China: Authorities in Hong Kong plan to ease quarantine measures and lift flight ban on nine countries from April 1 /update 92

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Officials in Hong Kong plan to ease some international travel curbs from April 1. Authorities will lift an ongoing flight ban on Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the US, and the UK. Officials will also reduce the current 14-day hotel quarantine requirement for permitted travelers to seven days, provided the individual receives a negative PCR test on day five and antigen tests on days six and seven after arrival.

Additionally, the government plans to ease ongoing social distancing measures in three phases over three months from April 21 if there is no resurgence in COVID-19 cases. Officials will first relax gathering and dine-in limits from two to four people and reopen gyms, game centers, beauty salons, religious venues, and sports facilities. Food establishments may offer dine-in services until 22:00. Schools will gradually resume in-person classes from April 19. Authorities have also put on hold plans for Hong Kong residents to undergo three mandatory COVID-19 nucleic acid tests in March as part of the compulsory universal testing scheme (CUT).

Domestic Measures
Tighter social distancing measures are in place through April 20. Public gatherings are limited to two people, and all individuals must use the Leave Home Safe mobile contact tracing application to access most dining, entertainment, and fitness facilities. Alternative forms are available for exempted groups, such as those above 65 years old, 15 years old or below with no accompanying adult, and the disabled. Authorities are implementing a vaccine pass system requiring persons visiting high-risk venues to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Individuals also require a vaccine pass to enter religious venues, supermarkets, shopping centers, street markets, and department stores. Venues like nightclubs, pubs, hair salons, fitness centers, schools, and museums are closed, while restaurants must end dine-in services from 18:00. Private events can occur at 50 percent of the venue's capacity; officials permit events at full capacity if at least two-thirds of attendees have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Cruise ship operations remain suspended. Officials encourage workplaces to implement telecommuting arrangements, if possible. Residents must wear facemasks in all public areas, including on public transport.

Authorities continue to conduct mandatory testing for high-risk groups, including people who work or live at locations with reported outbreaks and employees in specific occupations. Officials also require residents that may have been exposed to COVID-19 to get tested. People who do not take required tests are subject to a fine of HKD 2,000; officials could impose a penalty of up to HKD 25,000 or prison sentences of up to six months for individuals who repeatedly fail to get tested. The government continues to order focused, short-duration lockdown orders in neighborhoods where officials suspect COVID-19 is spreading. Authorities usually select specific buildings within an area and require residents to remain at home until testing is complete. Shutdowns can occur without notice but typically take place overnight.

International Travel Restrictions
Authorities permit entry for travelers from Macau, Taiwan, and mainland China, provided they have not visited other locations in the past 14 days. Fully vaccinated arrivals from mainland China and Macau must quarantine for seven days at a hotel or home accommodation and take two COVID-19 tests on days 3 and 5, followed by a week of self-monitoring and additional COVID-19 testing on specified days. Unvaccinated arrivals must quarantine at a designated venue for 14 days and take three COVID-19 tests, followed by self-monitoring for seven days. Persons arriving from Taiwan must quarantine at a designated hotel for 14 days regardless of vaccination status. Arrivals must undergo six tests during quarantine and additional mandatory tests on days 16 and 19 after entry. A limited number of Hong Kong residents who have only visited low-risk areas in mainland China and Macau can forgo quarantine by making a reservation online and entering via Shenzhen Bay checkpoint, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoint, or Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). Officials have also expanded the program to nonresidents who have been in Guangdong Province or Macau for the previous 14 days. Participants in the scheme must take a COVID-19 test within three days before entry and undergo another six COVID-19 tests on specified days after arriving in Hong Kong. All other border checkpoints remain closed. Vaccinated senior executives of selected publicly listed or registered financial services companies can enter if they meet specific criteria. Such travelers must undergo COVID-19 testing and adhere to approved itineraries.

Only fully vaccinated Hong Kong residents may enter from all places outside of Macau, Taiwan, and mainland China. Passengers that have visited Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the US, and the UK for more than two hours within the last 14 days cannot board passenger flights to Hong Kong; however, authorities plan to lift the travel ban April 1. Permitted entrants must carry proof of vaccination and pre-departure testing. Arrivals must also quarantine for 14 days and take six tests, follow self-monitoring protocols for a week after quarantine ends, and undergo additional COVID-19 testing on specified days. Travelers must show proof of a reservation at a designated quarantine hotel for at least 14 nights from the day of arrival. A detailed list of location risk levels and quarantine and testing requirements is available by clicking here. Authorities plan to reduce the quarantine period for all travelers to seven days beginning April 1 with updated testing requirements.

All arriving passengers must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from a sample taken 48 hours or less before arrival; authorities calculate the sample time and date from the time zone of the inbound flight for connecting passengers. Passengers from mainland China and Macau must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within three days before arrival. Travelers from mainland China must have testing conducted at laboratories mutually agreed upon by Guangdong Province and Hong Kong officials or approved by China's National Health Commission. All other persons arriving at HKG must also provide documentation that the testing organization is ISO 15189 accredited or recognized by the government where the test occurred and a reservation at a designated quarantine hotel before boarding flights. Test results and other documentation must be in either Chinese or English. Arrivals must undergo on-arrival COVID-19 testing and remain in designated locations at HKG until receiving a negative result before continuing onto hotel quarantine.

Quarantine exemptions are available for limited groups such as officials on government duty, drivers of goods vehicles and coaches, and on-duty crew members of aircraft, goods vessels, and vessels that require shipping services. All exempted entrants will be subject to strengthened monitoring measures during self-isolation; most government officials will have to quarantine at designated facilities instead of their residences.

Aircrews must self-isolate at designated quarantine hotels for seven days, undergo a COVID-19 PCR test on day 7, and may be required to undergo additional routine testing after leaving quarantine. Airlines and shipping companies must arrange point-to-point transport for employees to limit interaction with the public. Under these requirements, ships without cargo cannot exchange crews. Workers cannot enter the territory on other ships and must travel directly to the airport after disembarking. Inbound ship and flight crew members must obtain a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours before departure for Hong Kong.

Advice

Follow all official instructions. Abide by local health and safety measures. Reconfirm all travel arrangements. Consider delaying traveling if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny and delays. Liaise with trusted contacts for further updates and guidance. Maintain contact with your diplomatic representation. Ensure contingency plans account for further disruptive measures or extensions of current restrictions. Reconsider and reconfirm nonemergency health appointments.

Resources

Hong Kong Government
Leave Home Safe