Call for government to help poorer Hong Kong residents visit loved ones living in mainland China
- Society for Community Organisation finds that 80 per cent of 467 residents surveyed have parents living on mainland
- But high cost of quarantine hotel and limited places mean they cannot see them, with average of 22 months separating visits
A group representing underprivileged residents has urged authorities to reopen Hong Kong’s border with mainland China, saying strict travel restrictions have hindered family reunions and even medical treatment.
The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) made the call on Sunday as it released the results of a survey that found 80 per cent of 467 respondents had parents living on the mainland, with 70 per cent reporting feeling disconnected from their loved ones as they could not visit due to the expenses involved with isolating at a hotel.
About 85 per cent of respondents had not met their family members on the mainland for 22 months on average, it found. One-fifth of respondents were also unable to visit doctors on the mainland and receive medication due to the border closure, which could increase health risks due to delayed treatment, it said.
“Due to the long quarantine periods, many [lower-income residents] may quit their jobs in Hong Kong to get treatment on the mainland, but they struggle to get a new one when they return,” SoCO deputy director Sze Lai-shan said.
“There are also cases of those who are retiring on the mainland but seeking medical treatment in Hong Kong being unable to come to the city to get their medicine.”
Lau Yin-shan, community organiser at SoCO, said the government should subsidise lower-income families’ quarantine and Covid-19 testing expenses based on their financial status to alleviate their economic hardship when they went to the mainland.
