The city's response to the Omicron wave was frustrating for Hong Kong-based expats. They were also worried about a loss of freedom. Hong Kong relied on mainland China for policy responses during the swine flu epidemic. Marty Forth lived in Hong Kong for seven years. The academic fell in love with the city after arriving in it in 2015. He said that the city is a hub for finance, travel, and innovation and has a strong Chinese sense of place and history. He spent his first four years in Hong Kong soaking up everything. The city was almost brought to its knees by a series of mass protests in the middle of the year.
Hong Kong was ravaged by the COVID-19 epidemic. Over the last two years, the city has had many last-minute openings and closed public venues.
Hong Kong intensified its policies as the Omicron variant exploded in the city this year, despite other countries relaxing their Covid regulations. Residents and experts called the approach downright illogical after it was introduced quickly.
The government changed its policy so many times that the decisions were made based on fear. According to Forth, freedoms have been reduced.
He boarded a one-way flight to New York with his partner and son. Hundreds of thousands of expatriates have left China this year.
Hong Kong used to be a great place to live and work for foreigners. The city's population fell by more than 100,000 in the first half of the year.
The expatriates told Insider that the government's response to Omicron was the final straw. They bade goodbye to Hong Kong because they realized how similar the city was to any other urban hub in mainland China.
Forth said that you feel a little bit of guilt leaving your friends behind.
We're leaving Hong Kong because it's no longer the place we moved to.
Beijing has a plan to achieve "zero infections" in the city.
Beijing's goal was to eliminate any trace of the virus. In order to combat unexpected outbreaks, local authorities would introduce sudden lock downs.
When these restrictions were put in place, residents had to stay in their homes for weeks while authorities tried to find a way to provide them with food and medicine, while also isolating them from the rest of the world.
The first two years of the Pandemic were relatively calm for Hong Kong residents. The city had a low number of COVID-19 infections for two years because of strict travel restrictions and masks.
Cases in Hong Kong went up after Omicron. More than 75,000 new infections were reported in a single day in February, nearly twice as many as the city's worst day of Covid infections.
Hong Kong's restriction cycle was put into motion by Omicron.
There were more and more restrictions. One couldn't gather in groups of more than two people, but could take group photos if they were masked. Up to six months in prison is the maximum sentence for breaking this rule. The authorities told people to limit private gatherings to two households, but not to check on anyone.
The curfew was extended to 10pm and then midnight. Only those who received at least one dose of recognized COVID-19 vaccines were allowed to eat. Patrons were required to take rapid tests before entering bars and clubs.
Travel in Hong Kong was restricted. Depending on the government's policies at the time, returning residents would have to pay for hotel rooms to stay out of the public eye. If a plane was found to carry Covid-positive passengers, flights into Hong Kong would be canceled. It was necessary for expatriates in Hong Kong to prepare for the possibility that they wouldn't return to the city as planned.
Other one-off decisions by the Hong Kong government alarmed expatriates.
In January of this year, Hong Kong ordered pet shops and owners to give up their hamsters due to fears that they might carry the coronaviruses. More than 2000 hamsters were culled.
The slaughter of hamsters was a reminder of the many stories she'd heard of Chinese authorities killing pets.
She said that it was one of the many absurdities they saw in China. She moved to Vietnam in the spring to further her career. She said she was fortunate to be able to find a new job.
The situation got worse in February when Hong Kong authorities decided to keep people with Covid infections out of their families.
The city's Hospital Authority said in late March that it had stopped the separation of children from their parents.
The forced separation of children from their parents was called a "gulag move" by James' friends.
I saw a lot of people leaving after that happened. James made a statement. He wanted Insider to not use his full name.
Even though Hong Kong's chief executive announced in March that the city would lift some travel and domestic restrictions, her government made it clear that the city would stick to Beijing's plan.
"Quarantine will remain because that's still a very important tool and we may have Omicron, who knows what's the next variant," said Bernard Chan, who heads the defacto cabinet.
