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The Hong Kong government implemented the new “0+3” isolation measures on September 26. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, incoming travelers are not required to stay in the designated quarantine hotels, but will be under medical observation for three days. And they are allowed to go out but do not eat in restaurants during that time.
The news immediately delayed the booking of airline tickets and hotel accommodation for Hong Kong residents through airlines, travel agencies and the SAR passport application website, and caused prices for individual flights to rise. Some travel agency workers have more than doubled the price of tickets to Japan.
Five culinary trade associations have signed a letter to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Health Secretary Loh Chung-mau, expressing concern that the number of visitors to Hong Kong is far lower than that of local citizens traveling outside Hong Kong. Retail sales will be negatively affected and a new wave of closings and downsizing will occur.
Criticized for relaxing quarantine regulations.
Since visitors to Hong Kong cannot enter restaurants and bars for the first three days after arrival, Chung Kim-wah, an associate professor of applied social science at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, sees more harm than good in such measures. “Unless there is an important reason to visit Hong Kong, there are many other travel options for foreign tourists,” he said.
Recently, the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Associates announced the cancellation of the Standard Chartered Marathon (SCM). In contrast, Singapore’s SCM will be held on December 4 as scheduled. The World Dragon Boat Racing Championship will move from Hong Kong to Thailand in 2023, and Royal Caribbean International intends to abandon the super yacht in Hong Kong. . Pro-CCP party members, businessmen, and medical professionals have publicly criticized the Hong Kong government’s strict anti-epidemic policies, preventing Hong Kong society from returning to normal life and harming Hong Kong’s economy and international competitiveness.
On September 23, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee gave a press release saying that the quarantine arrangement for inbound airline travelers has been changed from “3+4” to “0+” due to the declining epidemic and the balancing of various conditions. 3;” There is no need to submit a negative PCR report before boarding and the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) statement will be replaced. Vaccination for Hong Kong residents returning to Hong Kong has also been lifted. All measures took effect on September 26.
Under the new measure, people entering the country will undergo a three-day medical check-up and be assigned an “amber code,” which means they are off limits to restaurants, bars and certain other premises. If the PCR test is negative upon arrival in Hong Kong, the “Amber Code” will change to “Blue Code” at 9:00 am on the fourth day. Inbound travelers are required to undergo PCR tests on days two, four, and six, and antigen tests daily up to day seven.
Residents booking air tickets and accommodation
Once the update of the new measures was announced, Hong Kong residents found it difficult to book air tickets and hotel rooms. Airlines, travel agencies and HKSAR passport application websites have been overwhelmed, prices for special flights have skyrocketed, and long queues have formed outside travel agencies.
Some citizens have registered with travel agencies and plan to travel to Japan by the end of next month, they said in an interview with The Epoch Times. He added that the “0+3” measure is a great incentive to travel abroad as they do not have to be quarantined when they return. Some citizens are planning to travel to Thailand because they have not traveled for more than two and a half years. After HKgov announced the new “0+3” metric, they headed to the travel agency for details. Some citizens have confirmed that they plan to travel to Japan after the new measures are announced, but that Japan-related tours are already full.
Food industry: few visitors
On September 25, five culinary associations signed a letter to CEO John Lee and Health Secretary Lo Chung Maw, saying they believe the “0+3” measure will force more citizens to travel abroad and thus weaken domestic retail sales. and consumption. The number of visitors will be much less than the number of citizens traveling abroad. Therefore, they expect new damage to the food industry, which will intensify the wave of closures and cuts.
Scholars question the merits of ‘0+3’.
Tam Yu-chung, a member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, was asked on September 25 about the timetable for moving to “0+0”. He said he agrees with the government’s gradual relaxation approach and believes that “0+0” can be implemented if the epidemic is stabilized continuously. He said that the “0+3” measure is in line with public expectations and public opinion.
Chung Kim-wah doubts that the implementation of the “0+3” entry rules will attract tourists to Hong Kong because travelers are banned from restaurants and bars within 3 days of arrival, and there are many other travel destinations for people in the world. to choose. In addition, for Hong Kong residents, when the hotel’s quarantine requirement is lifted, they will not incur additional costs in hotel accommodation upon their return, and will therefore be motivated to travel.
In the year In the six weeks since the implementation of the “3+4” quarantine standard on August 12, the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong has reached more than 10,000 per day. If the government’s belief that the quarantine measure is effective is questionable, there is no reason to relax it to “0+3” otherwise. He believes that “0+3” is due to pressure, “Everyone knows that both ‘3+4’ and ‘0+3’ measures are meaningless, but the government wants to save face and will consider the CCP’s responses.” The surprising result is that Hong Kong residents’ motivation to travel abroad has been freed up, but overseas tourists have not been attracted. Although the new laws lift restrictions on Hong Kong residents traveling outside of Hong Kong, they do not do enough to bring tourists to Hong Kong.
As for the impact of “0+3” on Hong Kong’s economy, scholars speculate that the retail and catering industries are definitely “seeing the harm before reaping the benefits.” The reason why the legislative council has many representatives of the business sector is that it does not play any role in the government’s policy change.
Taking a broader view, Chung believes the move reflects changes to the Legislative Council (LegCo) electoral system. The entire LegCo is dominated by pro-CCP members, so all LegCo members look only to the CCP for instructions. He also believes that the government’s crackdown on Legco and district council members is not only making the administration better, but also exposing it to mistakes because there is no way to check and balance the government.
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