Hong Kong’s health chief eyes quanrantine-free travel by November

Hong Kong’s new health chief said conditional quarantine-free travel could be allowed by November in time for a global bankers’ summit to be held in the city, according to reports.

The city doesn’t need to follow mainland China’s tough Covid-19 policies because it enjoys some degree of freedom under the “one country, two systems” principle, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said in an interview with a local news outlet.

“Is nothing required any more? I think that would be a bit tough,” Lo said in the interview. “At least PCR testing is needed. But does quarantine have to be confined to a fixed location?” 

He floated a scenario where arrivals could be subject to PCR testing and prohibited from attending high-risk venues like bars. The city is also planning a China-like health code system to manage social distancing.

A yellow code will allow people to go to work but prohibit them from high-risk places like aged-care homes or venues where masks are removed.

Lo said he would still need to examine the latest data on the positive rate in Covid tests submitted on the third day of hotel quarantine by overseas arrivals before he could decide on changes to the rules, the report noted. This could lead to moving to five days of hotel quarantine followed by two days of home isolation, or even just seven days of home isolation.

Separately, the health chief said according to government estimation,  the current wave of Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong will peak in September, with up to 10,000 patients expected to be hospitalized due to their infection.

However, Lo stressed he would not allow the city’s outbreak get out of hand.

A summit to gather more than 100 global financial executives has been scheduled for November by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Financial Secretary, but any period of hotel quarantine would still likely deter travelers when most of the world has removed such restrictions.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Office Jamie Dimon visited Hong Kong in November 2021 after being exempt from quarantine, drawing criticisms he had received preferential treatment.  

The city’s flagship sporting event, the Rugby Sevens, being planned for November will also depend on quarantine-free travel to draw players and spectators. Organizers are waiting for a government decision on whether the tournament can go ahead. 

(Staff reporter/Bloomberg)