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Hong Kong’s iconic Peak Tram. The city has dropped Covid-19 hotel quarantine after 2½ years. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 6:30pm, 26 Sep 2022Updated: 9:22am, 29 Sep 2022

The end of Hong Kong’s mandatory hotel quarantine for travellers has brought some cheer and relief to Singaporeans in the city, with many eyeing visits back, but reactions in their home country are more muted.

For Harie Herman, a Singaporean who has lived in Hong Kong for more than four years, the refreshed rules meant he could more freely visit his family in the city state. He had only been back home once since 2019, given the high fees and inconvenience tied to Hong Kong’s quarantine hotels.

“Travelling back more often would definitely be an option but travels everywhere else would also be on my to-do list,” the 36-year-old said. “[The new measures] have given Hong Kong residents a lot of excitement of finally being able to travel.”

Before the pandemic and Hong Kong’s 2019 political turmoil, there were an estimated 15,000 Singaporeans living in the city – making it home to one of the republic’s largest overseas communities.

Long seen as Hong Kong’s main rival city when it comes to being Asia’s pre-eminent air transport and finance hub, Singapore has embraced a “living with Covid” policy, with most pandemic curbs lifted in April.

For now, Singapore civil servant Lee Hui En said she found Hong Kong’s guidelines “confusing”. The 26-year-old would rather wait for restrictions to ease further before visiting the city, especially when there were other alternatives in the region for a holiday.

“I will definitely be enticed to visit Hong Kong if it removes more measures as it will be more convenient for us to travel around with ease,” she said. “I’m not in a hurry to go, anyway.”