Hong Kong residents returning from Macau, Guangdong will be able to skip quarantine starting later this month
- The scheme, which launches on November 23, will allow Hongkongers to more easily return to the city by presenting a negative Covid-19 test
- Returnees will initially be capped at 5,000 a day to ‘play it safe’, official says
Up to 5,000 Hong Kong residents will be allowed to return to the city from Macau and Guangdong province daily starting on November 23 without having to undergo the two-week quarantine.
Hongkongers who will benefit from the new arrangements supported the move, but said they would not return to the city any time soon because the mainland Chinese government still required them to be quarantined for 14 days if they crossed the border back.
They hoped the mainland government would consider exempting them from a 14-day quarantine so they could travel freely between Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau.
Tommy Yuen, special duties director for constitutional and mainland affairs, said in a briefing on Wednesday that the scheme would be launched to make it easier for Hongkongers to come back.
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Hong Kong to launch Covid-19 tracking app and lift quarantine for returnees from Guangdong, Macau
“If they meet certain conditions, they will not need to be quarantined for 14 days. To ensure that they will return to Hong Kong in an orderly manner, that the border points will not be crowded, and that we’re not increasing the public health risk, we think that there is a need to impose a quota,” he said.