Hong Kong started implementing social-distancing measures in February — much earlier than most countries around the world. But as several countries — including some still reporting thousands of new cases daily — start to lift restrictions on businesses, Hong Kong authorities have not announced plans to do the same.
With the daily increase in coronavirus cases falling to single-digit levels, Jeffrey Lam, a member of Hong Kong’s legislative council said he hopes the government will soon start to lift measures restricting movements in the city. As reported by CNBC, the coronavirus pandemic has hit Hong Kong at a time when its economy was already struggling under the pressure of anti-government protests and the U.S.-China trade war. The economy entered a recession and shrank by 1.2% in 2019. “I hope all these restrictions will (be) put to an end,” he told CNBC’s Emily Tan.
Lam, who’s also a member of the city’s executive council that advises Hong Kong’s leader on policy making, said the government’s stimulus measures could go some ways to save jobs and keep businesses afloat during the pandemic. “The business community (is) concerned about how they can survive, how they’re going to pay the bills during such times, so it is important for the government to help companies to ride over the storm,” he said.