Monday’s press conference saw Carrie Lam, chief executive of the city, announce that the ban on nine countries — Australia and Canada, France, India Nepal, Pakistan Pakistan, the Philippines. The United States, Britain, and Canada — will be lifted starting April 1. Since January, a ban on flights from most of these countries was in effect. Authorities wanted to stop the spread of highly transmissible Omicron variant in Hong Kong.
Quarantine can be extended to seven days for travelers who arrive in the city. This is a reduction from the usual 14 days. These travelers must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and tested negative before they can enter the city.
Lam stated that plans for mass testing in the city, first announced February 1, would be canceled.
Lam stated that “the experts believe it is not appropriate to allocate finite resources for the universal mass-testing.” The situation will be monitored by the SAR government. We will decide if we will implement the mandatory universal testing if the conditions are right.
Monday’s announcement signals a shift in Hong Kong’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic. Authorities sought to give a direction to Hong Kong businesses and residents after two-years of aligning with mainland China’s “zero COVID” policy.
Lam stated that the city is currently reviewing its measures and that all stakeholders will be consulted to develop a longer-term plan for economic and public health.
Lam stated, “We need to pay more attention to experts both from the mainland and locally.”
“Any longer-term strategy for public health must consider both the factors that maintain Hong Kong’s connectivity to the mainland and the factors that ensure her continued connectivity to the outside world.
Lam announced Monday that social distancing will remain in effect, but they will be removed in stages starting April 21 if there is no increase in infections. Lam announced that there will be no ban on eating in after 6 p.m. and that public gatherings will be limited to four people instead of two.
Other businesses, such as massage parlors and gyms, that were temporarily closed, will be allowed to reopen.
On Monday, Hong Kong recorded 14,063 cases of infection. This was the lowest number in three weeks. The city had over 50,000 cases per day at the height of the outbreak. Since the beginning of the current outbreak in 2013, the city has recorded over 1,000,000 infections and nearly 5,700 deaths.
