Hong Kong cuts hotel quarantine for travellers
From Friday 12 August, the authorities in Hong Kong are to reduce the amount of time travellers must spend in isolation on arrival from seven days to three
Chief Executive John Lee confirmed to reporters at a press conference: “The seven-day quarantine hotel arrangement will be changed to three days in a quarantine hotel, plus four days of home medical surveillance.” Following completion of the three-day stay in the quarantine hotel, travellers are then required to stay either at home or in an ordinary hotel for a further four days of surveillance. During this time, they can leave, but they are restricted in where they can go, as they aren’t allowed to enter places where they are required to present a vaccine pass. This includes bars, pubs, gyms, nursing homes, schools and certain medical facilities. Lee added: “They cannot participate in any activities where masks are to be taken off.” If they receive a negative result on a rapid antigen test, they are allowed to take public transport, attend their place of work and go shopping. He continued: ““We have to strike a balance between risk level as well as our economic activity. Where risks could be controlled, we want to preserve maximum movement of people and to maintain Hong Kong’s competitiveness.”
At the same press conference, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said that based on trends of imported cases, 80 per cent of infections are picked up within three days – part of the reason for cutting the amount of time travellers must remain in a quarantine facility. Chung-mau added: “An additional four nights in a quarantine hotel – that means seven nights in a quarantine hotel – is not cost effective and it will also affect Hong Kong’s connection with the world.”