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Hong Kong has finally junked
its controversial hotel quarantine system for travelers. From 6am last
Monday, people could freely walk out of the airport -- albeit subject to
multiple Covid tests -- for the first time in nearly three years. Restrictions
remain for now, with travelers not allowed to enter restaurants and
other high-risk places for three days after they arrive. But that last
hurdle to free travel also looks likely to be dumped before the end of
the year. The bigger question is whether the damage done to the city’s reputation and economic prospects can now be reversed. Hong
Kong’s shambolic handling of the hotel quarantine system -- and the
pandemic overall -- has left a deep scar. It mandated quarantine stays
as long as 21 days in the past, as strict as mainland China. Yet unlike
Beijing, it didn’t control hotel supply or cap prices, leading to a
chaotic capitalistic nightmare which left travelers stressed and often
stranded. | |
Travelers in
the departure hall at Hong Kong International Airport following the
government's scrapping of its hotel quarantine regime. Photographer: Lam Yik/Bloomberg
It’s difficult
to overstate the significance of travel quarantine in driving
expatriates from the once-vibrant city. Its population has declined 1.6%
while Singapore’s rose 3.4% in the year to June.
At the end of the day, it wasn’t really about hotels.
It was the fact that living in a city known for being connected and at
the economic forefront had become a literal experience of being trapped
and isolated.
Hong
Kong has its remaining advantages. Besides the mainland proximity and
low-tax environment that businesses care about, its stunning natural
vistas are a spiritual balm. The city’s winter is the nicest four
months, weather-wise, that can be found in the region. And its hustling,
self-reliant culture still imbues the air with a frenetic,
anything-goes excitement.
For
those like me that have stayed through the worst months, we no longer
have an immediate reason to find a way to leave. But whether anyone else
will come -- or return -- remains to be seen. — Rachel Chang