Hong Kong abandons last Covid curbs to revive economy
Hong Kong has dropped almost all of its remaining Covid-19 restrictions and scrapped compulsory testing for arrivals as the city aims to revive its pandemic-hit economy and catch up with Beijing’s abrupt exit from zero-Covid.
John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, announced on Wednesday that travellers would no longer be required to undergo PCR testing on arrival from Thursday, and would only need to present evidence of a negative rapid antigen test. A ban on gatherings of more than 12 people will also be ditched, although the city’s outdoor mask mandate remains.
“I want to tell the world that . . . Hong Kong is very normal now,” Lee told a press conference.
Hong Kong would also begin reopening its border with the mainland in stages from January 15, Lee said, a week after China drops its inbound quarantine requirement. Cross-border activity has been halted for the past three years, stifling the territory’s economy.
More than 2.5mn of Hong Kong’s population of 7.4mn had caught the virus, Lee said, meaning the city would be able to manage risks because of its prior exposure. Hong Kong experienced its worst outbreak this spring, when it recorded the highest death rate in the world. Cases have remained elevated since, with the city reporting 19,689 new local cases and 59 deaths on Wednesday for the day before.
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Chan Ho-him
