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Covid: Hong Kong Suspends Compulsory Universal Testing
Posted
March 21, 2022
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March 21, 2022
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2:47Now PlayingHong Kong's plans for compulsory mass Covid-19 testing for the entire city will be put on pause, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said during a press conference, citing challenges and the stress it would cause. Mass testing needs to be conducted at the start or near the end of a Covid outbreak in order to help eliminate transmission, she said. The government will keep monitoring the situation and consider the mass testing when necessary, she said.
Hong Kong will also lift a ban on flights from nine countries including the U.S. as of April 1, and cut the time incoming travelers need to spend in hotel quarantine in half provided they test negative, Lam said.
Most social distancing measures and other curbs will remain in place to continue to curb the outbreak, Lam said. Those measures will be lifted in stages starting on April 21, providing there is no rebound in infections. The city first will resume dining-in at restaurants for dinner, allowing as many as four people to eat together, and reopen gyms, massage parlors, gyms and public entertainment centers.
The sweeping changes in how Hong Kong handles its outbreak come after a mid-term review of the Asian financial hub’s approach, following Lam’s acknowledgment that people’s tolerance was fading and financial institutions were losing patience.
The adjustments follow Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge to reduce the financial impact of its Covid-fighting policy. Xi signaled a shift in the country’s longstanding strategy, which Hong Kong also follows, that has minimized fatalities but weighed heavily on the economy.
Hong Kong reported 246 deaths and 14,149 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the lowest daily toll in more than three weeks, down from more than 50,000 a day earlier in the month.
In the second phase of lifting domestic curbs, other venues including bars and sports facilities, will reopen, with a maximum headcount of eight people per table, with longer opening times. In phase three, most restrictions will removed and only mask and vaccination requirements will remain in place.
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