Coronavirus: Hong Kong residents will be allowed to dine out in larger groups, access travel privileges under ‘vaccination bubble’ incentives aimed at boosting jabs rate
- Quarantine requirement to be dropped for mainland visitors to Hong Kong from mid-May, subject to screening conditions; city confirms 13 new cases
- Officials also unveil plans for bars reopening, care home visits and shorter quarantine, with Singapore ‘travel bubble’ details imminent
Key points:
– Social-distancing measures at restaurants will be relaxed in phased, conditional approach, extending dine-in services as late 2am and allowing maximum of 12 to a table
– “Return2HK” scheme will be expanded to cover the rest of mainland China in late April, exemptions also offered from mid-May to non-Hong Kong residents crossing the border into the city
– Bars and pubs can reopen at limited capacity when all staff and customers have received first vaccine dose, further easing if both shots taken
– Fully inoculated people can visit care homes after passing rapid virus test
– Authorities looking to cut quarantine stays for fully vaccinated arrivals from lower-risk countries, possibly to under seven days for some
– Flight ban for Britain will be removed in May, but arrivals to Hong Kong still required to quarantine for 21 days