How the coronavirus pandemic brings out acts of kindness in Hong Kong people and businesses

The coronavirus has us isolated, dealing with stress and worry, with many looking for some relief or help

From hosting online forest bathing to donating food, shelter and broadband access to the needy, Hong Kong companies are doing their bit

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The Society for Community Organisation found 448 ‘McRefugees’ in Hong Kong in 2018. They have all been displaced by the coronavirus. Photo: ImpactHK/Jeff Rotmeyer

Published: 10:45am, 2 Apr 2020Updated: 11:19am, 2 Apr 2020

The sound of streams and ocean waves washed over them as participants, mostly middle-aged and older, closed their eyes, some with plants or rocks nearby. For Amanda Yik, this forest therapy session differed significantly from the ones she’s hosted outside in nature over the past three years. She was sitting in front of her computer at home, watching the attendees on her screen.

The founder of Shinrin Yoku Hong Kong, a Japanese-inspired practice of meditation through nature walks, said she wanted to share a slice of virtual tranquillity in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic. “There’s a need for people to connect in a real way,” said Yik, who has been quarantined herself at home in Hong Kong following a working trip in Australia to train others in forest therapy. “The stress from the virus is very present for all of us.”

As Covid-19 has overtaken the world with more than 800,000 infections, anxiety has skyrocketed as well. Apart from contracting the disease, medical experts have warned that quarantine measures, while effective in slowing the infection rate, could also cause emotional duress.