freed0m

Now UK on the ban list.

jckl

The world will move on and accept that people will continue to be infected as long as hospitals can cope, life can carry on. But HK and countries that are obsessed with 0 infection rates will be stuck in this cycle of banned list, ridiculous quarantine and closed borders.

HkCaGu

Especially China is only concentrating on efforts of able to present zero cases of infection while the HKSAR is pursuing actually having zero cases of infection.

percysmith

(Not my preference but what I predict will happen) why can't they? Those communities who can lock themselves down will continue to do so. Therefore, no reopening for years until Covid vaccines get as much data points as MMR and/or they suffer enough outbreaks to get sufficient people vaccinated.

sxc

There will come a time when those in Australia will tire of the lockdowns and there will be political pressure / apathy against them. Even this time there isn’t the same compliance as there was last year.

Pickles

Yes, that's really the best course of action for "Asia's World City."

freed0m

no doubt that the great number of people who refuse to be vaccinated contribute greatly to the decision.

Vaccination only protects the vaccinated, does not offer much protection to the surroundings, especially with Delta variant.

sbs2716g

Frankly speaking, the gov can do nothing n just open the borders but at what price ?

singapore gradually open its border but in the end, suffer an outbreak n some people are blasting the government for opening the Border. But the same people are also blasting the government for not allowing them to hire foreign maid or workers and not allowing them to on oversea holidays without having to serve 14 day quarantine.

So whatever the government do, they will still be scolded as not every one will like their decision. People will just find excuses.

In the HKG newspaper, many ppl are blasting HKG for their failure to control the outbreak. HKG gov n residents want to relax the rule for vaccinated persons (shorter quarantine) but many experts said that they do not agree. So how ?

There is no perfect way at all.

So the point right now is get more people vaccinated and then can reduce the ICU case/death rate and hopefully we can just treat COVID as a normal illness.

percysmith

I've made that "fend for themselves" argument https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33183777-post412.html before (once sufficient vaccine becomes available, open border) .
As much as we can rage for "fend for themselves" here, short of Thailand, I don't realistically see it happening.

Even with HKSARG won't do this - their priority is the northern border, not the rest of world border. So we have to stay closed and keep lockstep with Guangdong.

I'm cheering small, contained outbreaks and those cases who slip through the cracks (small, isolated cases - a controlled bushfire).

freed0m

This is a wrong priority for Hong Kong to chase. After all, Hong Kong is a global city connecting to the world. As much as Mainland China means to Hong Kong, the rest of world matters, too.

Will Hong Kong chase out all the global business?

percysmith

We don't and will not vote in the government, remember? National priorities have paramountcy.

(devils advocate though, how many subnational governments prioritise opening to the world compared to opening up domestic travel?)

freed0m

Politics aside, by extension of opening to Mainland China, Hong Kong should not pursue travel bubble with Singapore, as there is no way for Singapore not opening to the world.

Otherwise, what's the difference from Hong Kong opening to the rest of world directly?

percysmith

If you're in a bubble with someone your quarantine policies must move in lockstep.

Visconti

In my view, there's a potential opportunity for HK here to retain or stem off some businesses who may have privately considered leaving and withdrawing capital with the recent turbulence. For firms wishing to capitalize on China's continued rise into a mature consumer based economy, there are only a couple of viable (ideal) options to base operations. In my estimation, they are HK and Singapore, mostly because of 1) low corp tax (16% - 17%), 2) ease of connectivity (little doubt HKG leads the pack here) to China and SE Asia's emerging markets. Mainland & the rest of SE Asia with 25% - 30% tax rates are unattractive.

Not suggesting HK should prioritize economic interests over the health of Hong Kongers, but I do believe the city can strike a balance here. While only speaking for myself and our firm, we had plans for expanding our offshore operations to either HK or Singapore. As a former expat, I favored the former while some of my partners preferred the latte. I'd love nothing more than to see HK open up before Singapore, which will give firms a reason to remain in HK and/or continue their planned expansions before suddenly halted by the pandemic.

As a bonus, HK can save CX and hopefully remain the gateway to Asia for a while longer.

Reply1984

Before Hong Kong vaccinated more than 50% of its population, I don't think we can see some meaningful border reopening activities. Singapore, Australia & New Zealand are also in the same situation.