Exclusive | Coronavirus: Hong Kong hedge fund manager who ‘wiped licked fingers on MTR handrail’ in viral video incurs internet’s wrath
- Joel Werner, chief investment officer at Solitude Capital Management, releases formal apology to the public, saying he filmed it as a parody to show others the dangers of fake news
- The Hong Kong resident says there is a second clip showing him disinfecting the handrail, and he called police to explain but they ‘could not care less’
A Hong Kong-based hedge fund manager has claimed a viral video showing him licking his fingers and wiping them onto a train’s handrail was an attempt at parody meant to educate his friends about the ease of spreading fake news amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, the experiment misfired badly, attracting the full wrath of social media on Wednesday, as online users condemned him for irresponsible behaviour. The video was shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook and forwarded via private WhatsApp groups.
Speaking to the Post, Joel Werner, chief investment officer at Solitude Capital Management, an Asia-focused hedge fund based in Hong Kong, admitted it was him in the video, but insisted he did not actually put his fingers in his mouth and that there was a second video which showed him disinfecting the handrail. The Post has seen both videos.
“I’m terrified. It’s been spread all over,” the 43-year-old Hong Kong resident said of the video. “I manage other people’s money. How embarrassing is this?”
As the angry comments mounted on Facebook, the MTR Corporation waded into the controversy – first reprimanding Werner’s conduct, then filing a police report.
Werner said he decided to make the video during his lunch break after seeing a clip with simplified Chinese script denouncing a man that it claimed was an American soldier spreading the virus on a subway car in Wuhan, piggybacking off a popular conspiracy theory.
The video has been widely called into question, and Werner noted there were signs visible in the footage that were in Spanish.
I feel like a victim of a crime. It’s very upsetting
Werner told the Post he never intended for his video to go public, and regretted the incident. He said he sent two clips to a private WhatsApp group with friends, with one showing him appearing to lick his finger then wiping it on a handrail inside an MTR train and a second showing him disinfecting the handrail.
He said someone in the group chat, who did not see the second video and failed to realise it was him, forwarded the video to police thinking it was real.
“I spend all my time evaluating information, trying to understand what is real and what is correct and what is not. And maybe it was an overreaction to getting something that was clearly false, [but] I did it. It happened in a matter of 10 minutes,” the hedge fund manager said.
Werner said he subsequently called police and told them it was him in the video. He explained that he had disinfected the handrail afterwards with alcohol gel. Police told him they “could not care less”, he said.
The Hong Kong resident said he had no idea the video had been posted on Facebook until hours later.
“If I apologise for anything … It wasn’t to make light of the situation. It was actually to make the situation serious, because people send around misinformation. There’s other clips and context. I feel like a victim of a crime. It’s very upsetting,” he said.
In a formal message addressed to the people of Hong Kong later on Wednesday evening, Werner explained that he had used hand sanitiser before and after touching the pole and “unreservedly apologised” to anyone he may have offended.
“A global pandemic is no laughing matter,” the statement read.
We strongly condemn such a behaviour which blatantly disregarded public hygiene
While a spokesman for the MTR Corp said it had seen both the Werner videos in question, it stood by its initial response, confirming it had reported the case to police and saying it abhorred what appeared to be flagrant disregard for public hygiene.
“We strongly condemn such a behaviour which blatantly disregarded public hygiene. Amid the rampant outbreak of the Covid-19, this kind of behaviour, defying public morals, runs contrary to the public determination to fight against the epidemic. We have reported this incident to police,” a statement responding to media inquiries read.
The MTR underscored that whenever a train arrived at its destination, staff would clean and disinfect train facilities with which passengers have frequent contact, including poles. Trains are also cleaned and disinfected thoroughly after returning to depots at night.
“We once again call on passengers to be considerate,” the response continued. “While taking care of their personal hygiene, passengers should also be mindful of other people and refrain from doing something which may facilitate the spreading of the virus.”
The spokesman said whether such behaviour was in breach of the MTR by-laws depended on the situation.
According to the by-laws, no person shall improperly touch or interfere with the rail facilities, or behave in an indecent or offensive manner on the railway premises.
Experts, meanwhile, warned against even holding handrails with bare hands on public transport.
“Whenever people touch anything within the MTR, make sure to use a tissue to wrap the handrail,” infectious disease expert Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan said. “Don’t use your bare hands to touch the handrail directly.”
Some studies have shown the virus can stay on stainless steel or plastic for up to three or four days.
“So for people who are riding the MTR during the daytime or office hours, during peak hours, if the virus is present, it is possible to transmit through touching this kind of object and get the Covid-19 infection if you don’t observe personal hygiene adequately,” Tsang added.
For his part, Werner said his attempt at showing the pitfalls of fake news might cost him dearly.
“I did not want it to be distributed and part of it was about the fact that everyone sends around things that are fake. It’s the great irony.”
Additional reporting by Cannix Yau
