Hong Kong is cutting its Covid-19 quarantine rules for international arrivals from seven to three days starting this Friday.
Under the current rules, travellers must spend a week in quarantine at a designated hotel of their choice, while the new policy will require them to remain in a hotel for three days before undergoing four extra days of “home medical surveillance” that will allow them to be in areas where vaccine pass checks are not mandatory, South China Morning Post reported.
All persons arriving in Hong Kong from places other than mainland China and Macao must provide recognised vaccination records.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said that the Hong Kong government recommendations were based on scientific data, which showed travellers’ level of risk after three days being “no more than the [Hong Kong’s current] risk level of transmission in society”.
He added, “Based on this analysis, we consider that the risk is under control, and balance it against the needs for other activities to take place.”
Despite the neighbouring SAR’s quarantine relaxation, people in Macao have already been able to enter Hong Kong without quarantine via the Come2hk Scheme, which facilitates non-Hong Kong residents, who have not stayed in places other than Hong Kong, Guangdong Province or Macao and in any areas being designated as high-risk.
Those in Macao planning to visit Hong Kong can apply for a quota to enter the city via the Come2hk Scheme’s online booking system.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 quarantine period for travellers entering Macao from Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign countries – or who have a history of travelling to those places within the past 10 days – was cut from 10 to 7 days starting on 6 August, while the number of self-monitoring days was cut from seven to three days.
The same policy was also imposed on travellers from high-risk areas of mainland China starting from the same day. Prior to this, travellers from mainland China’s high-risk areas had to undergo a quarantine period between seven to 14 days.
