Coronavirus Hong Kong: airport to conduct rapid testing for overseas arrivals from May 9 to speed up entry procedures

All overseas travellers flying into Hong Kong’s airport will be required to undergo rapid testing in addition to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening from Monday, in a move authorities have said would enable the early identification of Covid-19 cases.

The announcement on Friday came as long queues formed outside post offices for a second straight day as people who had received Covid-19 jabs outside the city sought to obtain a temporary vaccine pass, sparking calls for the government to quickly roll out an online declaration system instead.

Health authorities reported 324 new infections, of which 29 were imported, and 11 additional deaths related to the virus. The city’s coronavirus tally stood at 1,206,041 infections and 9,344 related fatalities.

Despite the recent easing of travel restrictions to allow international visitors to fly into the city for the first time in two years, the European Chamber of Commerce complained in a letter to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Wednesday that the entry regime remained a “nightmare”.

“Almost daily, our members and other residents have been reporting that they are unable to find their way back to Hong Kong or see their business travel being cancelled,” it said.

The chamber urged authorities to switch out the use of PCR tests at the airport in favour of rapid antigen tests (RAT). The group also called for the removal of the flight suspension mechanism, which is triggered if a plane carries five infected passengers, or 5 per cent of its occupants, whichever is greater.