As one of Asia’s global hubs moves towards reopening, another is mired in restrictions

When Daniel Chow Gone Singapore for jobs in 2020 Hong KongHe hoped that his wife and two young sons would join him as soon as the epidemic subsided and Chinese territory Went away from its “zero-Covid” strategy,

Now Chou has gone back to Singapore after two years of despair, citing the constant obstacles of life in Hong Kong while the rest of the world opens up.

“We decided not to move my family to Hong Kong”, said Chow, 43, who works in investment services. “Schools keep closing, and there are strict restrictions on movement in the city. Children suffer the most.”

For most of the pandemic, Hong Kong and Singapore – both densely populated Asian financial hubs with residents from around the world – kept virus cases and deaths to a minimum, with border closures, strict quarantine requirements and widespread testing and contact tracing.

But while Singapore has moved swiftly to reopen in recent months, Hong Kong has been mired in sanctions that critics say are costing business and talent a major beneficiary.

Singapore was one of the first countries in Asia to open its borders to the world. Travel has accelerated in recent weeks as the city scrapped mandatory quarantines, pre-departure testing for vaccinated people and an outdoor mask mandate. The city of over 5 million is reporting an average of around 6,000 cases a day.

Hong Kong, too, has sought to ease restrictions, reopen the border to non-residents, resume in-person classes and allow bars and other businesses to resume operations for the first time since January. transferred to.

But travelers arriving from overseas still have to quarantine in hotels for seven days at their own expense – a burden for frequent travelers like Chow, who was returning to Singapore to see his family.

“It turned out to be a really big factor for me to leave Hong Kong and an even bigger factor that got me in the first place, which was a lot of career opportunities,” he said.

Hong Kong retains tough policies aimed at reopening its border with mainland China Took a similar “zero-Covid” approach, But the mainland is still emerging from its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic, which is unlikely to happen any time soon, as well as reopening Hong Kong to the rest of the world.

Carrie Lamo, Hong Kong’s chief executive said last month that there was “very little chance” of easing hotel quarantine and test-on-arrival requirements in late June, citing the risk of the new variant. The city of 7.4 million is reporting 200 to 300 coronavirus cases a day.

Lam’s successor, john leehas said that reopening mainland China and the rest of the world is one of their priorities. But the city’s business community has become increasingly impatient, with lobbying groups pressuring officials to lift the quarantine requirement or at least allow travelers to quarantine at home.

“It is extremely important to be able to resume travel, whether with the mainland or with foreign countries,” Betty Yuen, the new president of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, told local broadcaster TVB last month. “Our strict restrictions have made us almost like an isolated island.”

Travel restrictions have also wreaked havoc on flight schedules in and out of Hong Kong, which was once one of the busiest airports in the world. Only 126,000 passengers passed through Hong Kong International Airport in April, compared to 6.5 million in April 2019.

Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, told reporters in Singapore last month that it would take years for Hong Kong to recover as a global aviation hub.

“That opportunity is to move to other airports in the region,” he said. “I think Singapore will clearly benefit from this.”

Singapore’s pandemic restrictions have also weighed on its population, with some foreign residents citing them as their reasons for leaving. But the government has stressed the importance of reopening the economy during the pandemic, said Teo Yik Ying, professor and dean of the School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore.

“In comparison, I think it is not easy for the Hong Kong government to make a unilateral decision,” he said, noting that its pandemic policy is tied to mainland China.

Singapore’s government has also been praised for its communication with the public during the pandemic, which Ying instilled in confidence.

That level of confidence is lacking in Hong Kong, where dissent followed a crackdown on anti-government protests in 2019. During the pandemic, the government has been criticized for inconsistent messaging and reactive measures.

Talks about leaving Hong Kong reached a fever pitch this spring as the city experienced its worst outbreak of the pandemic. Rumors of a full-scale lockdown, and in particular the fear of children being separated from their parents by quarantine policies, have prompted thousands to leave, at least temporarily.

Singapore is a natural choice, especially for those working in financial services. But there are also obstacles to getting there, prompting some Hong Kong businesses and families to rethink their plans.

The city recently tightened its work visa requirements for foreign nationals due to concerns that they would take away jobs from Singaporeans.

Walter Thesira, an associate professor of economics at the Singapore University of Social Sciences Business School, said, “Everyone here in Singapore welcomes expatriates and foreign business, but the important thing is that they have to add value to the local economy and to the local people.” “

Property prices in Singapore were rising even before the arrival from Hong Kong, which has also increased the demand for places in private schools.

“It will be a matter of concern for the families who are trying to come here, because I have heard that people can’t get slots in schools,” Thesira said.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says the city welcomes existing competition from Hong Kong, which according to him creates “a vibrant, dynamic region”.

“We are pleased to welcome them, but in fact we would be more than happy if they were happy to be in Hong Kong,” he told the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board in April.

Ying hopes that Hong Kong will open up to the rest of the world soon.

“Hong Kong is important not only to itself or to China, but it is also strategically important as an economic and transportation hub for this part of the world,” he said. “When Hong Kong’s economy suffers, this entire region suffers as well. It is therefore beneficial to all that Hong Kong is able to resume its position as an economic hub in Asia.”