As Hong Kong battles a new wave of coronavirus infections with yet another round of social restrictions, a sense of fatigue with the confusing and inconsistent nature of the city¡¯s pandemic response is setting in among business owners and residents.

Though the Asian financial center has thus far been relatively unscathed ¡ª total COVID-19 cases amount to just 81 cases per 100,000 people out of a densely packed 7 million population ¡ª the city has encountered more waves than most other places and is entering its fourth round of stop-start restrictions.

¡°Hong Kong has undoubtedly been lucky with the pandemic so far. What has been missing is a clear, public road map as to how and when restrictions will be implemented and when the rules will be relaxed,¡± said Nicholas Thomas, associate professor in health security at the City University of Hong Kong.