Coronavirus: Hongkongers stranded overseas still face several hurdles to return, including flights, hotel rooms, and confusion over entry documents
- Families ‘elated’ at news of agreement to recognise documents from India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, and South Korea
- But joy turns to confusion and uncertainty over issues anyone wanting to return will have to overcome
A fight for flights and quarantine hotel rooms, and confusion over new entry documents, are among the issues still facing stranded Hongkongers in coronavirus hotspots, a day after the government announced it would recognise vaccination records from five countries.
For months, countries in the city’s top category of Covid-19 risks, including India and Pakistan, were subject to a flight ban that prevented most residents from returning.
Hong Kong overhauled its entry rules last month, effectively removing the ban for vaccinated residents, but it meant little to many, as authorities refused to recognise inoculated records issued by the countries in which they were stranded.
In Asia, only those issued by Japan were recognised, as the country is on the World Health Organization’s list of “stringent regulatory authorities”, a requirement insisted on by Hong Kong officials.
Then two weeks ago, city officials announced they had reached a deal with the Philippines and Indonesia, and would recognise their inoculation records to allow domestic helpers to travel.