Hong Kong travel easing drives imported cases to pandemic high

HONG KONG saw Covid-19 infections detected among overseas travellers jump to a pandemic record after an easing of border restrictions led to a surge in international flights.

The city reported 104 imported cases on Monday (Jun 13), the second straight day the figure has hit 3 figures in an unprecedented surge since record-keeping began in early 2020. There were a total of 737 new infections recorded in Hong Kong, down from more than 800 reported on both Saturday and Sunday, but still an elevated level.

The significant increase in imported cases in the past few days is within expectations, given the rising number of people travelling to Hong Kong, Department of Health official Albert Au said at a briefing on Monday. "We have measures in place to control imported cases," he said.

Still, the spike may test officials' resolve to maintain a looser virus policy than mainland China, with the financial hub winding back harsh social-distancing measures and travel restrictions after the deadly outbreak that enveloped Hong Kong earlier this year ebbed.

In recent months, authorities halved hotel quarantine for new arrivals to 7 days, allowed non-residents to enter the city again, and eased the system of flight suspensions for airlines that brought in people who tested positive for the virus.

The number of passenger flights arriving daily in Hong Kong has accordingly doubled to 38 in June, up from 19 in April before most of the easing was implemented, according to data from the Airport Authority and Webb-Site.com. It's difficult to get a true measure of passenger numbers from the early days of the pandemic, when many flights were bringing in cargo only.

The rise in both overall infections and imported cases will pose a test for the government currently preparing for the 25th anniversary of the city's handover to China on Jul 1. President Xi Jinping, who has implemented a zero-tolerance approach to the virus in mainland China and hasn't travelled since the pandemic began, will potentially visit the financial hub for the occasion.

While outgoing chief executive Carrie Lam has said that there will be no changes to policy in the remaining weeks of her term, incoming leader John Lee has given little indication of his government's Covid priorities.

Any re-imposition of strict measures would be met with fierce objection by the business community, which has argued that the city's rules are eroding its status as a global financial hub, especially as the rest of the world opens up.

Some local health advisers believe it's time for the city to prepare to move beyond the pandemic. Hong Kong has met the conditions for reopening to the rest of the world because most people with recent infections had only mild symptoms, said David Hui, who advises the government on Covid matters, on a radio programme on Saturday.

With a low number of severe cases and deaths, as well as a high vaccination rate, people shouldn't be worried about a new outbreak, Hui said. Another prolonged period of Covid Zero would be costly, he said, citing Shanghai as an example. The city was locked down for 2 months, causing a shortage of food, limited access to health care services and plunging factory production.

About 88 per cent of Hong Kong's population is fully vaccinated. The city reported no new patients in serious or critical condition, and no new deaths.

Daily cases, which include locally transmitted infections, may top 4 digits given the relaxation of social-distancing measures, the health department's Au said. There hasn't been an increase in the number of severely sick patients, hospitalisations and deaths, which would indicate a burden on the medical system, he said. BLOOMBERG