Chief executive of JPMorgan skips quarantine

Hong Kong let JPMorgan Chase & Co chief executive officer Jamie Dimon skip the city's 21-day hotel quarantine due to the size of the bank's operations in the financial hub, with officials saying his trip was fairly low-risk.

Asked about the rationale behind Dimon's exemption yesterday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said: "The justification is related to the economy, as this is a very huge bank with key business in Hong Kong."

Lam said that limits were placed on Dimon's itinerary, who needed to visit for a day. "His entire trip was restricted. The risk was totally manageable."

This was despite recent efforts to do away with exemptions in order to convince Chinese officials that the SAR is tightening virus control measures to open borders with the mainland.

On Monday, Dimon said Hong Kong's travel restrictions "make it harder" for the bank to retain talent in the global financial hub.

In May, the American Chamber of Commerce released a survey saying more than 40 percent of its members were debating whether to leave the city, with Singapore among popular alternative destinations.

Hong Kong has been relatively successful at keeping the virus at bay, with no locally transmitted cases for months and just over 200 deaths since the pandemic began.

In August, the government granted an exemption to actor Nicole Kidman to film an Amazon series Expats, prompting outcry from frustrated residents who are forced to splash out for expensive hotel stays.

Kidman left in September after reportedly having differences of opinion with director Lulu Wang.

She was reportedly set to return this month, but tightened rules may mean postponement to next year.

That comes as only a handful of groups deemed essential to the city's operations was granted quarantine-free entry from last Friday. These include government officials, air and cargo ship crew and cross-border truck drivers.

Most exemptions will be axed, including those for directors of listed companies and consular staff.

Kidman did not appear to fall into any category which enjoys exemptions even before rules were tightened.

However, also in August, HSBC Holdings chairman Mark Tucker had to pass through a three-week quarantine in hotel.

The SAR, which is pursuing a "Covid Zero" strategy alongside China, has imposed some of the world's strictest travel rules to keep the virus out.

Measures include mandatory three week hotel quarantines for residents returning from the United Kingdom or United States regardless of vaccination status, while most non-resident visitors and tourists are banned.