Explainer | Hong Kong has dropped Covid hotel quarantine after 2½ years: here is all you need to know about how it got to this point
- The Post looks at details of new arrangement and how long it took to reach this point
- But tourism industry leader says new ‘0+3’ scheme likely to boost outbound travel, but not inbound
After more than two years of stringent Covid-19 border control, Hong Kong has finally dropped all hotel quarantine measures for overseas arrivals starting next Monday. However, travellers are still required to self-monitor for three days.
The long-awaited announcement from Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Friday signalled an end to one of the world’s toughest quarantine systems amid the pandemic. The Post breaks down the latest policy change.
1. What are the latest arrangements?
Under the coming “0+3” plan, travellers will undergo three days of home medical surveillance, during which they are allowed to go out but are prohibited from visiting high-risk premises such as bars and restaurants.
Inbound travellers would no longer be required to obtain a negative result on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 48 hours before boarding. Instead, they will be allowed to take a self-administered rapid antigen test (RAT) within 24 hours of departure.
2. How long did it take to get to this point?
It took Hong Kong 2½ years to finally lift the mandatory hotel quarantine for overseas arrivals.