Hong Kong to allow intl’l travelers from May

Hong Kong government said non-residents who are vaccinated and have a negative virus test will be allowed to fly in again starting May 1. That eases one of the world’s most stringent travel bans, imposed in March 2020.

According to a statement, Hong Kong said the decision was made in view of the latest development of the COVID-19 epidemic situation, taking into account the recent volume of inbound passenger flow, the number of imported cases, the city’s capacity in tackling the local epidemic as well as overall socio-economic needs.

The government’s Inter-departmental Steering Committee & Command Centre pointed out that there has been an increase in the daily number of inbound travellers since the lifting of the place-specific flight suspension for nine overseas places on April 1, the statement read. 

The daily average number of arrivals rose from fewer than 300 between January and March to about 1,200 since April.

Nevertheless, the proportion of imported cases has dropped from about 3% in the January-March period to about 1% since April.

From May 1, non-Hong Kong residents who have stayed in overseas places in the past 14 days will be allowed to enter Hong Kong and be subject to the same boarding, quarantine and testing arrangements as Hong Kong residents.

They must comply with all stringent inbound testing and quarantine requirements, including being fully vaccinated, undergoing a pre-departure nucleic acid test with a negative result and the booking of designated quarantine hotels (DQHs).

Upon arrival, they will be subject to the test-and-hold arrangement at the airport and then transferred to DQHs by designated transport to undergo compulsory quarantine and multiple testings.

Meanwhile, the triggering thresholds for the route-specific flight suspension mechanism will also be adjusted with effect from May. MDT/AP