Hong Kong has no “deadline” to relax international border controls

Hong Kong has “no definitive timetable” for lifting international border restrictions this year, senior official said, despite the heavy toll the city’s zero Covid policy has taken on its status as a transport hub and financial.

Hong Kong’s elimination strategy, which involves a 21-day quarantine for international arrivals, has made it increasingly difficult for leaders to use the city as a regional hub. Passenger flights to eight countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have been banned and air cargo services reduced.

The city will also ban transit flights from around 150 countries classified as high risk due to the Omicron variant from Sunday for at least a month.

But the chaos caused by the global Omicron outbreak has bolstered the Hong Kong government and the public’s confidence in the city’s zero Covid strategy, Edward Yau, trade and economic development secretary, told the Financial Times in an interview.

“It will be difficult to approach [the question of a timeline]because it will be subject to many conditions and situations. . . I don’t think anyone can give you a specific timeline as such, ”Yau said.

Hong Kong recorded just 213 deaths from the pandemic and avoided blockages across the city. In contrast, the United Kingdom has recorded 174,233 deaths linked to Covid-19.

But international companies have expressed concern that the city has not developed an exit strategy and is cutting itself off from the world, leading to an outflow of talent.

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According to the latest censuses, Hong Kong’s population fell 1.2% in the first half of 2021, with 88,800 applicants as of September 30 last year for a UK national (overseas) program that offers a path to citizenship. Population movements were fueled in part by a political crackdown on free speech that followed pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The Hong Kong government has also come under fire after senior officials violated the official advice not to participate in large gatherings by attending a birthday party for a mainland official in which two cases of Covid resulted been discovered.

But Yau retorted that despite a recent Omicron outbreak that led the government to reimpose social distancing rules, the zero Covid strategy had protected the city, with most cases being detected while carriers were in quarantine.

“This is why we are so adamant that we must maintain this policy. . . The Hong Kong formula is one that we give maximum safety, security and normality to the operating environment of local businesses, and this was achieved because we saw a lion’s share of the time last year. “, did he declare.

Yau added that popular sentiment was in favor of zero Covid measures and the companies needed to adapt to the challenges of the virus.

“If you go out to ask the local community, people are always very adamant that they really want Hong Kong to remain a safe place for everyday life,” he said.

“Some cities have [had] to adjust [to Omicron] through the intermittent closure of the community. Some were taking a heavy toll on their public health systems, ”Yau said.

Hong Kong’s zero Covid policy ties in with a similar strategy in mainland China. The government argues that to reopen its border with the mainland, the city must maintain the policy of elimination.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, told lawmakers on Wednesday that talks with mainland officials over reopening the border were in the final stages. But she added that the city would need to record any locally transmitted cases for at least 14 days before that happened.

Lam on Friday revealed an extension of flight bans in all eight countries until February 4 and said border checks were necessary given the health risks.

“We should be concerned about allowing more travelers [to come in] of those places, ”she said. “[Quarantine] Hong Kong of course affects being an international city, an international financial center. . . But we have to weigh these consequences against the health risks for the people of Hong Kong. ”

The restrictions and Hong Kong’s decision to ban passenger flights have prompted other carriers to suspend their services to the territory.

Critics also blamed slow vaccination rates, especially among the elderly, for the city’s inability to lift quarantine restrictions.