Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Hong Kong’s top scientsts urge shift from Beijing’s zero-Covid strategy

hong kong

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s top scientists urged the government on Tuesday to transition from China’s zero-Covid strategy before the next outbreak unless the financial hub wants to be a “closed port forever”. Hong Kong used strict travel curbs to keep the virus at bay for two years, leaving the city increasingly isolated, and a deadly … Read more

Hong Kong’s Lam mulls easing Covid rules as public tolerance ‘fading’

hong kong

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s leader said Thursday she was mulling easing some of the city’s coronavirus restrictions due to waning public tolerance, but could not provide a roadmap out of the current Omicron-fuelled crisis. Carrie Lam’s administration has been pummelled by all sides over its unclear public messaging and handling of Hong Kong’s fifth wave, which … Read more

Morgues overflowing as Hong Kong suffers deadly Covid wave

hong kong

HONG KONG: Workers in PPE gear in Hong Kong carted the bodies of coronavirus victims into refrigerated shipping containers on Wednesday, as the city’s morgues run out of space from a deadly Omicron surge. In under three months since the highly transmissible variant broke through, Hong Kong has recorded nearly a million infections and more … Read more

Mandatory Hong Kong Covid testing ‘not a priority’: city leader

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HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s leader said Wednesday that mandatory Covid testing was not a priority, after announcing last month that the government intended to screen its more than 7.3 million residents for the virus. Two weeks ago Carrie Lam had said all residents would need to undergo three rounds of compulsory testing — setting off … Read more

Firing Hong Kong domestic workers with coronavirus ‘immoral’: consul

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MANILA: The Philippines‘ top diplomat in Hong Kong said Tuesday it was illegal and “immoral” for residents to fire and turf out domestic workers who test positive for the coronavirus, as the Chinese city endures its worst outbreak yet. Charities said last week that foreign domestic workers in the wealthy city were being “abandoned” amid … Read more

How Covid-wracked Hong Kong is reeling two years into pandemic

hong kong

HONG KONG: Hong Kong is in the throes of its worst-ever coronavirus outbreak, as residents are suddenly confronted with a severely overstretched healthcare system and a tightening of restrictions even as much of the world opens up. The city’s strict but successful “zero-Covid” policy had largely kept the virus out for months. But when the highly … Read more

Hong Kong leader rules out China-style lockdown as virus spreads

hong kong

HONG KONG : Hong Kong’s leader on Tuesday said she would not impose a mainland China-style hard lockdown as the city faces its worst coronavirus wave to date, even as she vowed no switch to living with Covid-19. For more than two years, Hong Kong has followed China’s zero-Covid strategy, but a wave of the … Read more

Deja vu in Hong Kong as virus restrictions spark panic buying

hong kong

HONG KONG: Shoppers thronged Hong Kong’s markets fearing a shortage of food Wednesday, familiar scenes in a city that is back under gruelling Covid restrictions in contrast to much of the world. Hong Kong has followed mainland China in maintaining a strict “zero-Covid” policy that has kept infections low through targeted lockdowns and extensive social … Read more