The SUN HK : HK maintains 21-day quarantine, ban on arrivals from UK and 3 other countries

By The SUN

Food about to be delivered to travelers quarantined in a hotel

Hong Kong has announced that it is extending the 21-day hotel quarantine for all new arrivals from abroad (meaning, outside Chinese territories) in view of the continued severe global epidemic situation, and because of the continuing mutation of the coronavirus.

A statement released by the government last night said, "It is necessary for the government to protect the health of the overall community in Hong Kong by firmly guarding against the importation of the new virus variants.”

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The government also said it will maintain its ban on people arriving from “extremely high-risk group A” places where virus variants have been found, namely the United Kingdom, Brazil, Ireland and South Africa.

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However, taking note that of the drastic decline in the number of cases in these places, notably the U.K., the government said it was exploring arrangements that could enable Hong Kong residents there to return home directly “without compromising the health of the local community.”

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The statement noted that the number of Covid-19 cases in the UK had dropped from a high of 400,000 in a week to about 40,000 in the first week of March. It also pointed out that 24 million people, or over one-third of UK’s population, have received at least the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

Also to be maintained apart from the 21-day hotel quarantine is the requirement that travelers from “very high risk group B” places outside China must present a negative result for a nucleic acid test for Covid-19 prior to boarding a flight to Hong Kong.

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The test should have been administered by a government approved facility, and conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled boarding time. On top of this, they must present a confirmed booking for 21 days at a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong.

Among the countries in this category are the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the United States.

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Those coming in from Group C countries must only comply with the 21-day quarantine requirement and need not present a negative test result.

The regulation provides that all travelers who had stayed in the group A places for at least two hours on the day of boarding, or 21 days before that day are not allowed to board a flight for Hong Kong.

Those who stayed in the group B places within the specified period will have to comply with the testing and quarantine requirements. Those in group C will only have to show proof of booking for the 21-day hotel quarantine.

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The only ones exempted from the rigorous testing and quarantine requirements are those coming in from China and Macau. However, they must undergo testing on arrival at the border.

The statement said the government will continue to monitor the pandemic situation in Hong Kong and overseas, as well as changes in cross-boundary traffic volume and adjust the requirements when necessary.