Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Time for Hong Kong to pivot to an unqualified ‘zero’ policy for travellers

Time for Hong Kong to pivot to an unqualified ‘zero’ policy for travellers

The government deserves praise for removing hotel quarantine relatively quickly, but much more must be done to return to normality. It is time for the responsibility for Covid-related health to shift back to individuals as we cannot afford to test and quarantine forever.

Twenty-one, 14, seven, 3+4, 0+3. This is not some strange derivative of a reverse Fibonacci sequence. Sadly, most Hong Kong residents probably know what these numbers mean – the dreaded number of hotel quarantine days upon arrival in the city.

There has been much speculation about when Hong Kong will implement a “0+0” entry policy, but this was not announced in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address. But what is “0+0”? It has yet to be defined.

To many, it means no hotel quarantine and the ability to go to restaurants immediately but with testing on arrival to screen for positive cases. These cases would likely receive a red code and be unable to go to office or visit restaurants and bars. It is up for debate whether the “+0” part includes medical surveillance or not.

While I applaud the current administration for its relatively rapid progression to no hotel quarantine for travellers, I am of the opinion that at this stage of the pandemic, we need to move to a full and unqualified “zero” policy. By this I mean no quarantine, no medical surveillance and, importantly, no testing.

Even the “0+0” with testing will appeal only to Hongkongers and those who have family or friends in Hong Kong they wish to visit. It won’t attract most tourists and businesspeople as they would run the risk of testing positive for Covid-19 and being unable to enter offices and restaurants. People already avoid Hong Kong because of the threat of confinement to the infamous Penny’s Bay, whether real or imagined.

As has been widely reported, our restrictive anti-pandemic measures have resulted in an exodus of both firms and talent. Regional roles require frequent travel and, as other countries have opened up, many companies have relocated their staff overseas – some temporarily, others permanently. According to a recent survey by the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association, more than a third of fund management companies have moved some or all of their regional and global roles out of Hong Kong.

Granted, stringent measures were warranted early in the pandemic when Covid-19 was more virulent and we had no vaccination or antiviral medication. Now, though, we enjoy one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with more than 92 per cent of Hongkongers double-vaccinated.

Infectious disease experts have noted that the pandemic has entered an endemic phase in Hong Kong. As long as the evidence shows that our public health system can handle the serious infections, perhaps it is time to migrate to a “new normal”. I fear that if we don’t get rid of testing quicker and go to absolute zero, more of the damage that has been done will become permanent.

While we haven’t been standing still in easing pandemic restrictions, other places have taken advantage of our relative lack of speed. Our arch-rival Singapore started to resume quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated people from select countries last October – a year ahead of Hong Kong.

It is no surprise then that Singapore overtook Hong Kong as Asia’s top financial centre, according to Global Financial Centres Index. We are also losing out to other places on conferences and sporting events, with the world’s largest dragon boat racing competition moved to Thailand.

Cathay Pacific’s management predicts that it will take until late 2024 or early 2025 before its business returns to pre-Covid levels. However, I am of the firm belief that we can regain lost ground if we act decisively now.

One way or another, we need to find a way to pivot to normality. It is unsustainable to test and quarantine forever, especially when most countries have completely opened up. According to Travel Off Path, there were 111 countries as of October 4 that had zero travel restrictions or entry requirements, including no tests before or after arrival, no quarantine, no ban on any countries and no vaccine requirements.

Perhaps it is time for the responsibility for Covid-related health to shift back to individuals. We can transition back to pre-pandemic times when people would abstain from work or social events and wear masks when they fell ill.

The rest of society would not have to pay the price. We would be saving the economy, the environment and people’s livelihoods and mental well-being.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×