Explainer | Amid Omicron outbreak, Hong Kong’s latest coronavirus rules for travel and social distancing
- Hong Kong has brought back some of the world’s strictest border controls and local social-distancing regulations in bid to contain outbreak of Omicron variant
- While the rules have largely enabled life to return to more or less to normal, they change constantly and can be hard to keep track of
Hong Kong has brought back some of the world’s most stringent measures to tackle an emerging fifth wave of the coronavirus.
A growing cluster at a Festival Walk restaurant, involving an aircrew member infected with the highly transmissible Omicron variant, has prompted the government to impose two-week restrictions on flights and dine-in services in a bid to contain the outbreak.
Still, keeping track of the ever-changing rules can be a challenge. Read on to find out about the latest travel and social-distancing regulations applied to both private venues and public facilities.
Can I come to Hong Kong?
That depends on where you are coming from. Starting January 8, flights are banned from eight countries, including Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Britain and the United States.
Vaccinated Hong Kong residents overseas – except for those in the countries above – are allowed to return to the city, even if they are coming from a high-risk country, and unvaccinated ones can return if they are coming from lower-risk places. Arrivals must undergo between seven and 21 days of quarantine in a designated facility, depending on their vaccination status and where they are coming from. They are also required to take multiple Covid-19 tests, both upon arrival and throughout quarantine.