Hong Kong is now grappling with the fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. After several extensions, the suspension of flights from nine countries is set to last until at least April 20 . But without any indication from the government that it won’t be extended again, Hongkongers who are stranded in one of the affected countries face only two options. They can pay large amounts of money to “ wash out ” in a country not affected by the ban – provided there are still flights available and they can get a PCR test the Hong Kong authorities will accept – or they can remain stranded until the suspension is eventually lifted. Nearly two months into the flight ban, there is growing frustration at the ban and questions are raised about its necessity. Banning flights is immaterial to pandemic control if the number of non-local cases remains low compared to locally transmitted cases. Gabriel Leung, dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, said on February 24 that Hongkongers stranded overseas by the flight suspension should be allowed to return as Hong Kong’s risk of infection is similar to those in the banned regions. In other words, Hongkongers returning from those places do not pose additional risks to the city. The list itself is even more baffling when the risks posed by some banned countries are lower than other non-banned places. Canada’s daily new case numbers, which are around 6,000, are lower than the number of new cases in Hong Kong. “Washing out” in Germany should be equally risky from the Hong Kong government’s perspective as Germany, along with some other European countries not on the suspension list, is starting to lift some Covid-19 measures . Shouldn’t those places be banned as well? That’s not science but arbitrary judgment. Stringent Covid-19 measures are already threatening Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre. The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong has voiced the worries of its members and said in a report about its recent survey that more than half of business executives interviewed were considering leaving Hong Kong because of the unpredictable anti-pandemic measures in place. In a similar vein, the EU Office to Hong Kong and Macau said more than 10 per cent of Europeans have fled the city in the past 18 months amid persistent uncertainties over Hong Kong’s anti-pandemic measures. We should already know how things will go if expats are presented with only two options – they would just leave and not be bothered by this conundrum any more. It’s reasonable to think that the repercussions for Hong Kong’s long-term economy will be significant. The government should make a last-ditch effort to restore confidence in Hong Kong’s open business environment. And it’s not too late to help its overseas Hong Kong students, most of whom are in the US, Australia, Britain and Canada. Summer is coming and is usually a time for family reunions. The situation is particularly grim for exchange students , who are supposed to stay for only three to four months in their host countries. Many of them are starting to run low on funds as they have to look for new accommodation at short notice and struggling to continue with their study in Hong Kong because of time differences. Universities in Hong Kong do acknowledge the issue, but the amount of support they could provide to these students is meagre. The only way to help these students is to lift the ban and let them return home. Number of students leaving Hong Kong’s public universities jumps 24 per cent With the entire society now embroiled in the fight against the Omicron variant, the situation of overseas Hongkongers who are eager to come back is largely overlooked by local media and the Hong Kong government. Leung’s comment is timely and warrants the government’s attention on how to accommodate the needs of overseas Hongkongers . This is not even about lifting the quarantine requirement for inbound passengers. It is about allowing Hongkongers to return home. Airlines will probably not be operating at full capacity even when the ban is lifted, so what kind of risks do Hongkongers stranded overseas pose to the city? Lift the ban and open the door, at least to Hong Kong citizens and permanent residents. Hugo Tang is a postgraduate student in public policy and global affairs at the University of British Columbia