Hong Kong turns to emergency powers for China help in COVID surge
Al JazeeraAuthorities say ‘dire epidemic situation’ behind move as territory struggles to contain wave of Omicron cases. Hong Kong has invoked emergency powers so that doctors and nurses from mainland China can join its efforts to fight what it said was a “dire epidemic situation” as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the densely-populated territory. “Hong Kong is now facing a very dire epidemic situation, which continues to deteriorate rapidly,” the government said in explaining its need for the emergency powers. The outbreak is expected to “continue to escalate exponentially and go beyond the epidemic control capacity” of the territory’s administration, meaning “Hong Kong’s healthcare system, manpower, anti-epidemic facilities and resources, etc will soon be insufficient to handle the huge number of newly confirmed cases detected every day”. Despite increasing resentment among Hong Kong residents at the government’s draconian approach, a “vaccine passport” also came into force on Thursday, with everyone aged 12 and older required to have at least one COVID-19 vaccination.