it is in fact 'post-HK facemask disorder'

I am currently on annual leave and travelling to Australia to see my kids over the Christmas period and the trip drove home the stark contrast between what some have described as 'draconian COVID measures' still in place in Hong Kong and 'back-to-normal' in much of the rest of the world. Still a little hazed from my flight and slightly unsure if I could remove my face mask at the airport, I asked, "Is it OK if I take off my facemask?" The young Australian server behind the duty-free checkout counter looked at me in amazement and said, "After one year mate ... err ... yes I think it's safe to take it off."

In that moment, aside from being made to feel a bit stupid, my musings had been confirmed, Hong Kong, despite being one of the first places in the world to deal with COVID, seems to have become one of the last places to learn to live with it. We have become so used to wearing facemasks in Hong Kong, that it's now a conditioned response (for me at least) to don a facemask in public places. Now every time I get out of the car in Australia, which is quite frequently on my current road trip from Sydney to the Outback near Broken Hill, I keep on 'instinctively' having mini panic attacks, as I realise I haven't got a facemask on in a public place, and then take a breath - literally and metaphorically - as the realisation dawns that I don't need one. In a breath, I calm down and remember the pleasure of being able to breathe freely, particularly in hot weather.

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, the fact that I am getting a press release in my inbox about a British Airways flight touching down in Hong Kong for the first time in 12 months is considered news, only seems to bear further testament to this.

It reads (after grammatical correction)...

• British Airways’ first passenger flight from London since December 2021 touched down in Hong Kong this afternoon
• Long-awaited flight from Hong Kong to London is scheduled for this evening (6 December 2022)
• The service will be operated using one of the airline’s most fuel-efficient aircraft – Boeing Dreamliner 787-9

For the first time in 12 months, British Airways has operated a passenger flight to Hong Kong. Flight BA31 landed at the Hong Kong International Airport this afternoon at 15:02 to a warm welcome from waiting families. Noella Ferns, British Airways’ Head of Sales, Asia Pacific, said, “British Airways has always had a strong link to Hong Kong and London has always been one of the most popular destinations for our customers in Hong Kong.  It also serves as a major gateway to Europe for both business and leisure travellers. Today we are thrilled to return to Hong Kong once again and play our part in connecting the two global financial hubs. We have more than 85 years of history and presence in Hong Kong and still counting.”

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner features a LED mood lighting system in the cabin and lower air pressure that helps customers to travel more comfortably and minimise the effect of jet lag on this flight journey that spans multiple time zones. Instead of pull-down blinds, each window has its own dimmer switch to alter the amount of light coming into the cabin.  The Boeing 787 has the largest windows of any commercial airliner. The increase in size allows a greater number of customers to take in some of the amazing views that can be seen in flight, not just the person sitting nearest the window.

British Airways cleans all key surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day. The air on all flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards. The airline has also partnered with Dettol to offer a range of products to keep its customers and colleague safe in the air and on the ground.

All this seems fairly standard fare nowadays, so I guess the real news is that there is no real news, but this is an important baby step in the right direction for Hong Kong. We all look forward to turning the facemask signs off and levelling out again in the Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and our motherland, Mainland China. Quite frankly, I miss travelling across the boundaries, and can't wait to get back there.

In the meantime, if you'd like to remove your facemask in a public place you can simply hop on a flight and visit most of the rest of the world, but please don't be surprised if you get PhFD.

Latest BA schedule
Provided by BA, effective from 5 December 2022, subject to operational change, check ba.com for updates.

^arrives 1 day later