Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Hong Kong’s chief executive, announced earlier that the city’s COVID-19 flight ban on nine countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, would be eased, and the mandatory quarantine period would be reduced from 14 to seven days. The order went into effect on April 1.
The decision was met with dismay by some, while expatriates and business visitors applauded it. Because of the lengthy quarantine period upon arrival, the flight restriction had prevented many expats and business executives from traveling abroad for business for months. Such a decision was intended to maintain Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center. Understandably, the business community appreciated the decision, but some residents are not satisfied, as the virus is still raging and spreading throughout the city and around the world. It’s not merely the sheer number of infected cases that’s alarming; it’s also the way in which our government is addressing and handling the pandemic situation.
The desire and commitment to keep Hong Kong’s economy and international business environment afloat is justified, given the risk of expats and multinational corporations relocating their headquarters out of Hong Kong owing to travel restrictions. However, others fear that such a strategy is incompatible with the “dynamic zero infection” strategy and that it will simply confuse residents regarding how to safeguard themselves against the virus. While these concerns are valid and understandable, with cities like Singapore easing their travel restrictions, this decision is ostensibly inevitable for Hong Kong to remain competitive as an international financial center.
As Hong Kong continues to identify hundreds of new infections on a daily basis, easing quarantine regulations for inbound business travelers entails obvious risks and concerns. The BA2 subvariant of omicron is still extremely contagious, so public health must remain the top priority of our government. The key challenge is determining how to execute initiatives in a rational and sensible manner that strikes a balance between public health protection and international trade facilitation.
Two years into the pandemic, the special administrative region government still doesn’t appear to have a clear strategy for dealing with it. Compulsory universal testing is the top priority one day, and then it’s abandoned the next, leaving locals perplexed. One would think that two years into the pandemic, our government would have established various emergency and crisis protocols to deal with our predicaments; but it appears to be continuously developing new strategies as our situation evolves, seemingly without fully comprehending their effectiveness and ramifications.
Hong Kong must take COVID-19 more seriously than merely going with the flow if it is to overcome it. This “go with the flow” approach will not work if our objective is to strike a balance between public health and preserving commercial status. If imported cases rise again as a result of loosening travel restrictions, I have little faith in our government’s capability to manage the situation while maintaining such a balance. Our government is likely to simply revert to its previous practices.
Attaining the desired balance can be a daunting task, and I hope Hong Kong won’t become a “global infection epicenter” as a result of failing to do so. We need stronger policies and, more significantly, better execution to achieve such a balance, which has recently been a major shortcoming in our government. Because of a lack of forethought and precise implementation, our “COVID-zero” approach has been ridiculed as a “confidence-zero” strategy.
In addition, I believe that our government must send out a clear and consistent message regarding what has to be done to safeguard the health of residents while still ensuring the economy’s viability. Compulsory universal testing should be implemented with heedful execution and timing; quarantine periods should be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis; and ongoing discussions between our government and the business sector should occur more frequently. Moreover, our most vulnerable residents, such as the elderly and children, require prompt vaccination. Only then will we be able to claim that we have done everything in our power to protect our city and residents.
For as long as the prospect of imported cases exists, there is a concern that the virus will proliferate again. If this occurs, Hong Kong will be unprepared to handle such a crisis in its current state. Our hospitals are already overburdened. When a sudden upsurge occurs, our healthcare system will be overwhelmed, resulting in even more fatalities.
The fundamental goal and consideration for Hong Kong should always be the protection of people’s lives and the facilitation of quarantine-free travel to the Chinese mainland, especially because Hong Kong serves as a gateway for much of the country’s global businesses. Furthermore, considering that many Hong Kong enterprises have a substantial presence in the mainland market, it would be naive to assume that simply connecting internationally will be sufficient to resurrect Hong Kong’s economy. Plans such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and the Northern Metropolis are also critical components for Hong Kong’s future economic development, but they will not succeed if we fail to reconnect with our motherland. In order to reestablish faith, our SAR government must demonstrate vision and dedication, which is no simple task.
The author is founder of Save HK and a Central Committee member of the New People’s Party.
The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.