First modification: 09/23/2022 – 2:16 pm
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Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong will put an end to the compulsory Covid-19 quarantine for foreigners arriving in its territory, the CEO announced on Friday, ending two and a half years of international isolation of this financial center.
“Under this provision, the quarantine system in a hotel will be canceled,” John Lee told reporters.
However, travelers will be subjected to a PCR test on arrival and will not be able to go to bars and restaurants for the first three days, according to a system called “0 + 3” by the authorities.
And tourists still risk being isolated in a hotel room or, at worst, sent to a quarantine camp, if they test positive for coronavirus upon arrival in Hong Kong.
The long-awaited lifting of the restrictions will relieve residents and businesses who have asked this Asian financial center to follow the global trend by re-authorizing unrestricted travel.
The government has faced increasing pressure from residents, businessmen and even health consultants to end the lockdown for some time, especially after a wave of epidemics earlier this year.
Hong Kong dethroned
Since then, the number of local infections has largely exceeded that of infections from abroad, but the authorities have preferred to keep the quarantine rules.
These regulations, which included up to 21 days of isolation in a hotel, resulted in a significant exodus: 113,000 people have left the city since mid-2021, according to official data.
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And the economic cost has been substantial: the city is currently in a technical recession after experiencing a decline in GDP for two consecutive quarters.
“There is a strong possibility that Hong Kong will see negative GDP growth this year,” the city’s finance secretary Paul Chan warned Thursday.
According to a world ranking released Thursday, in which New York and London remain in the top positions, Hong Kong has lost its position as the top financial center in Asia, now occupied by Singapore.
Hong Kong airport was once one of the busiest in the world. But the number of passengers this year barely represents 3.8% of the pre-pandemic level.
After the announcement on Friday, the websites of Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific and its low-cost subsidiary HK Express were flooded with visitors.
Reduce the itineraries
But Hong Kong is unlikely to suddenly return to mass tourism.
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In the last two years, several airlines have reduced their itineraries or given up flying into the city. In addition, prices have skyrocketed: the price of a ticket to Los Angeles or London has doubled compared to the pre-pandemic period
Hong Kong has applied a more flexible version of China’s “zero covid” strategy, which imposes multiple blocks from the appearance of positive cases and nearly mandatory PCR tests every 72 or 48 hours.
China is the only major economy in the world to maintain a long quarantine period for international arrivals.
© 2022 AFP
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