China: Authorities in Hong Kong extend COVID-19 restrictions through at least April 20 /update 93

Event

Hong Kong authorities are extending social distancing measures through at least April 20 due to ongoing COVID-19 activity.

The government has distributed rapid antigen tests to most of the population and requests that residents self-test three times April 8-10. Officials also ask residents to report positive test results. The requirement is not mandatory. However, officials will permit people that test positive for COVID-19 to self-quarantine at home, provided they have suitable premises and do not live with high-risk individuals.

Domestic Measures
Residents must wear facemasks in all public areas, including public transport. 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 exempt groups, such as people 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 need 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 capacity; officials permit events at full capacity if at least two-thirds of attendees have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Officials encourage workplaces to implement telecommuting arrangements, if possible.

Officials continue to conduct mandatory testing for high-risk groups, including people who work or live at locations with reported outbreaks, employees in specific occupations, and individuals potentially exposed to COVID-19. People who do not take required tests are subject to a fine of HKD 25,000 and prison sentences of up to six months. 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. Individuals that do not comply with isolation or quarantine orders can face a penalty of up to HKD 10,000 and six months in prison.

The government plans to ease ongoing 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 delayed plans for territorywide COVID-19 testing until further notice.

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. People 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 other locations. Permitted entrants must carry proof of vaccination and pre-departure testing. Arrivals must quarantine for 14 days, take six tests, follow self-monitoring protocols for an additional week, and undergo COVID-19 testing on specified days. Travelers can opt for a seven-day-quarantine but must undergo daily rapid antigen tests (RATs); officials require people to return a negative PCR test result on day five and RAT results on days 6 and 7 to exit quarantine early. Travelers must show proof of a reservation at a designated quarantine hotel for at least seven nights from the day of arrival. A detailed list of location risk levels and quarantine and testing requirements is available here.

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 arrivals 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 vessels 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. Cruise ships remain banned.

The government continues to suspend specific airline routes for seven days if three people test positive for COVID-19 on arrival. Authorities will also halt an airline's route for a week if one person tests positive upon arrival and the airline did not enforce a pre-departure test check for one other passenger. Disruptions on affected routes can occur without notice.

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. 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