• Hong Kong is “actively examining” ways to modify the stringent COVID-19 restrictions.
• They destroyed the economy.
• They drove the talent away

According to the city’s governor, Hong Kong is “actively examining” ways to modify the stringent COVID-19 restrictions that have destroyed the economy and driven talent away from the financial center.

In response to rising dissatisfaction over the Chinese territory’s declining reputation as a place to live and conduct business, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee stated on Tuesday that his government expected to announce a decision soon about the city’s contentious hotel quarantine policy.

Since entering office in July, Lee has vowed to restore Hong Kong’s faltering international standing. He stated that his administration was aware of the necessity to establish “excellent connectedness” with the rest of the world.

“We are moving in the right way, and we know exactly where we should be going. We want an orderly opening up,” Lee told reporters, admonishing them against making any decisions that would cause “chaos or misunderstanding.”

Lee’s comments come days after the organizers of the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships and the Hong Kong Marathon, two of the biggest sporting events, announced that they will, respectively, be transferred to Thailand and cancelled owing to the city’s pandemic regulations.

Hong Kong is one of the only places on earth that continues to follow stringent pandemic regulations as officials attempt to harmonize with mainland China’s harsh “zero COVID” policy designed to eradicate the virus at virtually any cost.

Currently, all arrivals are subject to a three-day hotel quarantine, followed by a four-day medical observation period during which they are not permitted to attend establishments like bars and restaurants.

Arrivals were previously restricted to 21 days at a hotel and had to endure a seven-day hotel quarantine up until last month.

According to prior reports in the local media, officials were thinking about completely replacing hotel quarantine with seven days of medical observation, which would still significantly restrict how much movement new immigrants would be allowed in the city.

Citing unnamed sources, the South China Morning Post daily said on Tuesday that Lee and his Cabinet had decided to end the hotel quarantine at a later time.

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