The divide between Asia¡¯s two main financial hubs in handling the pandemic is growing ever wider, with one opening up to global travel and the other maintaining one of the world¡¯s harshest quarantine policies.
In Singapore, officials are taking steps to reconnect with the global economy even as the government faces pressure to favor locals over foreigners for well-paying jobs. Speaking in a televised address over the weekend, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore can¡¯t stay ¡°locked down and closed off indefinitely¡± and that residents should prepare to see ¡°many COVID-19 cases for some time to come.¡±
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has taken the opposite approach, stressing in a Bloomberg Television interview Monday that even a single death would be a ¡°major concern¡± as she follows China¡¯s COVID Zero approach that tolerates no local infections. While expressing concern about the city¡¯s reputation, Lam said she was ¡°duty bound to protect my people¡± and that businesses, in any case, see Hong Kong as a gateway to the mainland.
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