Opinion | To convince people to get vaccinated, open Hong Kong’s borders

Borders cannot stay closed forever. Hong Kong must eventually re-enter the world economy as a trading hub and global city

Caution must give way to the fact vaccines are the ultimate protection, and those who do not get vaccinated can no longer expect the government to protect them in other ways

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Pedestrians pass a poster in Causeway Bay on April 18 encouraging people to get vaccinated. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 6:45am, 6 Jun 2021Updated: 6:50am, 6 Jun 2021

During the past year, as the world struggled with Covid-19 and politicised its prevention, Hong Kong has been a beacon of sanity and rational behaviour, managing infections and quelling multiple waves of the virus.

Unlike the United States, where the question of masking became a partisan issue, Hong Kong has seen nearly universal wearing of masks and united community action against the virus.

Now, suddenly the tide of rationality has turned. As wealthy countries around the world begin to return to normal with vaccination rates over 50 per cent, Hong Kong is struggling to get residents to vaccinate despite a well-organised distribution system and a stockpile of vaccines.

To convince the vaccine-hesitant, the government is considering programmes that would encourage people to take the shot or open restaurants and bars only for the vaccinated in the event of a fifth wave.

Here is a better idea: open the borders. They cannot stay closed forever, after all. Europe has already reopened its borders to vaccinated travellers from the US. Domestic travel in the US is soaring as vaccinated citizens head off on long-awaited summer holidays.

On Thursday, health secretary Sophia Chan approved the BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12 and over, paving the way for them to be vaccinated by the time school restarts in the autumn. With that safety measure in place, the city should now announce a reasonable future date for reopening to all visitors and business travellers without quarantine.