The longer Hong Kong is closed off, the greater the risk of being surpassed by rivals and fading into economic irrelevance. If this means a further delay in reopening the border with the mainland, so be it.

It is important to learn from past failures so we not only succeed this time, but do so in a way that helps to ease, rather than exacerbate, tensions.

The former policeman only came to prominence in 2019 and right up to his appointment as chief secretary last year, was not considered in the running to be chief executive. But his rise also raises a host of new questions, on the future of administrative officers as the elite of government, for one.

The new rules seem like cause for celebration until you read the fine print: mass testing has been scrapped yet schools remain closed; the flight ban has been lifted but countries can be blacklisted later; and quarantine for arrivals has been reduced, but a positive test still results in further isolation.

The top priority must be to vaccinate the vulnerable, followed by targeting quarantine, social distancing and mask mandates. The faster a coherent strategy to end the pandemic emerges, the sooner Hongkongers’ morale will return.

After a litany of failures that include the birthday party scandal, Beijing has assembled a team in Shenzhen to take control of Hong Kong’s pandemic situation. Beijing has been driven to intervene again – because the administration has failed to deliver.

The administration has co-opted the term but applies it differently, and even Carrie Lam struggles to explain what it means. The mainland comes down harshly only when and where cases are detected; otherwise, life is unaffected – unlike in Hong Kong

Even if the mainland chooses to stick to its zero-Covid policy, Hong Kong should be free to pursue a different strategy to preserve its status as a travel hub. Hong Kong’s current policy can be summed up as: protect the unvaccinated, punish the vaccinated, and if in doubt sacrifice the children.

The minimum wage, barely enough to support a family, should have been raised last year instead of being frozen at 2019 rates. A rise in the retirement age is also inevitable as the working population shrinks and the number of unemployed elderly increases.

Legislators should start by listening to the city’s disillusioned youth and setting them on a more prosperous path. They must also assuage the international business community’s concerns about the national security laws and Covid-19 travel restrictions.

We know the private sector is not going to build enough decent-sized flats at affordable prices. So the government needs to get past its fear of antagonising vested interests and start building the units itself, whether for rental or sale.

Hong Kong has a zero-tolerance policy like the mainland, but it lacks the domestic economy to thrive in isolation and the autonomy to change course. Singapore is opening up and could profit if Hong Kong remains hermetically sealed off.

There is an effort now to blame the 2019 unrest on outsiders. How much better it might have been if the patriots had set the government right on the extradition bill. As for the pan-democrats, their failure to condemn the violence revealed a lack of leadership.

Leung Chun-ying appears to have taken himself out of the running for a return to Hong Kong’s top job, but several hopefuls are still in the race, and the incumbent is fighting on.

It is clear that under Hong Kong’s present policies, we will never reach herd immunity and resume normal life. Our urgent priorities should be new, cogent measures to drive up first vaccinations and booster shots for those already vaccinated.

Understandably, Beijing lost patience with lawmakers’ antics that left Legco unable to function, but the pendulum on political reform has swung too far. Order will be restored, but killing hope for the future is not good for stability in the longer term.

Everyone who decides to change nationality has their own reasons, and there are many grounds for people to stay in Hong Kong. If things do not work out well for those who seek a new life abroad, they will always be welcome back.

The sobering forecast that we face at least one more year of living with pandemic restrictions should push Hong Kong’s political and economic leaders to take a much tougher line to reach herd immunity.

Imagine if all sides handled this calmly, maturely and with maximum transparency, with sincere attempts to find common ground rather than inflammatory oratory.

The partial relaxation of quarantine rules sounds like a reasonable step forwards, but in truth it amounts to very little. The government must take decisive action to increase Hong Kong’s vaccination rate instead of relying on interim measures.

Leaving aside C.Y. Leung and Carrie Lam, it is a real struggle to identify enough viable candidates to provide the appearance of a contest. This has led some to suggest that we revert to the old system under the British, whereby we are simply sent a governor selected by the parent government.

Sending the HMS Queen Elizabeth halfway around the world makes no sense when China poses no military threat to British interests. It is hard to see any rationale behind the move other than the UK trying to secure a favourable trade deal with the US.

From the point of view of the individual, vaccine hesitancy is perfectly logical, yet at the societal level it represents disaster. But the government hesitates to provide leadership, fearing a backlash from those who must face short-term hardship or the risk of side effects.

It is important to recognise that all the good work Hong Kong has done up to now in social distancing, working from home and so on is not the end of the story. For our economy to recover, we have to reach herd immunity.

The government’s proposal to make vaccination a condition for the relaxation of some social distancing measures has sparked criticism of discrimination. All except those with a bona fide medical reason not to be vaccinated should put the well-being of the community first.

What may have begun as a genuine attempt to improve the lot of Uygur detainees seems to have become embroiled in a wider diplomatic exercise to attack China.

Beijing has lost patience and thrown out much of our political structure, a setback for the democratisation of Hong Kong. Those who still wish to remain involved in civic affairs need more transparency and information from officials.

Both Ocean Park and Disneyland are likely to bounce back in the short term, with the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. But in the long run, Ocean Park needs to find a more distinctive focus to survive and thrive.

The government’s decision to freeze the minimum wage while rejecting calls for unemployment support is a double whammy for the city’s vulnerable. Hong Kong should have done better on humane and social justice grounds.

The Five Eyes’ narrative was that the national security law would crush freedom, and that they would offer a safe haven to the oppressed. But their linking of the issue to Xinjiang suggests they are more interested in targeting Beijing.