Hong Kong has “no definitive timeline” for easing its strict restrictions on international travel this year, it has been reported.
The determined stance comes despite calls for the authorities to relax the rules in order to safeguard the destination’s position as a business hub.
Last Saturday (January 8), Hong Kong began a two-week ban on flights from the UK and seven other countries amid fears about the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
International arrivals from elsewhere must quarantine for 21 days upon arrival, meaning business and leisure travellers are heading to other destinations.
Edward Yau, secretary for commerce and economic development, told the Financial Times: “It will be hard to address [the question of a timeline], as it will be subject to a lot of conditions and situations . . . I think no one can give you a definite timeline as such.”
Yau said the zero-Covid strategy had protected the city, with most cases detected while the carriers were in quarantine.
“That’s why we are so adamant that we must maintain this policy,” he told the FT.