Hong Kong at the tipping point: ‘frank words’, dire warnings prompted city leader’s rethink of tough anti-Covid measures
- Trusted advisers warned Carrie Lam city had reached critical tipping point and Hong Kong’s status as an international financial hub was under threat
- Bernard Chan, convenor of the Executive Council, calls for road map to international community on when restrictions on travellers can be relaxed
The harsh numbers revealing people were leaving town in droves, particularly expatriates from the financial sector, finally convinced Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to rethink the city’s stringent pandemic control measures, the Post has learned.
Bernard Chan, the convenor of the Executive Council, Lam’s de facto cabinet, said Hong Kong had been working hard to resume cross-border travel with mainland China, but it became an unrealistic goal in the immediate term given the Omicron-fuelled fifth wave of infections.
“While it’s unrealistic to reopen our border with the mainland, we need to spell out a road map to the international community when we would relax restrictions on travellers,” he told the Post.
“We need to align the quarantine requirements for arrivals with that for locals resuming their normal life after testing positive,” he said. “It would help a lot if the quarantine period for arrivals is cut down to seven days.”
Under the latest rules set by the government, a resident who was infected with the coronavirus could resume normal activities if the result of his or her rapid antigen test on days six and seven was negative.
Entertainment tycoon Allan Zeman said many people from the business, professional and financial services had talked or written to Lam recently about the dire situation and the need to rethink the strategy in handling the pandemic.