Hong Kong's government is facing growing pressure from business lobby groups to open borders or risk losing executives and investment as it shows no sign of easing one of the world's strictest quarantine programs, Reuters reports.

Hong Kong's decision in August to increase mandatory hotel quarantine to three weeks for arrivals from most countries has prompted a backlash from banks, hedge funds and traders who say it is hampering new investment into the asset management market and risks setting off a brain drain.

“The more you relax on overseas arrivals, the lesser you will have a chance to go into the mainland ... we will try to make our measures more humanistic whenever possible, but to relax altogether the restrictions on arrivals is not a wise move,” city leader Carrie Lam told a weekly press briefing today.