Hong Kong daily covid cases nearly double; NY to lift mask-or-vaccine mandate

The quick fall in omicron cases is leading to the removal of covid measures in much of North America but the opposite is taking place in greater China.

Hong Kong today announced 1161 new confirmed covid cases, nearly double yesterday’s number (which was also a record). The government is struggling with how to deal with an outbreak that’s now clearly out of control. There is growing public and business pressure to lower restrictions while the government is raising them and being pressured towards the covid-zero policies of the mainland.

Caught in the middle are transportation workers. Truck drivers living in the mainland are increasingly frustrated with testing requirements and the inability to reunite with family in Shenzhen. About 30 per cent of the truckers have also been sent to compulsory
quarantine after they were classified as close contacts of truck drivers
who tested positive. A report says around 15% of truck drivers planned to quit.

In mainland China, there were 111 new covid cases today with 72 in the city of Baise, which is now locked down.

In the US, New York announced that it was ending its mandated mask-or-vaccine mandate for businesses.