A Picture of Emptiness

An image of calm, or image of emptiness at HKIA?

The social media folks at the Hong Kong International Airport are really struggling to promote the airport and they come up with this remark for the above photo: "Is it just us, or do perfectly balanced images like this one bring instant calm?"

Below it are the hashtags #hkia #hkairport #hongkongairport #hkg #aviation #airport #terminal

But really, what is missing in this photo?

PEOPLE.

Lee insists on continuing "0+3"

There are no tourists coming into Hong Kong. Why?

Because it's 0+3 -- no formal hotel quarantine, but one must lay low for three days (basically hotel quarantine if you're a visitor, if not at home in Hong Kong), not visit densely populated areas and not eat in restaurants for three days. Oh and you have to do 11 tests during your stay.

Who wants to do that when the rest of the world has opened up?

Instead Hongkongers have flocked to Japan, Taiwan, Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia, but no tourists are coming to Hong Kong.

As a result business leaders and politicians in the city are pushing for "0+0", but Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said people should not be fixated on it, promising to lift more curbs even though the number of Covid-19 cases across the border in China continue to rise significantly.

"Everyone has a different understanding of '0+0'. Therefore, I am not going to describe whether we are in [a stage] of 'zero-plus-what'," Lee said on Tuesday, referring to demands that the three-day medical surveillance be cancelled.

Rugby revellers dressed as Covid-19 viruses

But everyone knows what "0+0" is -- why is Lee claiming there are different definitions of it?

At the same time the government is considering allowing some restaurants to allow those arrivals with amber health codes into specific zones of the dining room, a sign that Hong Kong is living with the virus?

Many believe the "0+3" arrangement makes Hong Kong a test case for China as a possible pathway to opening up post-Covid. Despite hosting the bankers summit and the ruby tournament recently, there was no significant rebound in cases afterwards.

On Tuesday Hong Kong reported 5,951 infections, of which 520 were imported. There were also 13 deaths reported. 

Lee will not budge because "0+0" would imply Hong Kong was living with the virus, which goes against China's dynamic Covid-zero policy. However, Hongkongers have had enough of the restrictions and want to move on, not adhere to political rhetoric that has paralysed the city's economy for almost three years.