Newsletter

Hong Kong COVID-19 Updates	September 2021

Dear friends in the ASEAN,

This is a special COVID-19 series, through which we would like to bring you updates on how Hong Kong responds to the pandemic and also share with you some exciting buzzes of how our city moves forward. We hope that you will find it relevant and encouraging. Please feel free to share the news with your friends and families.

Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Commitment to controlling the spread of COVID-19 and aspiration for resuming quarantine free travel Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Hong Kong has made our best endeavours in responding effectively and swiftly to this global health challenge, taking into account our local content. Our anti-epidemic strategy and measures have been adjusted having regard to the epidemic situation and public health risk assessments. In particular, quarantine requirement is integral to the prevention of imported cases through cross-boundary travels. Thanks to this stringent border control strategy, Hong Kong has managed to keep the virus at bay and as a result, our city has never had to resort to the measure of a complete lock-down. The Economist has compiled a normalcy index measuring the extent to which normal lives are maintained amid the epidemic in 50 economies, and Hong Kong topped the index. At the same time, people’s aspiration for resuming some quarantine-free travel to the Mainland is palpable. Its importance to the international community using Hong Kong as the gateway to the Mainland of China has also been reflected to the senior government officials by many foreign chambers. A very robust approach is required to supress the importation of infected cases from overseas so that our COVID-19 situation would facilitate such quarantine-free travel. This is particularly so as the global COVID-19 epidemic situation is under serious threat from the Delta variant, with acute surges in the number of confirmed cases within a short period of time in many countries. Against the backdrop of increasing risks to the local community associated with overseas imported cases confirmed during various periods upon arrival, even for fully vaccinated passengers, the Government has decided to impose more stringent boarding, quarantine and testing requirements on certain inbound travellers in order to uphold the local barrier against the importation of COVID-19. To keep up the good momentum of zero local infection so as to enable resuming normal lives on the whole, we must prevent the importation of virus in tandem. Hong Kong will continue to closely monitor the epidemic situation of different places and will adjust the measures and requirements based on the risk levels as the situation warrants.
HK tops Global Normalcy Index Hong Kong is leading in the bid to return to normal activities among major economies, according to the Global Normalcy Index compiled by The Economist. The Index measures the status of resuming normal in key areas. Hong Kong is the only place to score higher than 100, the mark setting for pre-pandemic level of activity. The Economist attributed the achievement to Hong Kong's effective anti-COVID-19 measures.
Quarantine exemption travel to Hong Kong from Mainland China under dedicated scheme The Come2hk Scheme, scheduled for launch on September 15, will allow non-Hong Kong residents in Guangdong Province and Macao to come to Hong Kong without being subject to compulsory quarantine upon fulfilment of the specified conditions under that scheme.
Useful links Hong Kong update: Response to COVID-19 https://www.brandhk.gov.hk/html/en/Hong-Kong-Update/Response-to-COVID-19.html HKSAR Government COVID-19 Thematic Website http://www.coronavirus.gov.hk HK Vaccination Programme Website https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/