New Crown Epidemic: From the Open Letter of the European Chamber of Commerce to See the “Island” of Hong Kong under the Epidemic-BBC News

It is reported that some foreign-funded enterprises have begun to discuss relocating their business to Singapore or South Korea in Asia due to the lack of clear anti-epidemic goals and plans of the Hong Kong government. These two countries have adopted a more relaxed anti-epidemic model.

As the father of two children, Gao Fei is also worried about the negative impact of the epidemic on children’s early education, and worried that this impact may accompany the child throughout his life.

In Hong Kong, tens of thousands of people who used to travel between China and Hong Kong are also affected by the new crown epidemic.

These are the socio-economic costs that the Hong Kong government needs to consider when formulating public health policies. Huang Yanzhong, a senior researcher in global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor at the School of Foreign Affairs and International Relations at Seton Hall University, told the BBC: “When talking about the effectiveness of anti-epidemic policies, they often ignore the cost of policy implementation itself. The huge socio-economic cost of the project.”

“If you don’t take these costs into account, and just look at the effectiveness of the policy from the number of cases, I think it is biased.” He emphasized.

In an open letter, the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong recommended that the Hong Kong government accept coexistence with the new crown virus, establish a clear exit strategy, relax the isolation and quarantine measures for all vaccinated passengers, and emphasize that rigorous testing support will help restart international and local Business.

On August 20, the Hong Kong government tightened the epidemic prevention requirements for international arrivals. International arrivals from middle-risk countries and regions who have been vaccinated must be quarantined in hotels for 14 days. International travelers who had previously received vaccinations only need to be quarantined for 7 days after they arrive in Hong Kong.

The letter also criticized the Hong Kong government’s latest measures as a significant retrogression. The epidemic prevention policy is too rigorous and out of proportion, causing the international business community to worry about whether visitors to Hong Kong will continue to be trapped, affecting Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center.

The Hong Kong government did not directly reply to this open letter. Gao Fei said, “I am a person who values ​​reality and practice.” He did not expect the Hong Kong government’s response, but hoped to bring change through speaking out.

“What is the Hong Kong government’s anti-epidemic goal? Is it to clear customs with China or the world first? If it is to clear customs with China first, what needs to be done to achieve this goal? How much vaccination rate needs to be achieved? Is there a timeline?”

Gao Fei raised questions on behalf of about 2,400 European companies in Hong Kong.

Huang Yanzhong also believes that the Hong Kong government should formulate an anti-epidemic plan. “Countries that have implemented and have implemented zero-clearing policies, such as Singapore, New Zealand and Australia, all have at least plans. Because they recognize that such policies are not sustainable in the long run.”

In the early stage of the fight against the epidemic, the Hong Kong government had discussed the possibility of customs clearance with the Guangdong government in 2020, but it has not been able to do so. To a large extent, because of China’s realization of zero clearance, Hong Kong suffered the third and fourth waves of epidemics. By 2021, Hong Kong will be basically “cleared”, but a new round of epidemic has broken out in China. Hong Kong basically does not mention the possibility of fighting for Hong Kong residents to enter mainland China from isolation, and has extended the relevant regulations on entry into Hong Kong requiring isolation until March 31, 2021.

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Lin Zhengyue-e stated on August 31 that the current strict import prevention measures are for early customs clearance with China: “Many chambers of commerce in Hong Kong actually want to clear customs with the Mainland the most, because these overseas companies come to Hong Kong, often because it is a good one. Platforms enter the mainland. They have regional offices, Asia-Pacific or China offices here. They need to enter the mainland. This is the opinion reflected by individual chambers of commerce. When everyone’s goal is to clear customs with the mainland as soon as possible, it is even more necessary External defense input.”

Huang Yanzhong pointed out that when the virus is constantly mutating, there will be no communication with the outside world, which will result in the so-called immune gap and isolated islands. “How long can the isolated islands be maintained? These are actually some issues that may need to be considered (Anti-epidemic policy) The change).”

As an active advocate of the theory of virus coexistence, Huang Yanzhong believes that the purpose of the “clearing” policy currently implemented by the Hong Kong government is actually to exchange space for time and strive to increase the vaccination rate.

Gao Fei said that Hong Kong European Chamber of Commerce companies have been trying to ensure high employment, or at least maintain the status quo. But companies need to predict and plan for the future: “We seem to be in a black box.”

This creates uncertainty for the business community. “Enterprises hate uncertainty the most. After nearly two years of this uncertainty, they basically live on hope. If they lose hope, they will make a decision.”

