Resilience resistance of super-aged communities: Insights from the COVID-19 pandemic experience

Abstract

Despite the expanding body of literature on urban resilience amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilience resistance of super-aged communities has received scant attention. Resilience resistance refers to the efficacy of government interventions and the systemic barriers to resilience within governance processes. This study focuses on Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas with a high proportion of aging residents, to assess the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly compulsory testing notices (CTN), on the resilience of super-aged communities. By analyzing data from the Hong Kong Department of Health between July 2020 and May 2021, our findings indicate that during the third wave, super-aged communities implemented interventions similarly to other communities and experienced shorter suffering periods. However, in the fourth wave, these communities recorded more cases and longer suffering periods despite similar interventions. Notably, communities adhering to non-pharmaceutical interventions accelerated their recovery and positively influenced neighboring areas. Conversely, communities with a CTN experienced more cases and prolonged suffering periods. Super-aged communities that received a quick CTN (QCTN) suffered less. These findings highlight the critical importance of timely CTN implementation, suggesting that proactive CTN use can effectively disrupt SARS-CoV-2 transmission and provide valuable insights for efficient pandemic management.