Hong Kong residents have become increasingly impatient after the government announced on Tuesday (January 25) extended lockdown measures and maintained social distancing rules, while most Western countries are starting to relax their travel restrictions.
While many are calling on the government to adopt a “living with the coronavirus” strategy, authorities have maintained a “zero local infection” stance, implemented with bans on dine-in services at restaurants after 6pm, cancellation of face-to-face classes at schools and arrangements for public sector employees to work from home.
On February 24, it will also launch a “vaccination bubble” scheme, which will bar unvaccinated staff from entering schools and restaurants.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement on January 19 that the international travel ban should be lifted or eased since the strict measures have proven to be ineffective.
The United Kingdom said on Monday that Covid tests for vaccinated travelers to England would be scrapped from February 11. Thailand, which had allowed vaccinated international travelers from certain countries to enter without quarantine between November 1 and December 21, said it would resume its quarantine-free travel program from February 1.
The fifth epidemic wave broke out in Hong Kong in late December as some flight attendants, who were exempted from the city’s 21-day quarantine requirement, carried the Omicron variant into local communities.
When Hong Kong tightened social distancing and flight rules in early January to fight the spread of Omicron, more than 200 people attended a birthday party for Witman Hung, the Principal Liaison Officer for the Hong Kong, Shenzhen Qianhai Authority.
After two participants at the party tested positive, the government sent all the remaining partygoers to Penny’s Bay Quarantine Center. But most senior officials were released after one day as they were not categorized as close contacts.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on January 6 that she was very disappointed that Home Affairs Secretary Caspar Tsui and other senior officials went to Hung’s party, which was deemed as an unnecessary gathering.
As of Tuesday, all officials except Tsui involved in the incident had resumed work. Lam said Tsui would be on leave until February 4, while investigations into Hung’s gathering would be completed by January 31.
“The secretary for home affairs is an official whom we have to look into very deeply … He was one of those who stayed for a pretty long period during a pretty late time of the dinner party,” she said.
“And, of course, his position is the secretary for home affairs, who is involved in the anti-epidemic operation of the HKSAR government.”
As of Monday, a total of 226 Covid cases had been identified at 10 buildings in Kwai Chung Estate, 94% of which were found at Yat Kwai House, Ying Kwai House and Ha Kwai House, Lam said.
The Omicron variant is highly infectious and could result in a huge virus outbreak in Hong Kong if no measures were taken, she added.
As more infected people were identified in the estate, the government announced on Tuesday a lockdown of Ha Kwai House for five days and extend the lockdown period at Yat Kwai House by two more days.
Over the past few days, residents at Yat Kwai House have complained that rubbish was piling up after cleaners were sent into quarantine, and added that meal and testing arrangements were unsatisfactory. Many were worried that cross-infections would happen at the testing stations downstairs.
Residents at Yat Kwai House were desperate to be allowed out, said Kwai Tsing district councilor Leung Chi-sing. They wanted freedom as soon as possible and to resume their normal lives, but it seemed that lockdowns would continue as new cases kept emerging, Leung added.
“I totally understand that affected residents of Kwai Chung Estate would feel very upset and anxious upon hearing the announcements, but I ask for your understanding,” Lam said. “This wave of outbreaks came fast and fierce, so we have to adopt relatively assertive and stringent measures to cut the transmission chains.”
Lam also said it was unlikely social distancing measures would be relaxed drastically after the Lunar New Year, while vaccine mandates would be expanded. She said the government would consider asking the central government for help if there’s a need to further expand Hong Kong’s capacity to test for Covid-19.
At Beijing’s request, Hong Kong has tightened its quarantine and social distancing rules since early 2021 in a bid to try to achieve its zero local infection goal. The city had recorded no local cases for many months until the Omicron variant broke through its defenses last month.
It now has the world’s toughest quarantine rules for incoming travelers, but at the same time, it cannot resume quarantine-free travel, or the so-called “border reopening,” with the mainland.
In fact, Beijing, which will host the Winter Olympics between February 4 and 20, was also hit by the coronavirus with six people testing positive on Monday. Between January 4 and 22, a total of 39 foreigners who stayed in a closed-loop environment for the Games, were found to be infected.
Many Hong Kong people feel unhappy with the government’s tightening anti-epidemic measures, especially when they see that other places have started relaxing their travel restrictions.
Many said they would not be able to meet their friends and relatives during the Chinese New Year holidays between February 1 and 3 as social distancing rules would remain in place until February 4.
On January 6, the government announced a ban on dine-in services at restaurants after 6pm and shut down 15 types of venues, including bars and beauty parlors. Restaurant owners said they faced losing as much as 40% of their revenue as they could not provide dinner services during the Chinese New Year holidays, a traditional high season.
Infectious disease specialist Joseph Tsang Kay-yan said Tuesday that as the number of local infections in Hong Kong continued to grow, the government should make sure it had the ability to lock down more places and provide testing services.
Tsang said the government should consider expanding the lockdown areas in Kwai Chung Estate as many infected people were asymptomatic.
On Tuesday, the government announced that people who went to 41 places where infected people had recently visited should undergo mandatory tests. These places included the Legislative Council building, as well as some residential buildings in Kowloon and New Territories.
The Center for Health Protection said a 26-year-old man, who bought a hamster on December 12, tested positive on January 15. The center said the man could have been infected by the hamster.
Last week, the Hong Kong government ordered thousands of hamsters be surrendered for disposal as traces of the coronavirus were found in 11 animals in a pet shop.
Read: Senior HK officials put in quarantine after party
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