(Bloomberg) -- Rising frustration from the public and financial institutions is driving a review of pandemic control measures in Hong Kong, where a suite of stark containment measures have been in place since January to fight the city's worst-ever Covid-19 outbreak.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam pointed to the strain on residents and damage to the reputation of the once vibrant Asian financial hub for the review, asking for a few more days before she unveils what could be sweeping changes to the city's approach next week.
“I have a very strong feeling that people's tolerance is fading,” Lam told reporters at a briefing on Thursday. “I have a very good feeling that some of our financial institutions are losing patience about this isolated status of Hong Kong,” she said. “Nobody attaches as much importance as myself to Hong Kong's international status.”
Read More: Bankers flee Hong Kong
Lam signaled a possible reduction in the amount of time new arrivals from abroad must spend in hotel quarantine and said virtually every area of her government's approach is being scrutinized. The mid-term review will include measures such as the widely anticipated compulsory testing of the entire city and a related lockdown, flight bans on countries including the U.S. and the resumption of face-to-face learning in schools.
There were 21,650 new infections and 289 deaths, including a backlog of 87, reported on Thursday. While the number is a decline from the 30,000 or more additional cases posted daily earlier in the month, it's too soon to say that it's a trend, said Chuang Shuk Kwan, the head of Center for Health Protection's Communicable Disease Branch.
Strong Signals
Despite Lam giving the strongest indication yet that changes may be coming for Hong Kong's approach to handing the pandemic, they would still have to be acceptable in the eyes of Beijing. Leaders in China recently doubled down on their Covid Zero approach as cases return to the world's most populous country, implementing movement restrictions and locking down a number of cities, including Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong.
Why China Is Sticking With Its Covid Zero Strategy: QuickTake
On Wednesday, a top official in China on Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, said the city couldn't relax its pandemic controls until it achieves victory over the virus, local media outlet Sing Tao reported.
Hong Kong's two-week quarantine for newly arriving travelers -- who are required to test negative for the virus before departing -- is now longer than the isolation period for people who are actively infected locally. New rules from the Center for Health Protection allow residents who test negative with a rapid antigen test on the sixth or seventh day after contracting the virus to return to life as normal.
“So in terms of consistency, there is a very strong basis for us to apply more or less the same rules to arrivals, we just need a bit more time,” Lam said.
Hong Kong has also suspended flights from nine countries including the U.S., UK and Australia. All gatherings of more than two people or two households, even in private, are banned, while dining-in at restaurants after 6 p.m. or with more than two people at any time has been suspended. Schools are closed for most of March and April, while beaches are cordoned off until further notice.
Vaccination Goals
Experts including Hong Kong University professor Yuen Kwok-yung have suggested Hong Kong can ease social distancing restrictions once more than 95% of the population has received their first shot of a Covid vaccine. But Lam said the city was still a ways off from reaching that goal, with the number of people getting their first injection falling in recent days.
Establishing a firm limit might trigger anxiety, while setting unrealistic expectations could draw more criticism, Lam said.
“If we set the goal of 95% vaccine rate as when to relax social distancing and border controls, I'm afraid it'll cause more panic in people,” she said.
“If we set an unrealistic target and can't achieve that, the public will complain,” she said. “If the target's not reached, it's the whole society that still has to deal with the social distancing restrictions or border controls that prevent people from returning to Hong Kong.”
More than 90% of Hong Kong residents aged over 11 have gotten the first dose, and 81% have received two shots, according to data from CHP.
“We've reached the last mile, but it's also the hardest to overcome,” Lam said. “Some people have a very strong stance, they're very resolute about not taking the vaccine.”
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
