HK Has Capacity To Open Up, Says Pandemic Advisor

Government pandemic advisor David Hui on Saturday said Hong Kong's Covid vaccination rate meant it could take a less strict approach to international arrivals, though he qualified this by saying the next administration would first need to speak to Beijing about the criteria for quarantine-free travel with the mainland.

"Currently we have achieved reasonably high vaccination rates so we do have the capacity to reconnect with the outside world," he said while speaking to reporters after appearing on a radio programme. "However to a lot of people, opening the border with the mainland is also very important - they have business there, they have families there - so I think the new government has to renegotiate with the National Health Commission on the criteria for reopening the border and then work out from there."

The Chinese University professor also said that if opening up internationally were to become a priority, officials might want to consider shortening hotel quarantine, or allowing people to quarantine at home, though border controls shouldn't be too loose.

Separately, Professor Hui played down the increase in Covid cases here, saying it was not surprising due to the relaxation of social distancing measures. On Friday, Hong Kong reported nearly 700 new infections, compared to 200 to 300 per day last month. He said people didn't need not worry too much as vaccines were effective and most cases were mild.