Hong Kong will reduce the period of time arrivals must spend in hotel quarantine to three days, plus four days of health monitoring, the latest move to ease travel restrictions that have largely isolated the Asian financial hub throughout the pandemic. During the health monitoring period, people can leave their homes but are forbidden from entering high-risk premises like restaurants and bars. The new rules will come into effect on Friday, August 12th.
“We need to balance between people’s livelihood and the competitiveness of Hong Kong to give the community maximum momentum and economic vitality,” Chief Executive John Lee said on Monday, August 8th. People in quarantine will be issued a red code on a government-mandated app. This will change to a yellow code once they leave quarantine, signifying they may not enter crowded premises.
The easier-to-endure quarantine period follows the removal of flight suspensions on July 7th that imposed snap bans on certain routes if they inadvertently brought in passengers infected with COVID-19, making it difficult for travelers to plan their trips.
Tagnews update
