The Hong Kong government plans to hold the Financial Summit Forum and the International Rugby Sevens in November as the main event for Hong Kong to reconnect with the world. However, with the high number of confirmed cases of the new crown in Hong Kong, it is still unknown whether the “switch” to the outside world will be smooth in November.
The business community began to wait impatiently. A few days ago, a number of influential business people spoke out one after another, asking the government to relax the entry quarantine measures as soon as possible, otherwise Hong Kong would suffer from "internal bleeding" at any time.
It is worth noting that the pro-China newspaper Ta Kung Pao also published articles for two consecutive days, mentioning the loss of large-scale exhibitions in Hong Kong under the epidemic. Following the example of Japan, which recently switched, inbound travelers are required to install a tracking program.
Some politicians believe that the report may be a political signal, indicating that the relevant parties also support the Hong Kong government to change the current quarantine policy.
Some lawmakers pointed out that if the reopening is to be done in November, a decision must be made by the end of September at the latest.
Yao Boliang supports the installation of tracking programs and advocates opening up to "0+3"
Japan eased entry restrictions for tourists in early September, that is, "semi-independent travel" without the need of a tour guide. If a passenger has received three approved vaccines, they can enter without a nucleic acid certificate, but they must install the OSSMA and COCOA designated by the Japanese government on their mobile phones. App, turn on the location function and save the itinerary; if the passenger does not have a smartphone, it must be rented at the airport and the cost will be paid.
Legislative Council member of the tourism industry, Yiu Pak-leung, said that he is willing to require travelers to install a tracking program in exchange for exemption from the "0+7" quarantine in hotels, and hopes that the government will relax it in the fourth quarter of this year.
He said he was not worried about causing privacy concerns. "If you go to Japan, if you want to go down, just download it."
However, he pointed out that even if the quarantine is relaxed to "0+7", it is not very attractive to tourists, and he urged the relaxation to "0+3" quarantine.
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Qiu Dagan: The development of the program must consider the law
A member of the Legislative Council's science and technology innovation sector, Qiu Dagan pointed out that the development of a tracking program is not a technical problem, and it is expected that the legislation will be more restrictive. It is necessary to study whether the laws of Hong Kong have the right to require passengers to install a tracking program, whether it is necessary to amend laws such as the Communications Ordinance, and how to punish .
He said that if the relevant regulations involve amendments, they need to be reviewed by the Legislative Council, and the quarantine arrangement will be relaxed after the relevant procedures are completed, which may be too late.
He described the relaxation of quarantine to "0+7" as "better than nothing", with little practical effect, because during the 7-day home medical surveillance period, inbound people can only attend the workplace. Willing to come to Hong Kong, he believes that further relaxation to "0+3" will be more attractive.
Leung Hee, a spokesman for DAB health affairs and a member of the Legislative Council, said that if the government decides to implement "0+7", it needs to clearly put forward three goals: the first is to set the vaccination rate, especially the vaccination rate of "one old and one young" The second is to ensure that there are enough beds in the hospital and to formulate admission guidelines to ensure that the hospital can still cope with the increase in cases; the third is to control the flow of people arriving in Hong Kong through air flights.
Politicians: Add a tracking program to "do more"
Some people in the political circle pointed out that Ta Kung Pao’s two-day report on the impact of immigration restrictions on the business sector and the proposal to install an app with tracking functions on immigration personnel is undoubtedly a political signal, which means that the relevant parties also support the Hong Kong government to change the current policy, “Actually, Most of the opinions in the political circle support the relaxation of entry restrictions, and even think that the tracking function is not needed, some people have clear and clear opinions, and some people are more conservative for the time being.
As for whether travelers need to add apps with tracking function under "0+7", the person thinks it is unnecessary: "In fact, all high-risk places must be "safe travel" and "vaccine passports" to enter, and people arriving in Hong Kong cannot enter at all Therefore, the risk of transmission is limited. Moreover, while foreign countries require to download tracking programs, tourists can eat in restaurants, if Hong Kong wants to track and can’t enter restaurants, it will be ‘do more’.”
Chen Kaixin.
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Chen Kaixin said that there are three major directions for the anti-epidemic, the Hong Kong government must choose as soon as possible
Chen Kaixin, vice-chairman of the Legislative Council's Health Affairs Committee, pointed out that there are three main approaches to the world's foreign epidemic prevention policies: First, Hong Kong currently requires all people with borders to have an isolation period, during which patients are screened out and avoid entering the community; the second is Singapore and other countries. The local government requires immigrants to be vaccinated with the specified dose of vaccine, and the high local vaccination rate can greatly reduce the risk of severe illness and death after the virus is introduced, and prevent the medical system from "bursting".
The third is the current practice in Japan and the mainland, which uses apps to track the whereabouts of immigrants.
Japan's anti-epidemic policy is based on tracking. At present, immigrants need to report a tour group and provide the government with an itinerary in advance. Before departure, you can download the MySOS app to fill in the first place of stay, vaccine certificate and other information to facilitate customs clearance, and download it after arrival. Three apps, OSSMA is used to track the location of immigrants, Skype is used for video calls with epidemic prevention personnel, and COCOA is used to trace close contacts.
Chen Kaixin emphasized that whether it is the "0+7" currently under discussion or the practice of Japan and Singapore, "it's not a matter of doing it", the three epidemic prevention attitudes must always have a clear direction to move forward, "If it is decided that Singapore is the same as the whole people's injections, It is necessary to set the vaccination rate to a certain level; if you refer to Japan and the mainland, you need to use a program with a tracking function.”
When asked if Hong Kong could refer to Japan and set up a tracking program for travelers, coupled with the "red and yellow code" system, allowing them to enter high-risk areas such as restaurants in Hong Kong, Chen Kaixin believes that this approach is actually equivalent to the mainland health code system. "The privacy issue that people returning to Hong Kong has always been the most concerned about, will the public accept it?"
At present, the community is most concerned about whether the government will relax the entry quarantine requirements before the financial summit forum and Qilan in November. Chen Kaixin believes that the number of confirmed cases is still high recently, and the relaxation can only be done after the cases drop, and immigrants also need to follow up. .
The November event is not far away. She believes that the government should choose a route by the end of September or before, and then make corresponding arrangements. If a program for tracking passengers is to be launched, it is also hoped that the program that is currently used will be used to update it, so as to avoid developing from zero, which is time-consuming and crashing.
Customs Clearance｜Huang Yinghao said that 0+7 is required to return to normal, and it is recommended that nucleic acid testing is only after arrival in Hong Kong: Foreign countries have successively closed testing centers Ye Liu Shuyi: The chance of opening to the outside world is higher than that of customs clearance with the mainland. Customs clearance is based on data. +7: Li Jiachao, the real connection between China and foreign countries: is discussing the goal of the "reverse isolation" mechanism to establish a customs clearance channel that is not affected by the epidemic