Business Groups Disappointed by Hong Kong’s Covid Plans

In response to the business community’s call for looser quarantine measures and a roadmap for reopening, the Hong Kong government remained insistent that the current status quo will remain until local vaccination rates rise significantly.

The Hong Kong government met virtually with representatives of the business community last week, according to a report citing unnamed sources, and reiterated its own objectives with regards to the pandemic.

Policymakers led by chief secretary of administration Matthew Cheung once again underlined the target of vaccinating 50 percent of Hong Kong’s population before any major loosening. As of Monday, the figure sits at just 5 percent.

At the meeting, the Hong Kong government appears to have made no concessions as it reportedly downplayed the prospect of travel bubbles, border reopening with China and didn’t provide a clear roadmap for general reopening despite similar moves being made by rival financial hubs like Singapore.

The virtual meeting follows the recent gym-linked outbreak which exposed many expatriates to Hong Kong’s quarantine measures and sparked calls within various business groups, such as regional capital markets industry body Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA), to push for changes.