Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has continued to spread over the past week and the World Health Organization named the virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on Thursday, January 30. As of Friday morning in China, there were 9,776 confirmed cases and 213 deaths. The WHO stressed in their Thursday press briefing that 99% of cases are in Mainland China. 60% of cases and 96% of deaths are in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak where Wuhan is located. Isolated cases are still emerging internationally, with confirmed cases in Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Macau, South Korea, United States, France, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Italy, Vietnam, Cambodia, Finland, India, Nepal, Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

Do you have assignees based in China? If yes, what are you planning to do with assignees disrupted by the Coronavirus? Many of our clients are seeing an increase in calls from concerned assignees asking to discuss their situation, including:

On December 31, 2019, health authorities in China informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of a unique strain of viral pneumonia-like illness emerging in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Many of the infected first identified were vendors or visitors at a wet market that sold fish and wild animal meat, which was subsequently closed on January 1, 2020.

AIRINC is delighted to invite you to participate in a benchmark survey focused on executive relocation practices. The survey primarily focuses on US domestic moves but also touches on international one-way relocations and two-way assignments. Responses are anonymous and participants will receive a copy of the results. We hope you can join us!

Hong Kong has been subject to ongoing street protests since June 2019. The protests have led to varying degrees of disruptions in daily living for residents, a sharp reduction in tourists visiting the city, and most recently, an economic downturn considered to be the worst since 2008.

When I was visiting Cape Town during my recent survey, it was hard to believe that a water crisis had threatened the city so severely in 2017 and 2018 that city residents faced water restrictions as low as fifty liters of water per-person-per-day.

Do you have assignees based in Hong Kong? If yes, is the recent instability having an impact? Many of our clients are seeing an increase in calls from concerned assignees asking to discuss their situation. Potential options such as a transfer to another location, increased flexibility to work from home, security briefings, and more, along with the impact of these options on their assignment policy.

AIRINC recently adjusted its hardship score for Hong Kong, due to the continuing political volatility and unpredictability surrounding the demonstrations, as well as the heightened tensions resulting from the protests. 

Since June, Hong Kong has seen unprecedented protests, larger and more frequent than any in the country’s recent history. We have increased the hardship scoring of Hong Kong in response to the rise in political volatility.

In the last two weeks, Hong Kong has seen some of the largest protests in its history as citizens and residents have taken to the streets to protest a proposed extradition bill. Demonstrations have been centered around Admiralty and the surrounding areas of Central and Wan Chai.