The Hong Kong government has increased the number of tests required for people returning to Hong Kong from mainland China or Macau in the wake of the new outbreak in Guangdong.
As cited in a RTHK report, individuals arriving under the Return2HK Scheme who have been vaccinated, will now be required to take three Covid tests, instead of two.
Those who have not been vaccinated, however, will be required to do five tests instead two. These tests should be done 72 hours before crossing the border and further testing will have to be carried out afterwards.
On November 23, the HKSAR government implemented a scheme dubbed the Return2hk Scheme. This initiative eased travel restrictions for Hong Kong residents returning to the city from Guangdong Province and Macau by welcoming them back without a compulsory quarantine period.
The Come2hk Scheme was launched in mid-May, a scheme proposed by the HKSAR government that allows non-Hong Kong residents in Guangdong province and Macau to enter Hong Kong quarantine-free.
The proposed move is part of the measures designed “to gradually resume the cross-boundary flow of people amongst Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau in an orderly manner,” Hong Kong’s Secretary for Food and Health, Sophia Chan Siu-chee, said.
HK lowers age limit of BioNTech to 12
The HKSAR government said yesterday that teenagers aged between 12 and 15 would be eligible for the Fosun Pharma/BioNTech vaccine, down from the current age limit of 16, and that specific arrangements will be unveiled next week.
Yesterday, Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported one new imported case of COVID-19, taking the total tally to 11,849.
Over the past two weeks, there were 21 cases altogether reported in Hong Kong, all imported from overseas, the CHP said.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam there has been no locally transmitted case in Hong Kong for more than 30 days, an encouraging sign for the epidemic control.
She called on residents to actively obtain the vaccine so that herd immunity can be achieved to fend off the next wave of the epidemic outbreak. LV
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