Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Hong Kong's tough Covid laws threatened by virus surge

Hong Kong's tough Covid laws threatened by virus surge

Hong Kong has recorded more than 1,000 Covid infections for the first time since the pandemic began in a worrying milestone for officials who are aggressively pushing for zero-Covid.
The city has some of the toughest virus restrictions in the world.

Those who test positive for Covid are sent straight to hospital and there are strict curbs on dining out and social gatherings.

There are fears that the rising cases will overwhelm the health system.

The city's isolation wards are already at 90% of their capacity, with cases expected to rise exponentially over the next few days.

Local papers report that as of Wednesday evening, there were still 200 confirmed patients waiting to be transport to a hospital, with reports of people who tested positive rushing to accident and emergency units.

Health authorities say patients may have to wait up to a few days to be admitted.

Hong Kong news outlet the South China Morning Post reported that officials were considering using hotels to house asymptomatic patients to avoid straining the public healthcare system.

The latest surge in infections is believed to be due to extended family gatherings over the lunar new year.The city is also expected to tighten Covid restrictions as it shows no signs on letting up on its strategy to follow China's policy of eliminating the virus rather than living with it.

Most recently, city officials controversially ordered the mass culling of hamsters from a pet shop over fears of animal-to-human Covid transmission.

Additionally, not more than two people can gather in public, restaurants are shut for dine-in with only takeaways allowed, and facilities like libraries, museums and gyms have been shut.

This has caused massive strain on business owners, with some experts saying prolonged restrictions of this nature could threaten the city's status as an Asian financial hub and drive smaller local businesses to ruin.

However, officials are doubling down.

The BBC's Jeff Li in Hong Kong reports that one pro-Beijing Hong Kong lawmaker has said anyone advocating to live with Covid should be charged under the controversial national security law which has been used to persecute dozens of pro-democracy activists.

The lawmaker argued such a policy was akin to starting "biological warfare".

Our correspondent adds that the city's government was quick to assert that "general discussion" over the effectiveness of the zero covid policy was not illegal.

However, he says that the goal of Hong Kong's "zero Covid" pursuit - to allow residents quarantine-free travel to the Chinese mainland - seems further away than ever.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×