Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, said on Thursday she would review Covid-19 restrictions in coming days, as she understands people in the global financial centre are growing increasingly impatient with rules that have isolated the city and hurt the economy.
Restrictions, including a ban on flights from nine countries such as Britain and the US, quarantine of up to 14 days for arrivals, online classes only and the closing of gyms and most public venues have frustrated many residents in the city of 7.4 million.
Speaking at a regular Covid-19 media briefing, Lam said she would provide an update around March 20 or March 21 rather than wait for the restrictions to expire on April 20.
“I have a very good feel that some of our financial institutions are losing patience about this sort of isolation status of Hong Kong,” she said.
“And Hong Kong is an international financial centre and nobody attaches as much importance as myself to Hong Kong as an international financial centre,” Lam said.
The review would include social distancing measures as well as an update on border restrictions and a proposal for mass testing, she added.
Barricaded Beaches
On Thursday, Hong Kong barricaded 42 beaches in what was seen as pandering to upset Shenzhen citizens posting on social media, rather than a scientific approach to reducing transmission.
Shenzhen has endured harsher curbs due to a much smaller outbreak, and many online residents have lashed out at the relatively lax restrictions in Hong Kong.
However, Hong Kong has taken an inconsistent approach, closing outdoor venues but keeping shopping malls open and allowing public transport to run less frequently, leading to more crowded trips.
Health authorities reported 29,272 new infections on Wednesday and 217 deaths, taking total cases to around 800,000 and deaths to nearly 5,000, most of them in the past three weeks.
Hong Kong is clinging to a “zero-Covid” strategy that aims to curb all outbreaks despite spiralling cases that have swept through care homes and overwhelmed medical and mortuary facilities.
The policy mirrors that of mainland China, which is also facing a huge challenge as a jump in cases restricts the movement of millions of people and affects some of the country’s industrial hubs.
The Covid-19 policies have triggered an exodus of people from Hong Kong, with a net outflow of more than 45,000 this month after at least 71,000 left in February. That compares with a net outflow of nearly 17,000 in December before the fifth wave hit.
- Reuters, with additional editing by George Russell
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