According to an article in Al Jazeera, Hong Kong has seen a net outflow of almost 157,000 residents since the beginning of 2022 as people tire of some of the world's harshest pandemic restrictions.

The Chinese territory’s “dynamic zero COVID” strategy, implemented to align with mainland China, has battered the city’s cosmopolitan image as “Asia’s World City” and set in motion an exodus of foreign businesses and talent. When Hong Kong was hit by its fifth and deadliest wave at the start of the year, driven by the Omicron coronavirus variant, authorities implemented a tightly-enforced two-person gathering limit, dining curfews, bar and gym closures, and a return to remote learning at schools. The measures came on top of strict travel restrictions in place to various degrees since March 2020, including flight bans for “at risk” countries and up to 21 days of mandatory hotel quarantine for incoming arrivals.

Francis Lee recently returned to the UK after a two-year stint at a top investment bank in Hong Kong. “If the COVID policy wasn’t so harsh we would still be there, it’s the only reason I started looking for another job back in London,” Lee told Al Jazeera. “With all the unknowns about mass testing and quarantine facilities in Hong Kong, it’s anxiety-inducing. Without a roadmap, without any kind of timeline, you just don’t know how long it’s going to go on for.”

Hong Kong has seen a net outflow of almost 157,000 residents since the beginning of the year, according to immigration data. In a survey released by the European Chamber of Commerce in March, almost half of the European companies that responded said they were considering leaving. That same month, the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce warned the city was facing an exodus of educated workers on a scale not seen since the run-up to the city’s transfer from British to Chinese sovereignty.

In the face of growing restlessness from the business community, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam last month announced a relaxation of some measures from 1 April, including lifting a ban on flights from nine countries and reducing quarantine for arrivals from abroad to seven days. Still, the city’s pandemic policies remain out of step with the global trend towards reopening and far stricter than peers such as New York, London and Singapore.

Gary Ng, a senior economist at Natixis in Hong Kong, said the city could lose out to regional rivals and expressed concern that the changes may be permanent if the government does not further loosen restrictions. “One can argue the current trend is temporary, and it is certain that some talent may flow back to Hong Kong,” Ng told Al Jazeera. “However, free flows of capital and people are the core advantages of Hong Kong, which is the foundation of the current business ecosystems. The relatively slower opening pace may have given a chance for competitors to catch up.”