SCMP: Many Business Makers Are Staying Put While the US Consulate Put Up the Option for Employees to Leave Hong Kong

As of Wednesday evening, Hong Kong had 50 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus, and so far, the virus has killed one patient. The Covid-19 posed severe challenges to the business sector.

On the one hand, the State Department official announced that the US consulate decided to provide an option for non-essential staff to leave Hong Kong, even other consulates appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach before following suit. For those who wished to be relocated back to the US, they would have their flights paid for and would work from the country.

While on the other hand, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) was not making any recommendations on evacuation. Tara Joseph, President of AmCham, believes that many business makers were staying put amidst the Covid-19 outbreak. Some companies had to modify their work arrangements or change plans due to travel restrictions but had continued to operate remotely. But in general, the expatriate community is not panicking.

She warned that the unexpected and disruptive outbreak added to the business sector's challenges arising from anti-government protests and that the latest business disruption could "outlast the virus and present a different set of challenges".

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