Spike In Virus Cases A Blow To Recovery Hopes: Govt

The Financial Secretary Paul Chan warned on Sunday that the surge in coronavirus cases has added more uncertainty to Hong Kong's path to economic recovery.

In his blog, the secretary said he had been hoping for a rise in domestic spending over the summer since the pandemic is stopping people from travelling. But a surge in infections now means that people will go out – and spend – less.

On an optimistic note, however, he said some people will turn to online shopping instead, and social distancing restrictions will be eased once the pandemic situation improves.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said the authorities in Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau are reviewing the time frame for a pilot scheme to allow more cross-border travellers to avoid the need for quarantine.

Cheung said Hong Kong officials need to first focus on dealing with the current spike in infections.