Hong Kong and Shanghai’s gleaming skylines have long been linked with riches and opulence. However, in recent weeks, they’ve become synonymous with a far more bleak reality, as officials in the two major finance capitals battle massive Omicron outbreaks.

Residents in both cities have been severely constrained by Covid measures, with Shanghai currently in its third week of government-mandated home lockdown and Hong Kong enduring a third year of quarantine and travel restrictions.

Heavy-handed border barriers and stopped air lines have cut off the two cities from most of the rest of the globe, even as other hubs open up.

Only one flight from outside Asia Pacific arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday, a dramatic contrast to the pre-pandemic era, when the city’s airport was one of the busiest in the world, usually hosting 1,100 passenger and cargo flights daily to and from 200 worldwide destinations.

The majority of traffic now travels outbound, with residents fleeing Hong Kong in search of greener pastures with less constraints. According to immigration figures, more than 180,000 people departed the city in February and March, while only 39,000 came.

Shanghai, like Hong Kong, has a big population of foreign inhabitants, but there are rising concerns that this may alter in the near future.

Since the pandemic began, China has lost roughly half of all European expats, according to Jörg Wuttke, head of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and he fears that another migration of families could occur this summer when the school year finishes. He told CNN last week, “I wouldn’t be surprised if another half of (those remaining) quit.”

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According to a recent survey by the British Chamber of Commerce in China, at least 40% of instructors in international schools in China are expected to leave before the start of the new school year, perhaps prompting more families to relocate.

China’s strong zero-Covid policy, which entails a combination of border quarantines, house lockdowns, and other measures, is driving these exodus.

However, in the face of the newest Omicron wave, those safeguards no longer appear to be sufficient. Last month, Hong Kong had the highest death rate per capita in Asia and Oceania, as infections increased and the virus ravaged elderly care homes. Shanghai quickly descended into chaos, with all 25 million people subjected to obligatory home lockout in late March.

During emergencies, many people in Shanghai have complained about not being able to get food, basic supplies, or even medical attention. On Chinese social media, reports of health workers forcing elderly citizens into quarantine and employees killing a pet corgi after its owner tested positive sparked a rare public outcry against the authorities.

“Shanghai is putting a lot of pressure on us to make a decision. They don’t even treat us like humans, “On Weibo, China’s heavily controlled Twitter-like platform, one user commented.

“I’m at a loss for words. How could it possibly be so bad? What is going on in Shanghai? “another well-liked Weibo remark said.

Before this wave, Shanghai officials boasted of their less disruptive approach to outbreak containment, avoiding the kind of citywide mass testing seen in other large Chinese cities.

Hong Kong was originally touted as a zero-Covid success story as well. Despite having seen multiple outbreaks in the past, the death rate remained low until a fifth wave arrived in February. Because the danger of infection appeared to be so minimal, many citizens, especially the elderly, did not prioritise vaccination, leaving much of the city exposed when Omicron struck.

As an increasing number of residents seek to leave, that sense of relative safety — as well as both cities’ status as international travel and trade hubs — appears to be fading faster than ever.

Josh Vaughn, an American entrepreneur in Shanghai who owns an online eyeglasses brand, said, “We’ve gone almost a month without making any money as a business.” “Thinking about it makes me anxious because I don’t know what to do.”

Vaughn stated that after contracting Covid earlier this month, he was met with animosity from his neighbours, who refused to let him return into his apartment building after he was released from the hospital, echoing similar stories from other expats who have felt shunned.

The economic impact of China’s Covid restrictions, according to Wuttke, the president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce, could force some foreign companies to consider relocating regional headquarters outside of Greater China, putting the future of major business hubs like Shanghai and Hong Kong in jeopardy as the rest of the world opens up.

Singapore, which has contended with Hong Kong for the title of Asia’s leading international commercial city for years, was the first Asian government to declare that it was shifting away from a capitalist economy.

“I have a very strong impression that people’s tolerance are waning… that some of our financial institutions are losing patience over this sort of isolated condition of Hong Kong, as Hong Kong is an international financial centre,” Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam said in late March.

Last month, Lam relaxed some flight bans and reduced quarantine rules in an effort to help Hong Kong’s ailing economy. However, it may be too little, too late, especially as Chinese officials and state media ramp up rhetoric extolling China’s zero-Covid policy, leaving little chance for the opening of major international financial centres any time soon.

Gabriele, an Italian resident in Shanghai who asked to be identified by his first name only, tested positive in early April and has since been confined to his apartment for more than three weeks, he said.

Describing the situation as a “nightmare,” Gabriele said health workers said they would come to test him again but “never showed up,” and attempts to contact local authorities have gone nowhere. “We feel helpless,” he said.

Now, he’s thinking of moving home for good — leaving behind a city he had once loved. “The city completely lost its shine. I don’t know if it will recover,” he said. “It’s like a completely different city … it really feels like we’re going backwards in time instead of looking forward to the future.”