As the neighboring region Hong Kong reaches 14 consecutive days without new Covid-19 cases in the community, questions arise about how the government will ease the restrictions previously imposed, as it has said many times that the relaxation of restrictions is tied to this goal.
For those hoping for a swift, complete reopening of the borders under the same conditions enforced upon the mainland, the news from the local health authorities seems to be that it may not be the case.
Questioned on the topic during the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center press briefing last week, the coordinator of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Leong Iek Hou, said, “It is not possible to change [the current] measures all at once. Maybe we can alleviate the restrictions for vaccinated people in both regions; [for instance] by shortening the quarantine period. But this [possibility] will be depending on further negotiations between the authorities of both sides.”
Reaffirming the information shared previously by both health authorities and the Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, Leong added, “Once Hong Kong manages to achieve [the goal] of 14 consecutive days without local cases, we can negotiate whether there is a possibility to adjust border restrictions measures.” He remarked that the 14-days without cases is the precondition for the negotiations to kick-off.
On the same topic, several media outlets in Hong Kong have also reported that its government is preparing to ease the quarantine measures of visitors that have been fully vaccinated as long as they present a valid negative test for Covid-19.
In the same reports, the quarantine period for people arriving in Hong Kong under such conditions was said to be seven-days or less.
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