Entrepreneur Lindsay Jang tested positive for Covid-19 last week. She shares a diary entry with Tatler about dealing with the virus, the toll the pandemic has taken on her, and why above everything, she’s still rooting for Hong Kong
Some days it feels like there is no end in sight when it comes to the pandemic. It’s been a long and tiresome two years of Covid-19 in Hong Kong, and the only thing we can do now is to stay at home and stay safe. Community is a cornerstone of Tatler Asia, and sharing the ups and the downs of those within the community can help make others feel less alone.
In a first-person account, Lindsay Jang, the co-founder of restaurants Yardbird Hong Kong, Ronin, Sunday’s Spirits and Roti Tori, creative communications agency Hecho, and the mat-based body sculpting workout Family Form, shares her fight with Covid-19 and how it has impacted her restaurants, family and mental health. Her transparency is inspiring, and she hopes her honesty will reduce the stigma surrounding testing positive for Covid-19. Never one to shy away from telling it exactly like it is, Jang shares her experience with Tatler below:
March 3, 2022
I tested positive for Covid-19 last Thursday. Serendipitously, when my close contact told me the news, I hadn’t seen anyone since my exposure, and my kids, Lili and Ronin, were at their dad’s place. I’m not going to lie, I am happy and somewhat relieved to get Covid-19 now, while Hong Kong lies sleeping. I felt fluey for about two days and had a lingering cough for another three.
I miss my kids. Normally, they spend four days with their dad and four days with me. I’m not sure I’ve ever spent this much time alone. I am grateful for family and friends who’ve kept me fed, entertained and laughing. But the disconnect is getting to me. If I didn’t have space in my house to sweat (which I know is a luxury), I would be much worse off mentally.
The fifth wave hit home when our teams at the restaurants started testing positive. The moral dilemma of what to do, how to be socially responsible, how to try and stop the bleeding from a revenue perspective, how to continually draft and re-draft policies and procedures, how to keep team morale high and fears low makes it hard not to spiral into negativity and despair. I have to say, the resilience of our leadership team is beyond amazing. Their ability to manage the younger staff, change operations and communicate effectively just fills me with gratitude. I’m a proud mom and I will forever defer to what they are comfortable with on the frontline.
I went through all the emotions and scenarios, which I assume are not unique to me. I sent WhatsApp messages to my travel agent and everyone I knew from my previous globetrotting life to see where I could escape to and how quickly. Then I slept on it.
When I woke up the day after the government almost announced the change in summer holidays for my kids, I just paused and decided to deal with it—to sit in it—and not run. Yes, I want to leave before we potentially go into lockdown. Yes, I’m anxiety-ridden when I look at the photos of the temporary isolation facilities floating around the internet. But Hong Kong is my home; my family is here. My teams are here. My people are here. And I’m going to go through it with all of them. I’m keeping a positive attitude while being positive :).
Don’t get me wrong: I checked all my travel documents yesterday to make sure they didn’t expire. — Lindsay
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