HK travel curbs to be reviewed once latest wave eases

HONG KONG • Hong Kong will map out its plan to resume quarantine-free travel after the current fifth wave of the pandemic subsides, local news site HK01 cited Chief Executive Carrie Lam as saying in a letter to a local business group.

"As soon as the fifth wave stabilises," the government will spare no effort in relaunching Hong Kong on all fronts, Mrs Lam said in a letter to the International Business Committee dated March 18, according to HK01.

She detailed the city's recent efforts in combating the pandemic and asked for the committee's "understanding and tolerance", the news site said.

The city's "utmost priority" is to vaccinate the elderly, it quoted Mrs Lam as saying.

At a daily briefing yesterday, the chief executive said there had been a reduction in the city's workforce because of the pandemic but the situation was improving.

About 32,200 public servants, 17 per cent of civil service employees, had been infected by the virus as at March 14, and 70 per cent had recovered and resumed work. Some 20 per cent of hospital and rail operator MTR Corp staff had contracted Covid-19.

By the end of this month, all civil servants will be required to be fully vaccinated to be allowed to return to the office, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip said at the press conference.

About 52 per cent of residents in elderly homes have been inoculated with at least one jab, Mr Nip said.

Hong Kong reported 16,597 new cases of Covid-19 yesterday, down from more than 20,000 a day earlier.

BLOOMBERG, REUTERS