It is clear the global outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus will continue for a quite a while, even though most countries have mostly banned foreigners from entering. To reduce transmission of the virus through social interaction, different countries have enacted policies banning public gatherings (crowd size varies depending on the country) and/or closing non-essential businesses such as bars and restaurants. To show her ingenuity, Hong Kong's Chief Executive proposed to ban restaurants and bars from selling alcohol.
The proposal caught everyone, including her advisors, by surprise. Her close advisors claimed that they have not heard of the proposal before its announcement. Bar owners, naturally, resist the idea, with some suggesting that Hong Kong should follow Britain's example by shutting down bars and restaurants for a limited time and compensate the wages of those working there. Besides, there was no mention of banning visitors from brining their own alcoholic beverage to restaurants for their own use. If her objective is to stop people from gathering, perhaps she should also ban coffee shops from serving coffee/tea and require restaurants to split dishes to patrons (so that people won't share food on the table).
There is a stereotype that those who are top of the class are full of confidence and look down on others, scoffing off their ideas. This description seems to fit the Chief Executive perfectly. Judging from the way she governs and the attitude she shows towards Hong Kongers and Chinese officials — closely following Chinese officials' whims while refusing to listen the Hong Kongers' concerns, even from supposed allies — one may wonder if she is still acting the same way as she was in high school, when she had top grades in her class and served as head prefect (I am quite certain that she was a teachers' pet as well) — pleasing those with authority and those who gave her the position at every opportunity while treating those she considers inferior with contempt.
She defended the proposal by saying that people may "engage in intimate behaviour" when they are a little drunk. When I heard that I had difficulty keeping myself from laughing (I am sure I am not alone). It sounded like something uttered by an innocent child or a strict parent/teacher/headmistress. (It is likely that she firmly believed that during her youth, perhaps even now.) If she had her way, she may introduce laws borrowed from her school days — follow the orders of prefects (I mean police), no speaking out of turn at press conferences, rejecting/apprehending those who dare question officials and police. No wonder she is so supportive of the police — the police reminds her memories of her youth and she wants to please those "enforcing" the law.
Many of us, from time to time, wishes to relive our youth. Unfortunately, the Chief Executive's reenactment of her youth has become a living nightmare for Hong Kongers.