Pandemic postcard: COVID outbreak leaves Hong Kong in limbo
Associated PressHONG KONG — As a COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms Hong Kong, it’s hard for its 7.4 million residents to know what’s next. “Honestly, I think government policies keep changing all the time and it’s hard for residents to follow,” said Alison Hui, a Hong Kong resident. Then, two weeks after the February announcement, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said that the citywide testing had taken a temporary backseat as authorities focused on reducing the number of deaths and critical cases, but she didn’t say when the testing might happen. Hong Kong was able to stamp out four earlier outbreaks with tough “zero COVID” restrictions that temporarily shuttered businesses, limited public gatherings and imposed entry curbs such as lengthy quarantine stays for arrivals and flight bans from countries deemed high-risk. Researchers at the University of Hong Kong estimated that nearly 3.6 million people — about half of the city’s population — have been infected as of March 14, based on modelling and data.