又中又英｜Sitting on its ass

It seems Singapore is always one step ahead of Hong Kong nowadays. It lifted all Covid restrictions in February of last year. Hong Kong did not lift Covid restrictions until December of last year and only lifted the mask mandate in March. Most of the world had already fully re-opened a year earlier. Singapore announced several weeks ago the new Pfizer vaccine that protects against the Covid XBB.1.5 variant will be available later this month. It announced last week the new Moderna vaccine against XBB.1.5 will be available next month.

Health experts who advise the government on Covid recommended last week that Hong Kong should buy the Pfizer XBB vaccine. But the government is still sitting on its ass about when it will be available. To be one step ahead of someone or something means to do things first or to be more skillful in doing things. To sit on your ass is a rude expression that means you should be doing something instead of doing nothing. When Singapore reopened to the world, the Hong Kong government still sat on its ass for months while talented people relocated to Singapore, Dubai, and other places.

Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP), said last week the XBB variant caused more than 98 percent of recent local Covid cases. The CHP said it will procure (obtain) the Pfizer XBB vaccine but did not say when it will become available. Why can Singapore be one step ahead by giving dates, but Hong Kong cannot? It should not sit on its ass when XBB is causing most local Covid cases.

今天看来，新加坡总是领先香港一步（one step ahead of Hong Kong）。它在上年二月已经放宽所有新冠病毒的防疫管制措施。香港在上年十二月前还未放宽新冠防疫管制，直至三月才全面解除口罩令。世界大部分地方都已在一年前全面开关。新加坡在几个星期前，亦已宣布辉瑞防范新冠病毒XBB.1.5变种的新疫苗，将于今月尾面市。上星期，它又宣布莫德纳针对XBB.1.5变种的新疫苗将于下月面市。

就新冠肺炎向政府提供意见的衞生专家，上星期建议香港应该采购辉瑞XBB疫苗。然而，政府仍然甚么也不做（sitting on its ass），只等着看它何时有售。To be one step ahead of someone or something是指比某人或某物领先做事，又或做得更熟练、更有技术。 To sit on your ass是个较粗鲁的习语，意即你应该做些事，而非坐视不理。当新加坡重新向世界开关时，香港政府那几个月却光是坐着，一动也不动（sat on its ass），任由有才能的人迁移到新加坡、杜拜和其他地方。

衞生防护中心传染病处主任张竹君上星期就说，最近本地感染新冠病毒的案例，有超过百分之九十八是来自 XBB变种。衞生防护中心指，它会设法弄到（procure）辉瑞XBB疫苗，却没说何时有供应。为甚么新加坡可以领先一步（one step ahead），提供确切日期，香港却不能？当大部分本地感染个案皆由XBB 引起时，它不应再坐视不理（sit on its ass）了。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