Hong Kong Insists it "Won't Lie Flat"

Flights are increasing at Hong Kong International Airport

After all the excitement of the Hong Kong government getting rid of mandatory hotel quarantine on September 25, but having to self-monitor for at least three days, or "0+3", people and businesses are pushing to get rid of all testing once someone arrives in the city, "0+0".

However the authorities are digging in their heels, officials lining up one by one to say things like the city will not "lie flat" in a reference to the rest of the world giving up on stopping the Covid-19 virus, to saying "a steady and orderly" approach is needed to prevent a massive uptick in imported cases.

So far there is a slight increase, but the vast majority are local infections. Currently there are around 5,000 infections a day, and about 300 imported cases.

Lee insists on keeping the "0+3"... for now...

The government is holding a bankers' summit next month along with the Rugby Sevens tournament, and it is believed that it will be then that all restrictions will be loosened. No high-level banker will be interested in sequestering in a hotel room for three days without being able to eat in a restaurant or drink in a bar and meet with clients.

Now Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is saying Hong Kong needs to log in a relatively low number of cases to prove to Beijing that the city is ready to open up further.

Just like a child having to demonstrate good grades before being rewarded with candy.

"The proportion [of imported cases] is quite large, and new subvariants have also entered Hong Kong," Lee said.

"Even though the current assessment is that the harm they may cause might not be bigger than the existing virus in our communities, we need to pay attention.

Visitors actually have to complete 7 days of tests

"We have to beware of the changes in data and the pandemic. Each measure should be introduced in a step-by-step, steady and orderly manner."

He added, "Our direction is clear: we want to allow society the biggest room to engage in social and economic activities."

But everyone is agitating for that to happen now. They see have Hong Kong has been left behind particularly in the past year and now it wants to kickstart the economy, but until there is 0+0, most tourists and business visitors will not return right away.

That will have a knock-on effect on the city's economy, which has been suffering since 2019 with the protests, followed by the pandemic, resulting in supply chains not keeping up to labour shortages.

It is understandable Lee has to persuade his masters that Hong Kong can manage "0+0", but perhaps after the 20th National Congress of the CCP, which is what everyone is expecting.

It is believed Beijing is allowing Hong Kong to have "0+3" as an experiment to see what would happen if Hong Kong opens up to the world, and if China should follow suit.

However, China's biggest problem is getting people inoculated with decent vaccines, not the domestic ones that are not very effective, and stigmatising those who have been infected.

I heard recently that the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office here has told people that the city will open up to "0+0" next month, but perhaps for now the Lee wants people to be on their best behaviour before they can beg Beijing to do away with self-monitoring completely...