Hong Kong to cut mandatory quarantine period for visitors

The quarantine period may be shortened to as low as seven days.

The government plans to shorten the compulsory quarantine requirement to between seven and 14 days for people visiting Hong Kong from low- to medium-risk countries and waive for Mainlanders.

Hong Kong last week cut the required quarantine period for individuals arriving from low-risk countries to 14 days, instead of 21. This may be further eased to 7 days, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said.

“In due course, when we announce this further relaxation based on vaccination, then these three low-risk countries will move on to a seven-day instead of a 14-day (quarantine),” she said.

“But I cannot tell you an exact date (of implementation). We have to work out some of the details.”

The low-risk countries Lam referred to were Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.

Travelers from medium-risk countries are presently still mandated to undergo 21 days of quarantine, but this could be reduced to only 14 days.

For visitors coming from Mainland China, meanwhile, the Hong Kong government is planning to launch a scheme that will require them to be quarantined when they go to Hong Kong.

“But they have to get a quota from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s scheme and they have to have a negative COVID-19 test (result), then they can come.”

She noted she expects to later announce details about the Hong Kong-Singapore Air Travel Bubble, which was delayed by the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreak that hit Hong Kong in November last year.