Coronavirus: Guangdong lockdown ‘would be a disaster’ for Hong Kong’s logistics sector, industry players warn

A Covid-19 lockdown in the Guangdong region in mainland China could spell trouble for Hong Kong’s logistics sector, industry representatives and lawmakers have warned, as local distributors begin stocking up on consumable items to ensure a continuous flow of supply.

“If the pandemic continues to spread to the Guangdong area particularly … it would [be] a disaster,” said transport sector legislator Frankie Yick Chi-ming during an online conference on Tuesday. “Nothing will be coming to Hong Kong and we don’t want to see that happen.”

The concerns were raised after Guangdong province tightened pandemic prevention measures despite logging only a dozen daily cases in the past week, with cities including Shenzhen launching mass testing in some areas and Guangzhou imposing entry curbs on most arrivals.

The province made the moves as Shanghai entered a third week under lockdown after total cases topped 227,000 since March 1, with residents complaining of food shortages.

The mainland has been Hong Kong’s largest supplier of goods, providing 92 per cent of the city’s vegetables and 94 per cent of fresh pork.

Stephen Chan King-che, honourable adviser of the Hong Kong Logistics Association, said some local distributors and suppliers had begun to stock up on “anything that can be consumed” in the event the province entered a lockdown.

“If we have more inventory and goods stored in Hong Kong, that will increase storage costs for distributors and suppliers. In the end, the costs will be transferred to consumers,” he said.

President of the association Elsa Yuen May-yee said she hoped the Hong Kong government could guarantee stable supplies of goods for residents and those in the logistics industry.