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SCMP Series
Most read Letters to the Editor of 2021
8 of 10
1
Australia making a big mistake taking on China
A visitor looks at a display of Australian wines at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai on November 5. Disputes over issues ranging from Xinjaing to 5G and Australia’s support for a probe into the origin of the coronavirus have sparked a trade spat and higher Chinese import duties or outright bans on Australian products, including wine and coal. Photo: AP
2
Zero-Covid Hong Kong could mean ‘World City’ Singapore
People dine in the Boat Quay nightlife area in Singapore on September 24. The country has reopened its borders to vaccinated international travellers. Photo: Reuters
3
Why Australia will regret making an enemy of China
Protesters at a demonstration in Sydney on June 23 call on the Australian government to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China’s human rights record. Photo: AFP
4
In Canadian police’s refusal of street checks, a lesson for Hong Kong
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers wearing masks stand outside the Senate of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, in September 2020. Many police forces in Ontario have resisted a re-introduction of street checks to combat Covid-19. Photo: Bloomberg
5
Hong Kong hotel quarantine rules: a plea for common sense and mercy
Coach registration counter at the Hong Kong International Airport, for passengers to be transported to designated quarantine hotels, on December 22. Photo: Nora Tam
6
UK’s ‘green list’ for travel: why is Singapore in and Hong Kong out?
People spend time in a Hong Kong park on April 30. Diplomats in both China and Britain should lobby for Hong Kong to be included in the UK’s green list of quarantine-free travel. Photo: AP
7
Think twice before leaving Hong Kong on BN(O) visa
About 300,000 Hong Kong citizens are expected to apply for a new British National (Overseas) visa route to settle in the UK, despite nearly 3 million being eligible. Photo: Bloomberg
8
Harsh Covid-19 rules raise risks of Hong Kong expat exodus
Hong Kong’s once-bustling nightlife district of Lan Kwai Fong wears a deserted look, in Central on June 14. Photo: Edmond So
9
Hongkongers moving to Canada for democracy are in for a shock
Friends and relatives take photos before boarding a London-bound flight at Hong Kong airport on August 8. Photo: EPA-EFE
10
There are worthier Bible lessons than ‘mark of the beast’
Anti-vaccination protesters take part in a rally against Covid-19 vaccine mandates in Santa Monica, California, on August 29. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong’s once-bustling nightlife district of Lan Kwai Fong wears a deserted look, in Central on June 14. Photo: Edmond So
CommentLetters

LettersHarsh Covid-19 rules raise risks of Hong Kong expat exodus

  • Such a tight grip on Covid-19 measures, including travel and leisure restrictions, would be justified if untraceable local cases were rising rapidly and hospitals were filling up. But this is no longer the case
Coronavirus Hong Kong
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Hong Kong is a place like no other. For one, it definitely has a confused cultural identity. With a beautifully messy, diverse culture and a colonial history added to the mix, the international culture in Hong Kong is enigmatic and enticing for those from abroad.

Yet, this cultural diversity is quickly slipping away as expats leave by the droves. Why? The answer is simple.

All the things that keep expats in Hong Kong have been affected with the arrival of Covid-19. The travelling, the bars, the clubs, the restaurants, the beaches, the junks, Peel Street past 10pm. It is the beautiful lifestyle of Hong Kong that keeps expats living in the city. It is the nightlife, despite the fact that Hong Kong is a high-stress city. It is the natural landscapes, despite the fact that Hong Kong is the most expensive city to live in the world for expats. It is the travelling, the fact that half the world’s population is within a five-hour flight’s reach, and home is usually a direct flight away.
Gone is this lifestyle with the travel restrictions, lengthy hotel quarantine requirements, and strict social distancing measures. Such a tight grip on Covid-19 measures would be understandable if untraceable local cases were rising rapidly and hospitals were filling up. Yet, this is no longer the case, as seen from the recent 42-day zero transmission streak and the increased pace of vaccination.

With the government’s insufficient differentiation in Covid-19 measures for those vaccinated, the continued travel restrictions, and with no clear end to these measures in sight, what is left of the city is simply the stress and the expense, at heightened levels. Neither of which, unfortunately, are particularly captivating aspects of the city.

For those who have not been able to travel to see family since Christmas 2019, this stressful, expensive city is getting to be a little too much. Before such sentiments boil over and lead to a mass exodus of expats, it is high time the government took care of this unique part of the Hong Kong population. They might not all be permanent residents but they nonetheless hold their Hong Kong ID cards close to heart and call this city home.

Joanne T. Tsang, Tung Chung

‘Jailing’ Hongkongers can’t be a long-term solution

Hong Kong should now start to open up travel bubbles with other destinations and only require quarantine from countries with higher risks of Covid infection. We need to make a start and allow local residents to travel abroad for holidays.

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While the quarantine measures have dampened the sentiment of travel, we may not realise that indirectly we are jailing residents within Hong Kong’s borders without any travel choices. Fully vaccinated people should be allowed to travel and return with no quarantine requirements.

If we don’t relax our quarantine standards, it will ultimately impact the local economy and devastate businesses and it may even cause property prices to decline.

We cannot afford to mismanage this city while the rest of the world is opening up.

Rishi Teckchandani, Mid-Levels


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