Hong Kong will look to scrap most quarantine exemptions, intensifying what is already one of the world's strictest Covid-19 policy approaches.
The city will soon announce arrangements to remove exemptions that allow people to skip the mandatory hotel quarantine of up to 21 days, according to chief executive Carrie Lam in a recent media briefing, reiterating the priority of opening up the border for travel with mainland China.
«In relation to exempted groups of quarantine-free personnel, most of these will be removed – we will only leave those relating to emergency services or services relating to the everyday supply and logistics of Hong Kong, say for example cross-boundary truck drivers,» Lam said. «This is to give confidence to the central authorities that it is safe to open the border.»
Discharge conditions for infected people will also be tightened with departures from the hospital only allowed after testing negative twice and an additional 14-day quarantine in a separate facility.
Hub Status Risk
Lam also noted that she was not worried about the quarantine measure’s harm to the city’s reputation as a global financial hub, despite a recent plea by global banks to loosen borders.
«The context is that Hong Kong’s primary advantage lies in being the gateway to mainland China,» she explained.
«If businesses established in Hong Kong cannot go to the mainland, I think it would significantly reduce the appeal of Hong Kong as an international business hub and international financial center.»
