City Beat | Vaccination is the means, don’t forget the end goal of making Hong Kong Covid-safe for the economy to take off
- Uncertainty over mutant strain, difficulties achieving ‘zero infection’ goal leave Hong Kong’s hoped-for economic rebound in limbo
- If Hong Kong continues to be considered a high-risk destination for mainlanders visiting the city, and they will still have to go through quarantine upon returning home, the government’s plans will be put to the test
And a bigger issue is the likelihood of further delays to plans for resuming normal exchanges between Hong Kong and mainland China – the border shutdown since last March has profoundly affected economic activity and travel between the two sides.
To be fair, Hong Kong can confidently claim to be a low-risk destination compared with the likes of the United States and some other countries in Europe and Asia. But ironically, it remains on the mainland’s list of high-risk places since the city has yet to reach a state of “zero” local infections, the key precondition set by the mainland before quarantine-free, cross-boundary activities can resume.
The stringent requirement puts the Hong Kong government in a difficult position, too – and the change of tone from Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is telling enough.
The city so far has failed to convince the mainland side to consider reciprocal, quarantine-free travel if local infections can be brought down to a “very low” level. Lam, who once tried to seek help from Beijing, has now made it clear that she will not push for a border reopening by ignoring mainland people’s feelings.
