{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]],"date-time":"2026-04-01T05:02:38Z","timestamp":1775019758396,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,8]],"date-time":"2023-02-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1675814400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented toll on Hong Kong. As more countries are starting to lift COVID-19 restrictions, it would be important to understand the public attitudes towards lifting COVID-19 restrictions and to identify its associated factors. The present study examined the level of support towards the living with the virus (LWV) policy for COVID-19 among the public in Hong Kong and to identify the associations between resilient coping, self-efficacy and emotional distress with support towards the LWV policy. A random population-based telephone survey was conducted among 500 Hong Kong Chinese adults from 7 March to 19 April 2022, i.e., during the fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak. Of the respondents, 39.6% showed a supportive attitude towards the LWV policy. Results from the structural equational modeling showed a positive correlation between resilient coping and self-efficacy. Resilient coping was associated with support towards the LWV policy directly and indirectly through a lower level of emotional distress. Self-efficacy had a direct association with support towards the LWV policy but its indirect association through emotional distress was not significant. Interventions that foster resilient coping and self-efficacy would be effective in reducing public emotional distress and promoting their positive view towards the LWV policy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20042989","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,9]],"date-time":"2023-02-09T01:59:43Z","timestamp":1675907983000},"page":"2989","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Time to Lift up COVID-19 Restrictions? Public Support towards Living with the Virus Policy and Associated Factors among Hong Kong General Public"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9822-5424","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Phoenix K. H.","family":"Mo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Health Behaviours Research, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yanqiu","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200030, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mason M. C.","family":"Lau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Health Behaviours Research, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rachel H. Y.","family":"Ling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Health Behaviours Research, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2344-7107","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joseph T. F.","family":"Lau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Health Behaviours Research, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China"},{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, The Affiliated Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China"},{"name":"School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China"},{"name":"School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311100, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Makridis, C., and Hartley, J. (2020). The Cost of COVID-19: A Rough Estimate of the 2020 US GDP Impact (6 April 2020). Spec. Ed. 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