Hong-Kong:
Hong Kong will shorten the quarantine for arriving travelers to 14 days from February 21, from February 5, leader Carrie Lam said Thursday, following pressure from financial executives and foreign diplomats who said the measure hurt competitiveness.
Strict coronavirus rules have made Hong Kong one of the most isolated cities in the world, with flights dropping by as much as 90%. Residents returning from more than 160 countries must self-quarantine for 21 days in designated hotels at their own expense.
Lam said incoming travelers would have to spend 14 days in a hotel, followed by seven days of self-checking, with further details to be announced. She did not say which countries would be covered by the new rules.
The easing comes as the government tightens rules on Chinese territory and locks thousands in overcrowded housing complex and government facilities.
Schools, playgrounds, gyms and most venues are closed, while tens of thousands of people are required to take coronavirus tests daily.
Lam said city-wide curbs would be extended until Feb. 17, from an earlier date of Feb. 4.
This week, the government announced that some officials will be able to work from home, while some bank employees will be given similar instructions.
Thursday’s 164 infections were a record since the start of the pandemic in 2020. It marked the fifth consecutive day of triple-digit cases after an outbreak linked to the Kwai Chung residential area.
Hong Kong’s weeks of quarantine requirements are affecting its desirability and threatening an exodus as companies move staff to Singapore and South Korea’s capital Seoul, the European Chamber of Commerce in the area has said in an internal report.
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