Hong Kong
has followed China in sticking to a zero-COVID policy with the economic and
psychological tolls rapidly rising, and measures becoming more draconian than
those first implemented in 2020.
Experts have
said that the current policy is not sustainable as cases continue to increase
due to the highly transmissable omicron strain.
Hong Kong’s
policy to achieve “Dynamic zero infection” was the most effective way
to fight the outbreak and protect public health, the government said in a
statement.
The statement
came after local legislator Junius Ho said that experts who suggested Hong Kong
should live with the virus the way Western experts do may have violated its
national security law, public broadcaster RTHK reported.
More than 1
million of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents are not vaccinated, exposing them
to high chance of infection or even a risk of death, the government said.
While Hong
Kong succeeded in keeping the virus under control for much of 2021, it has seen
a spike in infections in January. There have been over 700 locally transmitted
infections in January so far compared with just two in December.
The city has
recorded around 13,600 infections since 2020 and 213 deaths, far lower than
other major cities.
