‘No-COVID’ policy drags on Hong Kong economy as cases surge

By ALICE FUNG and DAVID RISING
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — Once bustling Hong Kong is languishing amid a strict zero-COVID strategy that has closed bank branches and movie theaters. Its international airport, once a thriving regional hub, is nearly empty of travelers. In the midst of the city’s worst outbreak, many fear worse is yet to come. The city is looking into converting hotels and even unoccupied public housing into quarantine facilities. Businesses fret that the government’s determination to match mainland China’s stringent policies even as the rest of the world learns to live with the coronavirus may hinder a recovery for a city so dependent on international finance and travel.