Opinion

Returning for Lunar New Year an expensive luxury for Hongkongers stuck overseas

Hongkongers are finding it harder to get home, given the government’s strict travel restrictions and increasingly expensive hotel rooms. For many, Lunar New Year family reunions are now a financial burden

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Inbound travellers arrive at Hong Kong International Airport on November 14, 2021, before being transported to quarantine hotels in the city. Photo: May Tse

John Hanzhang Ye is a PhD student in science and technology history at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and also holds an MPhil degree in sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Published: 9:45am, 28 Jan 2022

As the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spreads across the globe, Hong Kong has joined many other regions and countries in imposing tough restrictions. In addition to containing local transmissions, the Hong Kong government has taken measures since the beginning of the pandemic to control incoming travellers.

At the moment, every major country where Hongkongers prefer to study and live is listed in Group A as high-risk. This means anyone returning to the city from those countries is required to spend 21 days at a designated quarantine hotel.

These measures, aimed at stopping returnees from spreading the virus to the local community, have gradually become a financial obstacle for Hongkongers overseas.

Those seeking to return must contend with the uncertainty over flight schedules and cancellations, plus the difficulty of booking hotel rooms, to reunite with their families. Family gatherings for the Lunar New Year, a tradition long shared throughout the community, is now a luxury for Hongkongers currently overseas.