Advertisement
Opinion | China must prepare to move on from its zero-Covid policy after Hong Kong’s terrible lesson
- Like Hong Kong, the mainland’s hospital system and society are not yet prepared to handle an explosion of Covid-19 cases
- In the long run, however, Beijing must look to live with the virus on its own terms, or risk seeing its Covid-19 accomplishments coming to naught, like Hong Kong’s
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
14
For two years, China has forged its own path in its absolute commitment to a zero-Covid policy. This reflects Beijing’s ability to eliminate Covid-19 from within its borders and prevent millions of deaths when most countries, unable to do anything similar, decided to abandon such attempts.
Advertisement
The arrival of the highly contagious but less lethal Omicron variant, combined with the increased availability of effective therapeutics and vaccines, should prompt a reassessment of the cost-to-benefit ratio of the different Covid-19 approaches.
Most people have probably heard the arguments over the past two years, especially following the roll-out of vaccines, that it is time to live with the virus, we cannot keep out the world forever, etc.
I won’t seek to make those arguments here, or the case that the economic pain from lockdowns and indirect deaths justify a quick return to normalcy – these have been made many times already.
What I do want to say is that while this policy direction is ultimately correct (even the most extreme Covid-19 hawks do not seek permanent isolation and lockdown), we cannot make policy based simply on slogans and stances.
03:46
No respite for Covid cases in Hong Kong as infections surge in mainland China
No respite for Covid cases in Hong Kong as infections surge in mainland China
Hong Kong’s terrible situation provides useful lessons. It also stuck stubbornly to a zero-Covid policy, painstakingly defeating each previous Covid-19 wave. The economic costs are clear, with more people, both Hongkongers and expatriates, leaving as a result of its isolationist Covid-19 policy than because of the much-dramatised “national security law exodus”.
Advertisement