Hong Kong’s dogged pursuit of zero-COVID has put its economy in serious trouble. A poll shows over 40 percent of business people surveyed said they are inclined to leave the territory. A growing number of European countries and Israel have started to remove COVID-19-related restrictions, including vaccine passports and safety mask mandates. Yet, Hong Kong still clings to its “zero-COVID strategy” with the aim of opening up quarantine-free travel to mainland China. In late January, Hong Kong entered its fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks. On Jan. 27, Hong Kong set a one day record of 188 COVID-19 infections, followed by an average of over 80 daily cases for seven consecutive days. The new wave of infections forced officials to confront the efficacy of their stringent control measures. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on the evening of Jan. 27, shortened the city’s notoriously strict 21-day quarantine for travelers to 14 …