At a time when so many other countries were starting to live with the virus, she felt exhausted from listening to Hong Kong's government defend its position. Everything has a political implication. She said that you can feel it on a daily basis.
She said that it felt like we were all in a boat without a skipper.
James said yes. Many people don't think it's just about the virus, but more about controlling it.
He said that Hong Kong is no longer for expatriates. James returned to the UK in June.
The Pandemic gave Beijing a chance to exert its authority over the territory, according to expatriates.
The UKceded Hong Kong to China in 1997. In 2047, the territory is expected to return to Chinese rule.
Matthew Cox believed that Hong Kong was special. He was taken by the cosmopolitan nature of the city when he first arrived in it.
He was carried through his most difficult days in the city.
Pro-democracy protests took place in the city. The streets of Hong Kong were brought to a standstill by residents on the weekends. They urged Beijing to recognize Hong Kong's independence until it returns to Chinese rule.
Cox went for weeks without being able to meet friends because he only had one day off during the protests. Cox didn't seem to mind. He characterized Hong Kong as a city with Chinese culture but with the freedom of a European nation.
He started to worry as the COVID-19 epidemic dragged on. The National Security Law was passed by Beijing as Hong Kong was fighting the coronaviruses. The law gave Hong Kong authorities the power to round up people they suspected of being involved with foreign forces.
China's online censorship began creeping into Hong Kong as independent media outlets were forced to close. The local news companies have partnerships with Chinese state media.
According to an analysis by a public policy think-tank, the timing of the law was important for Beijing because it would limit the risk of large-scale protests in Hong Kong.
Cox thought that Hong Kong would fight back. Many people believed that once Covid was over, they would stick to the law. Hong Kong will not return to how it used to be once Covid is done, he said.
Cox admits that the new law didn't have much of an impact on him. He said that they saw how it was affecting the locals and how they didn't have a voice.
He said that a lot of people think that it has become a Chinese city.
In an effort to stem the expatriate exodus, companies in Hong Kong have promised more perks. John Mullally is the regional director for human resource firm Robert Wallers.
It's quite the bomb that one gets an increase of 25% when moving around. You have salaries that have at least a 40% increase. It isn't sustainable but companies have to do that in order to populate their desks.
It will be difficult to maintain Hong Kong's status as a financial hub while limiting travel.
Hong Kong is at risk of being underestimated. He said that you shouldn't underestimate its ability to adapt and change the world around it.
Some industries are losing talent. According to the Financial Times, a fifth of Hong Kong's international schools are struggling to hire enough teachers for the new academic year.
Things will not improve according to Forth. Even though the Hong Kong government has promised to ease restrictions, he said the city's constant flip-flops has eroded his trust in its ability to govern effectively. Forth sees no chance of moving back to Hong Kong at this time.
In April, when asked about the Hong Kong government's approach to controlling the spread of COVID-19, Lam said the government would not relent on the constant tweaking of policies.
"The right decisions have to be made in order to strike a balance between the public health considerations, the socio- economic development needs and the people's tolerance and acceptance level," said Lam, who stepped down on July 1 and passed leadership to her successor John Lee.
Lee promised to focus on reopening Hong Kong to travelers, and in early August cut hotel quark for incoming travelers from seven days to three, but arriving passengers still have to stay home for another four days. The travel ban on flights carrying passengers was axed by the man.
He was the driving force behind the National Security Law and the security chief who cracked down on protests was also a driving force.
In his appointment speech on July 1, Lee promised to restore Hong Kong's status as a global financial hub but didn't mention how it has been damaged by its COVID policies.
Beijing's policies under her remained largely unchanged more than a month after she left.
Bars and clubs are not allowed to host gatherings of more than four people. A far cry from the government's zero-case aspiration, the daily new COVID-19 cases are around 4,000.
According to the South China Morning Post, before handing the reins to Lee, he said the government wouldn't give in to businesses' requests to ease restrictions.
The Hong Kong government will continue to be changeable about its Covid regulations. He said that they never know when they're going to tighten up.
How can they rebound from this? He asked how he could return to Hong Kong with this.
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