Hong Kong is slightly relaxing entry requirements from this coming Friday (August 12) by moving to 3 days of hotel quarantine followed by 4 days of surveillance.
Hong Kong has required variable lengths of quarantine from up to 21 days since March 2020 while trying to please the mainland and in a quest to have quarantine-free travel to/from China.
You can access the Hong Kong government’s page for incoming travel here.
Starting this Friday, those entering Hong Kong must quarantine at designated hotels for three days. The surveillance period is then four days and can be observed at home or hotel.
You are not free to roam everywhere during the four-day surveillance period, but you are allowed to enter malls, work places and use public transportation.
Those entering Hong Kong are required to download the covid-app that is used to enter various establishments. The color is YELLOW on day 3 and will change to BLUE on day 7 if all the tests are negative.
Yellow code doesn’t allow you to enter restaurants and bards.
Many Tests:
Arrivals to Hong Kong must take a PCR-RT test before and at the airport, followed by additional tests on days 1, 2, 4, 6, and 9 + rapid antigen tests daily until day 10.
Conclusion
Hong Kong has lost ground as a base for international companies to have their regional headquarters in Asia due to strict anti-covid safety measures that have made international travel nearly impossible.
It would have been the right time to reopen the city for international arrivals without a quarantine excess testing.
Quarantine and dozens+ tests may catch a few covid-cases but considering all the community spread in Hong Kong; these are only a drop in the ocean.
