Hong Kong rejects pleas from global banks to scrap zero-Covid plan

HONG KONG: The government will stick to its “zero infection” strategy on Covid-19, rebuffing a plea from global banks for the city to ease its strict quarantine policy and set a clearer time-line for a return to normal or risk its status as a centre for international business.

In a statement issued to Bloomberg News, in response to calls from the city’s top bank lobbying group for a change of course, a government spokesperson reiterated that the top priority remains reopening travel to the Chinese mainland, saying that other places that have adjusted their strategies to co-exist with the virus have seen increases in infections, hospitalisations and deaths.