As Singapore moves to reopen, Hong Kong remains mired in restrictions

When Daniel Chow leaves Singapore In 2020 Hong KongHe was hoping that the pandemic would be eased and Chinese territory would soon join him with his wife and two young sons. Shift from “Zero Corona” Strategy..

Now, Chow has returned to Singapore after two years of frustration. This is due to the continued restrictions on life in Hong Kong, despite the openness of other parts of the world.

“The family has decided not to move,” said Chou, 43, who works for an investment service. “Schools continue to be closed and the city has strict travel restrictions. Children are the most suffering.”

For most of the pandemics, Hong Kong and Singapore are both Asian financial hubs crowded with residents from around the world, with virus cases due to border closures, strict quarantine requirements, extensive testing and contact tracking. And minimized death.

However, while Singapore has been steadily reopening in recent months, Hong Kong continues to suffer from the restrictions that critics are sacrificing business and talent to Singapore, with Singapore being the main beneficiary.

Singapore is one of the first countries in Asia to open its borders to the world. Travel has recovered in recent weeks as the city has abolished compulsory quarantine, pre-departure testing for vaccinated people, and the obligation to use outdoor masks. Cities with more than 5 million people report an average of about 6,000 cases per day.

Hong Kong has also relaxed regulations, reopening borders to non-residents, resuming face-to-face lessons, and allowing bars and other businesses to reopen for the first time since January.

However, passengers arriving from abroad will have to quarantine at the hotel for 7 days at their own expense. This is a burden for frequent travelers like butterflies who have returned to Singapore to meet their families.

“This was a really big factor for me to leave Hong Kong and even bigger than the one that brought me in the first place. It was a lot of career opportunities,” he said. I did.

Hong Kong maintains a strict policy with the aim of reopening its border with mainland China. Adopt a similar “zero corona” approach.. However, since the pandemic began, the mainland is still moving out of the worst outbreaks, which are unlikely to happen soon and are hindering Hong Kong’s resumption of the world.

Carrie LamHong Kong CEO said last month that hotel quarantine and arrival inspection requirements are “very unlikely” to be relaxed before resigning at the end of June due to the risk of new variants. rice field. 7.4 million cities report about 200 to 300 cases of coronavirus daily.

Lamb’s successor, John LeeStates that reopening to mainland China and other parts of the world is one of his priorities. However, the city’s business community is becoming more and more impatient, and lobbying groups are pressing authorities to lift quarantine requirements, or at least allow travelers to quarantine at home.

Betty Yuen, the new chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, told local broadcaster TVB last month that “resuming travel is paramount, whether on the mainland or abroad.” “Our strict restrictions have made us feel like an isolated island.”

Travel restrictions have also disrupted flight schedules to and from Hong Kong, once one of the busiest airports in the world. Only 126,000 passengers passed Hong Kong International Airport in April, compared to 6.5 million in April 2019.

International Air Transport Association Secretary William Walsh told reporters in Singapore last month that it will take years for Hong Kong to recover as a global aviation hub.

“The opportunity will go to other airports in the area,” he said. “I think Singapore will obviously benefit from it.”

Singapore’s pandemic regulations are also putting pressure on the population, and some foreign residents cite them as one of the reasons for leaving Singapore. However, the government has emphasized the importance of resuming the economy throughout the pandemic, said Theo Ik In, a professor at the National University of Singapore and dean of the Faculty of Public Health.

“By comparison, I don’t think it was easy for the Hong Kong government to make a one-sided decision,” he said, and the pandemic policy is tied to that of mainland China.

The Singaporean government has also praised communication with the public during the pandemic, saying that Inn has created trust.

That level of trust is lacking in Hong Kong. Following the 2019 anti-government movement in Hong Kong, there was a fierce crackdown on opposition. During the pandemic, the government has been criticized for inconsistent messages and countermeasures.

The story of leaving Hong Kong reached a frenzy this spring as Hong Kong experienced the worst outbreak of a pandemic. Rumors of a full-scale blockade, especially the fear of children being separated from their parents by quarantine policies, have left thousands of people at least temporarily.

Singapore is a natural choice, especially for people in financial services. However, moving there is an obstacle, and some Hong Kong businesses and families will have to rethink their plans.

The city has recently tightened the requirements for foreigners’ work visas due to concerns that foreigners may rob Singaporeans of their jobs.

“Everyone here welcomes expatriates and foreign businesses, but importantly they add to the local economy and local population,” said Walter Teseira, an associate professor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences Business School. It has to be given value. “

In Singapore, real estate prices have risen even before the influx from Hong Kong, and demand for private schools has skyrocketed.

“I’ve heard people can’t get slots at school, so it would be worrisome for families trying to move here,” Teseira said.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomes the existing competition with Hong Kong and states that it will be a “vibrant and dynamic region.”

“I’m happy to welcome them, but in fact I would be even more happy if they were happy to stay in Hong Kong,” he told The Wall Street Journal editorial board in April.

Inn hopes that Hong Kong will soon be open to the world.

“Hong Kong is not only important to itself and to China, but also strategically as an economic and transportation hub for this part of the world,” he said. “If Hong Kong’s economy is hit, the whole region will be hit. Therefore, it is in everyone’s favor that Hong Kong can regain its position as the economic center of Asia.”