Hong Kong’s plans for easing travel to “outside jurisdictions” – mainland China and Macau have been mentioned as previous initial targets – could “definitely” be affected were there to be a community outbreak of Omicron-variant Covid-19 in Hong Kong, said on Tuesday one of that city’s health officials.
It follows news that several airline crew members recently returning to Hong Kong only tested ‘positive’ for Omicron infection having already spent some time back in the general community in Hong Kong.
Dr Edwin Tsui Lok Kin, head of the city’s Centre for Health Protection, said in a Tuesday briefing, there was a “high risk” of a Covid-19 community outbreak, with the highly-infectious Omicron strain possibly to feature in the data in coming days.
“A single spark can start a fifth wave” stated Dr Tsui. Such an event would “definitely affect” Hong Kong’s plans for easing travel to other places, added the official.
A number of investment analysts has said that in pre-pandemic times, visitors from Hong Kong provided up to 20 percent of Macau’s annual casino gross gaming revenue (GGR); and see improved travel ties with Macau – ideally without inbound quarantine-on-arrival – as a key element of casino market recovery.
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