Expat families leave Hong Kong after coronavirus outbreak, political unrest

With China reeling from the coronavirus outbreak, many families of the ex-pat community in Hong Kong have left the former British colony. According to reports, the viral outbreak has forced a lot of companies to ask their employees to work from home. With ex-pats leaving the financial hub, Hong Kong's economy could be subject to further damage due to a downfall in the number of tourists and rising unemployment.

Foreign nationals account up to 9.5 per cent of the population

According to reports, the 2016 census stated that about 690,000 foreign nationals and non-Hong Kong Chinese reside in the Special Administrative Region, accounting up to 9.5 per cent of the population. The population of the foreign nationals comprised of people belonging from the Philippines and Indonesia. According to reports, the population also comprised of about 35,000 British and 14,800 American Nationals.  

According to reports, Hong Kong's population fell by 0.1% at the end of 2019, the first decline witnessed in a span of 20 years. Although, there was an outflow of residents of Hong Kong that did not include one-way permit holders from China i.e. 29,200 in the year 2019. The inflow of people in the one year period ending in mid-2019 was 23,000.

In an example showcasing ex-pats leaving Hong Kong, a man from New Zealand, Ian Jacob was planning to leave the financial hub. According to reports, Jacob was the owner of a construction-materials company and was concerned about his child's future after the political unrest that plagued Hong Kong in 2019 shut down schools. Jacob was again concerned about the schools shutting down amid the coronavirus outbreak and that forced the family to relocate to New Zealand.

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The death toll of coronavirus related cases increases

The death toll from the coronavirus epidemic in China crossed the 2,000-mark on February 19 with the death of 136 more people. The current number of confirmed cases stands at 74,185.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, a study published by the Chinese health authorities suggests that those who are 80 years old or above have higher chances to succumb to the virus. The study published in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology reveals that the people within the age-groups of 80 and above have the highest fatality rates as compared to all age groups. Furthermore, according to the study, the death rate from the disease for males was 2.8 per cent and that for females was about 1.7 per cent.

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