Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks during a news conference at government headquarters in Hong Kong on March 9, 2022.
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Hong Kong plans to relax some anti-Covid measures next month. That includes lifting the ban on flights from nine countries, reducing quarantine periods for those arriving from abroad and reopening schools.
The moves announced by Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Monday could temper some criticism from residents increasingly frustrated with the city’s stringent measures, some of which have been in place for more than a year. two years.
The flight ban will be lifted from April 1, while the hotel quarantine period for guests could be cut to seven days from 14 days if residents test negative, Lam said at a meeting. newspaper. She previously said the measures would be in place until April 20.
Schools will resume face-to-face classes from April 19, after the Easter break, while public venues including sports facilities will also reopen from April 21, she said.
Blow up the city’s fame
Hong Kong’s borders have been effectively closed since 2020, with very few flights able to land and almost no passengers allowed to transit, effectively isolating an already famous city. is a global financial center.
The ban has made it very difficult for people to return to the Chinese-ruled territory, with many spending so-called “washing” time in other countries for two weeks before being allowed to return. again.
The regulations, coupled with continuously mixed messages from the government, including whether there will be a citywide shutdown and mass testing, have triggered a wave of migration. population in the past two months.
Net outflows show more than 54,000 people have left Hong Kong so far in March, compared with more than 71,000 in February and nearly 17,000 in December before the fifth wave of the pandemic hit, raising concerns about the potential long-term competitiveness of the city.
The city’s businesses and economy are reeling from widespread shutdowns, while doctors say many of the city’s 7.4 million residents are struggling with health problems Mental health is on the rise, especially in low-income families.
Soaring in cases
Lam said that the plan to conduct mass coronavirus testing will be postponed.
While the former British colony has officially stuck with a “nothing” coronavirus policy, similar to that in mainland China, which sought to contain all outbreaks, it has turned to mitigation strategies. when the death toll skyrocketed.
Hong Kong has recorded the most deaths per million people globally in recent weeks – 24 times more than rival Singapore – due to a large proportion of elderly people who are not vaccinated as a potentially deadly variant of omicron. High transmission capacity has passed through care homes since February.
The crowded city has recorded more than 1 million infections since the pandemic began and about 5,000 deaths – most of them in the past month.
According to estimates by medical experts, about 4 million people may be infected with the virus, many people have contracted the virus and isolated at home without notifying the authorities.
