Hong Kong's Lam not reopening city to foreigners in the foreseeable future

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the ban on flights from nine countries including the US and the United Kingdom will remain, and will only be lifted after the government controls the coronavirus outbreak. Lifting the ban will only result in people rushing to come back, which, Lam said, could add a lot of pressure to the city's public hospital system. Hong Kong, like mainland China, has adopted a “dynamic zero” strategy that seeks to completely curb infections with strict mitigation measures. The approach has been severely tested by the fast-spreading Omicron variant. The Chinese territory has had its borders effectively sealed since 2020 with few flights able to land and passengers banned from transiting.