While many parts of the world are steadily recovering from the Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent losses, Hong Kong and China are taking a different route. Hong Kong is still maintaining a 'Covid zero' policy, where they will not open borders for travel until there are zero domestic cases.
With rising fears due to the Omicron variant, Hong Kong has further postponed all plans of opening borders. However, that has posed a fresh set of problems for Hong Kong as the country houses many global businesses. A travel restriction is a serious impediment to commercial and economic growth.
The state of vaccination in Hong Kong is not good either. Less than 70% of the country is vaccinated, and the rate is much lower (17%) for those aged above 80. The above 80 age group is also the most vulnerable during outbreaks. Considering all these issues, Hong Kong is set to keep travel restrictions in place at least until mid 2022. Within that time, the government hopes to ramp up vaccination rates and develop better healthcare infrastructure. Despite pressure from global businesses to ease quarantine and travel rules, Hong Kong shows no sign of prematurely lifting these restrictions.
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