Right balance has to be struck on lifting of quarantine rules
- As the world gradually reopens to travel, Hongkongers remain subject to some of the toughest restrictions that should be eased once outbreaks are brought under control
To the relief of many who have been locked down in their home cities over the past two years, more countries have embraced the “live with Covid” strategy and relaxed quarantine rules for travellers.
Unfortunately, Hongkongers can only watch with envy as the world gradually opens up. That explains why there is still an air of frustration and resignation when the confinement period for overseas arrivals is to be cut by seven days to two weeks.
Admittedly, until travel is back to normal, any tweaks to the quarantine policy will fall short of public expectations. But to go further at this stage would seem unwise.
The government adjustments announced on Thursday mean travellers will still be quarantined in designated hotels for two weeks, followed by another seven days, during which they may go out but will have to observe medical surveillance.
The original rule to isolate residents returning from Omicron-hit areas at Penny’s Bay quarantine centre for the first four of the 21-day period has also been dropped, but the flight bans on high-risk countries remain.
The restrictions are still more restrictive than those in many places but, given the city is still in the midst of a widening community outbreak, a balance has to be struck.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the relaxation was purely based on science, referring to the shorter incubation period for the Omicron variant.