Travellers who had been expecting to spend a week in quarantine suddenly had that period increased to three weeks. At the same time, the quarantine period for fully vaccinated people returning from medium- and low-risk countries was increased from seven to 14 days.

The changes have left travellers around the world, including those who had planned to “wash out” – spend time in places classed as lower-risk than their initial departure point, to reduce their time in Hong Kong quarantine – despairing and struggling to find solutions.

Hotel bookings were redundant, flights had to be cancelled and everything from weddings to funerals, new jobs to new school terms, were going to be missed or had to be postponed.

Frustrated returnees were quick to vent on social media, notably on Facebook pages such as Hong Kong Quarantine Support Group, where one poster who was stuck after having chosen to wash out in Dubai wrote, “You can’t make this s**t up, really. I’m sure many of you are like me, totally exhausted physically, emotionally and financially!”

Another poster to that group, who said he had missed flying into Hong Kong from Dubai under the previous set of arrangements by just 18 hours and couldn’t find a hotel in which to spend his suddenly extended quarantine, wrote of “a long and pretty awful day” trying to make alternative arrangements.

These Hongkongers had to scramble for alternative solutions.

Karen Chan, artist-designer, trying to return from New York:

“I only made the decision to travel [from Hong Kong] when the restriction was reduced to seven days of quarantine – and when there was a higher global vaccination rate. My travelling plan involved two weddings, in Turkey and New York, and to kick-start the US part of my global neon project The Neon Girl, where I learn neon making from neon artists around the world.

“My original flight [back to Hong Kong] was August 30, which allowed me to be out of quarantine for a photo shoot for a talk about my neon journey.

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“I tried different departure dates and so far all the hotels are fully booked until the end of September, so I won’t be able to make it for my photo shoot, presentation and artwork installation. I considered the ‘wash out’ method, before realising I would need to spend 21 plus 14 days, which would increase my costs by three times at least.

“Now I’m stranded in the US without knowing what or how to plan next.

“I’m vaccinated and super frustrated with the vaccination programme – on how being vaccinated or not, you still get the same treatment … and how this measure has been imposed hastily, giving such short notice for travellers and hotels to react.”

Desalyn Bowyer, project management professional, trying to return from Sydney:

“I struggled to even get to Australia, but I never imagined this would happen.

“I had tried to get to Sydney to see my kids after 16 months of failed attempts, due to Australia’s restrictions, and finally arrived there in May. I was scheduled to return to Hong Kong on August 20 [the day Australia was moved up to the government’s medium-risk category], so I could get married in October.

“I was confirmed to stay at the Indigo hotel for seven nights. When the Hong Kong government announced the changes I called the Indigo, desperately hoping they would be able to extend my stay. I was informed this was not possible.

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“My wedding plans were in disarray, with extra stress as I leased out my flat in Sydney based on my departure date. I was in a panic and proceeded to call and email the other hotels on the designated list.

“The Sheraton TST had availability for the 14-day stay [from September 12]. We immediately reserved the room [before realising] the impact on the wedding plans as well as my professional duties with my employer. I was desperate to get home earlier.

“I continued to scour Facebook groups for cancellations. It was only after continuously trying I was able to find a vacancy and I reserved the room; however this was much more expensive. Originally I would have paid HK$16,000 (US$2,050) for 14 nights – this was now HK$30,000. I decided to proceed as it would have less impact on my wedding and employer.

“To further complicate the process, the government continued to update the changes. There was also an announcement that the serology test would no longer be an option to reduce quarantine, then finally they updated recognised vaccine records. The government didn’t announce the changes in one go. It has upended thousands of people.

“The desperation is real from many travellers, as when I decided to release my booking for the Sheraton I was inundated with messages from other travellers offering money to secure the hotel stay. I was able to help [one, by transferring the booking].

“The cost was severe – [Hong Kong rent] is not as expensive as my quarantine and there were fees associated with changing my flight twice.”

Holly Graham, trying to return from the UK via Spain:

“I had set off on my wash-out beginning in Spain when I heard the news. Now I feel like time is just dragging, and it’s taking a mental toll. I’m even more scared about my three weeks of solitary confinement – let’s call it what it really is. It’s just wild to me that three weeks’ quarantine – even for fully vaccinated people like me – is ‘a thing’ again.

“What broke my heart the most is when I left London, I told my family I’d probably see them again in December but that’s looking highly unlikely. I don’t know how much longer I can stay in Hong Kong with these rules while my mother has stage 4 cancer, but the thought of leaving my home and upping mine and my husband’s lives is stressful, too.

“I’m trying my best to reframe and tackle the challenges, but the constant shifting is exhausting.

“Ovolo Southside has been wonderful, having to constantly change my bookings and managing to extend me – I appreciate how lucky I’ve been there and my heart goes out to those who couldn’t extend their [quarantine stays].

“I could go to a medium-risk country and restart my washout, but who’s to say rules won’t change again or that country goes high risk.”

Dylan Yen, student, trying to return from New York:

“A tweet by @tripperhead on Twitter, consisting of a single emoji – a flip-flop; that’s when I knew that my day was about to get a lot more complicated. I hadn’t seen my family [in Hong Kong] since early January, when I left for an in-person semester at NYU.

“In anticipation of the government’s announcement that there would be an antibody serology test at the airport, which would reduce my quarantine to a mere seven days from the US, I had pushed my flights back until mid-August.

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“However, like the travel bubble that never was, my saving grace never arrived. Desperately scrolling to see what changes were made, I came across another tweet that confirmed my worst fears: the United States was now at the top of the naughty list – Group A.

“Beside the fact that I was going to go insane in solitary confinement for 21 days, I was due back in New York on September 10 for the first day of classes, so a 21-day quarantine was simply not an option. I called Cathay Pacific to move my flights to the last day before the new rules were due to be enforced.

“The hold time was over two hours – and it turned out that a single ticket on CX845, the last flight from JFK due into Hong Kong before the new rules were implemented – would cost me an additional HK$120,000 in premium economy. I booked it anyway.

“Stupidly, I never thought to actually book a quarantine hotel, as there had always been a room when I checked, especially for a short period of seven days. The only room left was the Entertainment Suite at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental – which, I was quoted, would cost me in excess of HK$1 million for 21 nights. I promptly gave up.

“And of course, just to rub salt in the wound, Nicole Kidman and her entourage fly in on a Gulfstream 350 – and are exempt from all of it.”