'Border Reopening Won't Increase Covid Risks'

A medical expert said on Tuesday that the reopening of the border with the mainland will not increase the level of risk from future Covid-19 outbreaks in Hong Kong, as long as the dominant variants on each side are the same.

Leo Poon, head of the University of Hong Kong’s division of public health laboratory sciences, told an RTHK programme that even if some mainland visitors are infected with the coronavirus, it is not a cause for concern.

“We are already seeing around 20,000 new local infections per day. The virus is already widely spread here. As long as the strains [carried by mainland visitors] are the same with the ones that are dominant overseas or locally, the risk wouldn’t be too big,” he said, adding that he hasn't noticed anything out of the ordinary from the available data from the mainland.

Poon also said there is no need to impose more stringent testing requirements for mainland visitors.

“If we only target visitors from a single place, the effectiveness is very low. Take omicron as an example. The first imported case in Hong Kong is from South Africa, but afterwards, there were many cases from Europe, the United States and other places in Asia,” he noted.

“Omicron is extremely contagious. It can travel to many places in a short period of time. If you try to stop it from just one source, it is very ineffective. Perhaps you can postpone it for a day or two, but is the advantage that high? I doubt it.”

Speaking on the same programme, lawmaker Ben Chan said he believes the border should be reopened in phases, with checkpoints connected to railway stations going back into service first.

After a week or so when things run more smoothly, cross-border coaches and other vehicles can then resume services, he said.