By Lee San

All this while I have always loved to fly Cathay Dragon from KL to Hong Kong, as I crave for their sweet smiles and professionalism. I used to take the steamy hot braised pork bun on one of the Cathay Dragon flights, and that taste was simply unforgettable. Of course, occasionally I also miss the unparalleled satay skewers on MAS.

October 21, 2020, Cathay Pacific suddenly announced that the 35-year-old Dragon would cease operating with immediate effect. Not only has the Dragon now become history, together with the parent company CX, some 8,500 employees have been laid off, including 2,000 staff and a hundred pilots from the Dragon. The uniforms they have been proudly donning these years have now become their personal collection!

As many as 240,000 people, or 6.4% of Hong Kong's total workforce, are out of work, and now another 0.2% are joining them, with no signs the bleeding will stop any time soon!

Life has been hard for the people in Hong Kong over the past one year, from the government ban of face masks to mandatory wearing of face masks as a result of the coronavirus. As if that is not enough, those forced to leave the Cathay Dragon family are in a state of helplessness today. With cost of living among the highest in the world, it is hoped that the city's government will come up with some effective solutions to help the people. A friend sighed: I'd rather get COVID than lose my job! And the sad thing is, this may very well just be the tip of the iceberg in our troubled world today!

The global pandemic is unquestionably the most destructive disaster we've seen in a century. So long as the virus still keeps us grounded, it is a matter of time the tsunami-like domino effect will befall us.

In the meantime, Boeing is axing 7,000 of its workforce. As a matter of fact, the struggling aviation industry is directly impacting the hospitality, F&B, souvenirs and other related industries. From what we understand, aviation and tourist industries will lose some 46 million job positions globally because of the virus. Isn't that horrifying? To be honest, carriers like Thai Airways and SIA which have shifted to the sale of inflight meals and inflight dining experience in a desperate bid to survive, deserve our utmost respect. To a certain extent, this change has lifted their staff's morale. Of course, such short-term solution may not help much in the long run.

Sitting alone at a quiet corner in the coffee shop, I was thinking about those lovable Cathay Dragon stewardesses, and began to worry also about the ladies aboard our MAS.

Suddenly a kindly lady popped up in front of me and warmly greeted me, "Hi, Lee San, are you still alright?" Simple as it sounded, I instantly found this forthright salutation warm and powerful. I used to think that life couldn't have been harsher on me, without realizing that I could be infinitely energized by offering a word of comfort and hope to those who suffer as much as I.

In a private dinner get-together, the much respected Tan Sri William Cheng asked me, "Are you alright, Lee San? Hope to fly to Hokkaido with you again!" I felt flattered. He then said caringly, the third wave of coronavirus infections is wreaking tremendous havoc on the country's economy and her people. I'm worried for how long more we have to go on like this. He suggested that we should come together and think of ways to weather the crisis. He also urged the government to open up the country as soon as possible. I respect Tan Sri a lot, as he has repeatedly written to the prime minister to offer multifaceted solutions to tackle the pandemic, including the German-style universal screening.

Although the virus is the primary cause of the massive unemployment tsunami which in turn may herald another global depression, humans must also take the blame for allowing the virus to spread this fast. They are duty-bound to find the solutions to their own woes.

This October, the Chinese city of Qingdao screened some 10.8 million of its residents in a span of five days, and managed to promptly break the infection chain of the heinous virus in that city.

Over here in Malaysia, what we need is a government that is resolved and responsible. The German-style universal screening should be implemented at once in Sabah in order to solve the problem once and for all. Unfortunately, we have been too idealistic, as those in power are busy with nothing but seizing more powers and personal gains that they miss the critical timing to block out the virus. The government will never admit that it is at fault, so we can only blame our poor luck!

We'll never get to wait for the government to offer a word of solace: Are you still alright, my fellow countrymen and hard-working frontliners?

By right Malaysians should have a lot of respect for and a lot to look to from our government. We don't yearn for free handouts every now and then, but what we want is a government that will deliver us out of this damned virus thing.

Luckily I still have the contact of the Cathay Dragon stewardess in my business cardholder. I've got to rush a warm greeting to her: Are you still alright, young lady? Over here we have the Malaysia My Second Home program. Wanna come now?

(Lee San is Founder and Group Executive Chairman of Apple Vacations. He has traveled to 132 countries, six continents, and enjoys sharing his travel stories and insights. He has also authored five books.)