Amid the frustration and concern of our third CV-19 spike here in Hong Kong, our government has introduced the most stringent measures yet to try and eliminate the virus. From this morning it is mandatory to wear a mask in all outdoor public places at all times with a fine of HKD 5,000 (around £500) for non-compliance. The only exceptions to this new rule are those with health issues (and, I assume, the documentation to prove it) and for children under 2 years old. Unlike in Singapore, there are no exceptions made for exercise outside.

It’s too hot and humid to run outside here for most of the day, with temperatures reaching 30C by around 8am, so I normally go and use the treadmill at the gym. For the last couple of weeks, just as earlier in the year when the gyms was shut, I’ve been getting up early to run before the heat and humidity of the day start to kick in, and this has been largely fine until now. The new mandatory mask-wearing rule has presented me with another challenge on my route to fitness.

It seems that even Hong Kong’s top atheletes are giving their daily routines a miss and we’re being urged not to do any strenuous outdoor exercise but I thought “Well, I don’t run very fast anyway, what’s the worst that could happen? Let’s give it a go.” So there I was at 6.15 this morning, roused rudely from my deep anti-histamine sleep, trainers on, ready to go.

There were plenty of people out running and walking their dogs in the morning sunshine. At first no-one, Chinese, Caucasian, Filipina, was wearing a mask, deciding to risk it and daring our private security operatives to impose their worst (Discovery Bay is a private development, akin to living in a sort of Center Parcs. As you’d expect, there are numerous Facebook debates all the time on whether the rules apply on what is technically private land. Some residents seem to have the mentality of outlaws in the Wild West.) As the hour wore on, the people we passed seemed to be paying at least lip service to mask-wearing, though I would doubt the efficacy of masks worn around the neck or on the elbow but perhaps that’s just me.

Reader, I didn’t even make it up the hill in my mask. Part of the issue was that John had decided to run with me this morning and I could see from his shadow behind me that he was walking. Perhaps I’d have pushed myself a bit harder if I’d been running alone, who knows. “Fine,” I thought “Let’s walk up the hills and run down. Fartlek is a perfectly valid training method, right?” So as we breached the brow of our steep hill I lengthened my stride and quickened my pace. I didn’t even manage to run down to the bottom of the hill because by this time I was inhaling my soaked mask with every breath. 

We quickly gave up on the idea of running and walked the rest of the 7Km route. I am a bit frustrated and disappointed in myself, but I suppose a fast walk is better than nothing. I was wearing a flimsy one-layer mask this morning, bought in a panic in January from our dentist before any of the repercussions were clear, in the hope that this wouldn’t impede my breathing too much but, as it turned out, the very flimsiness made it all the more wet through my exhaled moisture and easier to inhale into my mouth. It’s not easy to run or walk with a piece of wet paper fabric covering half of your face.

I’ll try to run again on Friday and use a more sturdy three-layer or fabric mask instead and see how that works out. Anticipating the gym closure and fed up with people hogging the few treadmills currently in use for over an hour in some cases despite the 30 minute rule (remember, the rules don’t apply to them) we ordered a home treadmill a few weeks ago. It should be starting its journey here from Taiwan next week. Let’s hope it’s not held up.