HONG KONG: With thousands of people confined in a small apartment, filling government quarantine center and many businesses closed, Hong Kong scramble to maintain the policy of zero-Covid has changed one of the most populous city in the world to be one of the most remote.
The economic and psychological toll of the hard-line approach to the global financial hub – in line with China’s strategy – which is increasing rapidly, residents said, with measures to be more violent than the first one held in 2020.
Flights from Hong Kong International Airport fell by about 90% more than 8,000 people were locked up in a government quarantine facility and dense housing blocks, while 900,000 school students have been shut down since the beginning of this week.
Doctors said the restrictions take heavier toll on the mental health of citizens.
After one of the most connected in the world, Hong Kong recovered from the closure of its borders, affect the free flow of people and the availability of foreign food products and this city is so heavily dependent on.
In addition to schools, authorities in the city of 7.5 million has closed the playground, fitness center and most other places, while tens of thousands of people were asked to perform tests daily coronavirus.
The restaurant and bar closed at 06:00 (1000 GMT).
More than 2,000 hamsters and other animals have been taken to stop transmission as the case of the surge.
Siddharth Sridhar, assistant clinical professor at the University of Hong Kong Department of Microbiology, said that “adjustment is very practical in terms of our containment strategy” is required.
“This is not sustainable,” he said.
“Eventually we will see outbreaks of highly localized protracted, perhaps worse than previous cases.” While Hong Kong managed to keep the virus under control for much of 2021, there were already more than 600 locally transmitted infection in January so far, compared with only two in December, as a highly contagious Omicron variants spread.
“Basically it’s playing whack-a-mole.
It (coronavirus) will just keep coming back,” said Keith Neal, a professor at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, referring to the popular arcade amusement game.
Vaccinated elderlyShutting itself is “unworkable strategy” for Hong Kong, said Sumit Agarwal, a professor at the National University of Singapore Business School, as the economic and social costs of the policy continues to soar.
“Only Hong Kong and China say they are trying to eradicate the virus,” he said.
“It will work if other countries do the same thing but in reality they do not think that the way the way the virus is always running.” Leader Carrie Lam said Hong Kong could not live with the virus for many large cities do.
He said more than 80% of the city’s elderly who are not vaccinated, and a large outbreak of severe infections will increase the burden on already stretched health services.
Increasing the level of vaccination Hong Kong is the key, he said, with more than 70% of those double-vaccinated and about 10% after receiving the booster or third shot.
Lam said on Thursday that Hong Kong will shorten the 21-day quarantine requirement for 14 days for tourist entry starting from February 5, after months of pressure from financial executives and foreign diplomats said the rules were eroding the competitiveness of the city.
Many professionals and expatriates leaving or planning to leave the former British colony, sees no end in sight to restrictions.
Quarantine rules for those infected and limit the need for close contacts of the city and the risk of exodus, according to an internal report by European city Chamber of Commerce.
Company reposition their staff to Singapore and Seoul, he said.
Hong Kong authorities to hold a daily briefing, giving details about every person infected, where they live, where they eat and where they go.
credit card statements, transport records, CCTV footage and government applications are some of the methods they use to identify and quarantine close contacts.
“The Omicron variant is so explosive in its distribution that it will test the response Sorest Hong Kong but if it keeps up testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine,” said Alex Cook, associate professor at the National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
“After a number of cases for contact tracing becomes too high …
more secondary cases would qualify and the growth of the epidemic will be compounded.”