He is not alone. There were 27,303 departures in the week ending February 20, a fifth more than the previous week and the highest weekly net outflow since the pandemic began. Most left from the airport, with the rest going via two crossings to mainland China.

One Facebook group for people considering leaving swelled to more than 2,000 members since it was created on Tuesday.

This week, however, it was the issue of parents being separated from their children who tested positive for Covid-19 that spooked many families.

On Tuesday, a British mother was told she could not be with her 11-month-old baby girl who tested positive and had to remain in Queen Mary Hospital.

Despite her begging, the woman said she was told to leave the premises or the police would be called. Her baby also had to stay for at least seven days, as required under Hong Kong’s policy for Covid-19 patients.

On Thursday, the 32-year-old communications professional who asked to be referred to as Laura, told the Post that the family had been reunited in the afternoon and were at the Penny’s Bay quarantine camp.

Hong Kong mum ‘cries, begs’ after hospital separates her from baby with Covid-19

Both the British and Australian consulates in Hong Kong issued strongly worded statements on Thursday, with British Consul General Brian Davidson saying he had “robustly challenged the local authorities of the highest level about how unacceptable and damaging it is to separate infants from parents”.

Australian Consul General Elizabeth Ward assured Australians in Hong Kong she was closely monitoring flights, noting that “a number of you are planning to be on the move”.

With fewer international flights than before the pandemic, those eager to leave have seen prices go up.

Consulates in Hong Kong concerned by separation of parent from Covid-positive baby

Hong Kong’s flight bans on nine countries, including Britain and the United States, have been extended to April 20. This week, Singapore Airlines’ budget carrier Scoot was banned for two weeks, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines services from Amsterdam were stopped until March 7, after both airlines had passengers who tested positive on arrival.

Even if available, ticket prices are at a premium to destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok, Bali, Britain and the United States.

Cathay Pacific Airways’ website has only one flight to Singapore, on March 19, costing HK$4,181 (US$535), while a flight to London can cost upwards of HK$23,000.

Adding to their concerns was Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s announcement that school summer holidays would be brought forward to run from early March, freeing school premises for three rounds of compulsory citywide Covid-19 tests in March.

British citizen Cecilia, who asked to be referred to by her given name, did not expect to be making plans to leave Hong Kong barely six months after arriving with her husband and three children.

She said she was shaken by what happened to Laura, which was reported in the Post on Tuesday, and could not bear the thought of being separated from her children, should any of them get infected.

“That is something I could not accept,” she said, adding that the family was planning to move temporarily to Bali or Thailand.

Hong Kong logs over 17,000 Covid cases as expert calls for end to flight bans

The family hoped to leave before compulsory testing began, but would keep their flat in Hong Kong. Her husband worked in finance, and they hoped to return.

“It is not easy to say we are just going to pack our bags and go. It puts a lot of pressure on the family, but ultimately, I don’t want even the slightest risk of being separated from my kids,” she said.

Australian mother of two Michelle, who also asked to be referred to by her first name, is returning to Melbourne with her sons aged five and 21 months next week, leaving her husband in Hong Kong.

She said she counted herself lucky to have booked their air tickets, as some flights had tripled in cost and her flight via Singapore had sold out.

Michelle, 37, and her husband decided it would be best for her to take the boys to live with her parents temporarily, as they were worried about a potential lockdown in Hong Kong and the looming mass testing. The school closures and the news of the mother separated from her baby sealed their decision.

Her husband, who works in finance, was staying because he was unable to work remotely.

“I think there are going to be lots of abandoned dads around,” she said, as she had heard of other families doing the same.

International and older students in Hong Kong may avoid next month’s forced break

French national Adrien Barthel, 36, whose company, Sleek, helps companies register in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Britain, said he received more than 30 calls from stressed business owners on Tuesday alone.

“The vast majority of inquiries were around moving business operations to Singapore or to create a subsidiary there and move there for a while,” he said.

The calls were from small and medium-sized business owners. He said half his clients were based in Hong Kong and most were Hongkongers.

Larger firms with foreign employees told him their staff wanted to work remotely from elsewhere, with Singapore, Bali, Phuket and Dubai being the top choices.

Barthel, who arrived in Hong Kong two years ago, said he had no plans to leave. “The biggest difference is I have no kids,” he said.

*Name changed at interviewee’s request