Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, said on Tuesday that the government plans to make an announcement soon ...
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| Image: Reuters |
Lee said that he knew Hong Kong needed to stay competitive. He also said that the city's leaders were eager to bring back events and activities.
"We know exactly where we should be going, and we want to move in that direction in a consistent way. We'd like the opening to go smoothly because we don't want there to be chaos or confusion "He told the news people.
Local media said that the changes could be made public this week.
Taking a cue from China, which has a zero-COVID policy, Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world that still requires travellers from other countries to go into quarantine when they arrive, though the length of the quarantine has gotten shorter over time. At the moment, people who arrive must pay for three days in a hotel and then stay on their own for four days.
Business groups, diplomats, and a lot of locals have criticised this rule and the other COVID restrictions in the city, saying that they hurt Hong Kong's reputation as a global financial centre.
Beijing's efforts to control the former British colony and limit freedoms sparked the move of both expats and local families away from Hong Kong because of the rules. The government says that about 113,000 people have left since the middle of 2021.
They have also forced airlines to cut dozens of routes to and from Hong Kong, which used to have one of the busiest airports in the world. This has led to the cancellation or postponement of many events.
On the other hand, Singapore, a rival financial hub, is hosting a number of high-profile conferences this month, which has made hotels and restaurants very busy.
Hong Kong plans to host a big finance conference and the international Rugby Sevens tournament in November. This is part of its plan to get business back to normal. Bankers have said that people who want to go to the conference must be able to travel without being put in quarantine.
It's not clear if other COVID rules will also be loosened. Hong Kong still doesn't allow public groups of more than four people, and masks are required for everyone, even 2-year-olds.
