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LettersAlign Hong Kong’s Covid-19 control measures with the mainland’s to hasten full border reopening
- Readers discuss how cross-border travel can be revived , Covid-19 testing during quarantine, the Election Committee polls debacle, and Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy
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I suggested in my letter, “Contact tracing, not vaccination, is the key to reopening the border with the mainland” (September 18) that contact tracing and enhanced protection during quarantine would be crucial to addressing the central government’s concerns over relaxing border controls in relation to Hongkongers entering the mainland.
On September 26, Hong Kong and mainland officials met in Shenzhen and discussed reviving cross-border travel. However, going by the Hong Kong government’s press release, there does not seem to have been any tangible outcome, or specific timeline or requirement, set out by mainland officials.
Perhaps under the “one country, two systems” model, provincial officials cannot specifically comment on Hong Kong’s internal business. Hence, they could not give our officials specific guidelines, while the decision on relaxing travel restrictions on Hong Kong rests with the central government.
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It was not until September 29 that Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee mentioned coordination with Guangdong and Macau on the conversion of a health code adopted by Hong Kong and the mainland. I had pointed out in my letter that vaccination was not the main way to ease the central government’s concerns, but rather aligning Hong Kong’s infection control regime with the central government’s.
The use of the health code in Hong Kong will trigger privacy concerns. However, considering the economic and social impact of prolonged separation from the mainland given Hong Kong’s heavy reliance on the retail and tourism industries, and because Hong Kong will not adopt the “living with the virus” model by opening its border to the rest of the world, this appears to be the only solution.
Infection control in quarantine hotels became a real issue in Macau. The city reported that two hotel security guards tested positive for Covid-19 on September 25. They reportedly contracted the virus from a guest undergoing quarantine at the hotel because they did not wear their mask properly when dealing with those under quarantine.
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