Hong Kong let JPMorgan CEO skip quarantine because it’s a ‘huge bank’

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon was allowed to skip Hong Kong’s strict 21-day quarantine when he visited for a brief business trip — because he works for a “very huge bank” with “key business” in the city.

“The justification is related to economy, as this is a very huge bank with key business in Hong Kong,” Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam said in a news briefing on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg.

“He needs to come to Hong Kong for work for about a day.”

However, Dimon’s itinerary was restricted, Lam insisted, adding that the risk “is totally manageable.”

JPMorgan’s Asia Pacific headquarters is in Hong Kong.

Lam said the city’s government granted Dimon an exemption from the quarantine rules, as it’s done in recent months for various celebrities and wealthy executives to the ire of critics, who say the exemptions underscore the elitist bias in the city’s government.

“Jamie went to Hong Kong to thank our 4,000+ people in the region and to see regulators. He followed all rules and protocols related to the exemption for the short trip,” a spokesman for the bank said.

The city of 7.4 million has allowed executives and senior bankers that work for Hong Kong-registered businesses to apply for exemptions from quarantine since at least May.

“Senior executives of licensed corporations or their overseas affiliates who are fully vaccinated and meet the eligibility criteria may apply for exemption from the compulsory quarantine arrangements when they return or travel to Hong Kong,” the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) said in the spring.

In August, Hong Kong granted an exemption to actor Nicole Kidman who was in the city to film a TV series, spurring outrage from residents and travelers who have had to pay out of pocket for the expenses of the lengthy mandated quarantine.

Some executives, including HSBC chairman Mark Tucker, have insisted on during the entire quarantine as would be imposed on any traveler.

Hong Kong is pursuing a so-called “COVID Zero” strategy, similar to New Zealand, where authorities want to totally eliminate the presence of the virus.

As such, Hong Kong has some of the strictest requirements in place, including the required quarantine — regardless of vaccination status.