Gao Fei revealed that the Hong Kong European Chamber of Commerce has begun to discuss the role and status of Hong Kong in the past two years. “How many people do we need to stay in Hong Kong? In the foreseeable future, can we travel in Asia again without major restrictions?”

The business environment in Hong Kong has changed dramatically in the past two years. Hong Kong’s “National Security Law” was announced in July 2020. Due to increased political instability, some companies may shift their business focus from Hong Kong. Although the ongoing study of the “Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law” has been postponed, it has once again affected the business environment. Come uncertainty.

Gao Fei agrees that it is difficult to separate these factors that may lead to the company’s outflow, nor can it estimate the specific impact of the Hong Kong government’s anti-epidemic measures. “But because the status quo has not improved, the company has to reconsider moving part of its business to other places.”

Huang Yanzhong pointed out, “If the company goes out, it shows the price that Hong Kong, as an international financial center, has paid for the zero-clearing policy. The longer the policy is implemented, the greater the price it may pay.”

Singapore or Seoul in South Korea is the preferred destination for foreign companies originally based in Hong Kong. The business environment there currently seems to be more friendly than Hong Kong. First of all, the two countries have already exempted entry isolation requirements. Starting from July 1, after completing vaccination in the same country abroad and 14 days later, you can apply for exemption from entry quarantine when you go to Korea. Hong Kong’s competitor, Singapore, has given up its “zero-clearing” strategy since July and no longer requires immigrants to be quarantined.

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government said in response to the BBC’s inquiry regarding the open letter of the Hong Kong European Chamber of Commerce, “We pay close attention to how other economies or countries respond to and adjust the new crown epidemic prevention policy, and learn as much as possible. But each economy or The country has its own unique concerns and considerations. It must be based on the actual situation at the time and take actions that are in the best interests of all people. It cannot be generalized. Hong Kong needs to achieve a higher vaccination rate in order to relax its epidemic prevention measures in a safe manner. “

“He has been wearing a mask half of the time he was born”

When the new crown epidemic comes, the life threats faced by children may not be as direct as the elderly. However, their growth and life are affected, which is also the cost paid by Hong Kong society under the “zero clearing” policy.

Gao Fei’s other identity is the father of his three-year-old son. He said that the child wears a mask for half of the time after birth. “When I was not wearing a mask, he would remind me to wear a mask,’Dad, you should wear a mask.'” He said that when communicating with kindergarten teachers, they thought that masks pose a challenge to children who are learning expression. “They can only see each other’s eyes, not the (voicing) mouth shape.”

If there is no new crown epidemic, 3-year-old children should be in the period of learning to socialize with their peers and to establish contact with family and community. But the social distancing measures at this time disrupted the growth trajectory of young children.

“No one told me that this has no effect on the growth of the child.”

This is also one of the reasons why Gao Fei decided to take his children back to Europe for a period of time. He worried that one to two years of alienated social training might affect the child’s life.

During the epidemic, places including campuses, libraries, and playgrounds were closed, causing children to lose space for play and daily communication with their peers.

Compared with grassroots families who cannot afford long-distance travel, Gao Fei’s family of four is relatively lucky. They can return to Europe to experience a “normal” life, visit relatives and friends, and build a sense of family. But the price is that the whole family is quarantined for 7 more days.

When interviewed by a BBC reporter, Gao Fei’s family of four was quarantined in a hotel in Hong Kong. He recalled that at the end of the family visit, the Hong Kong government adjusted the list of risk areas for entry. Their origin, Germany, is classified as a high-risk area and must be quarantined for 14 days. It only took 7 days before. The sudden new regulations caught the family by surprise. For families, booking an isolated hotel in Hong Kong is more difficult than for individuals. Many hotels told him that they won’t have a room available until the end of September or October. Before taking off, he had to spend several hours filling in the documents required for entry.

Goofy said, “It’s really cumbersome.”

In response, the Hong Kong government stated, “In response to changes in the epidemic, we need to adjust and adapt to the ever-changing situation. We understand that the recent changes have affected many people, and we apologize for the recent interference in their plans.”

In addition to European business people such as Gao Fei, the hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents who used to travel between China and Hong Kong for work reasons, over a million Hong Kong people with relatives and friends in mainland China, and nearly 30,000 cross-border school children were also affected. Did not get the Hong Kong government’s attention.

The embarrassing point for the Hong Kong government may be that the initiative to return to normal customs clearance with mainland China is not in the hands of the Hong Kong government, and whether or not to clear customs is not a pure public health decision.

As Huang Yanzhong pointed out: “Whether Hong Kong cares more about its international image or what Beijing sees more, it is impossible to judge. What is ultimately involved in this is not a public health choice, it may be more a political decision.”