Rapid tests for overseas arrivals from Monday to speed up entry process
All overseas travellers flying into Hong Kong’s airport will be required to undergo rapid testing in addition to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening from Monday, in a move authorities said would enable the early identification of Covid-19 cases.
The announcement yesterday came as long queues formed outside post offices for a second straight day as people who had received Covid-19 jabs outside the city sought to obtain a temporary vaccine pass, sparking calls for the government to quickly roll out an online declaration system instead.
Health authorities reported 324 new infections, of which 29 were imported, and 11 additional deaths related to the virus. The city’s coronavirus tally stood at 1,206,041 infections and 9,344 related fatalities.
Despite the recent easing of travel restrictions to allow international visitors to fly into the city for the first time in two years, the European Chamber of Commerce complained in a letter to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Wednesday that the entry regime remained a “nightmare”.
“Almost daily, our members and other residents have been reporting that they are unable to find their way back to Hong Kong or see their business travel being cancelled,” it said.
The chamber urged authorities to switch out the use of PCR tests at the airport in favour of rapid antigen tests (RAT). The group also called for the removal of the flight suspension mechanism, which is triggered if a plane carries five infected passengers, or 5 per cent of its occupants, whichever is greater.
But a government spokesman said all travellers from Taiwan and overseas arriving at Hong Kong’s airport would also be required to undergo rapid testing from May 9.
“The arrangement can ensure risks of importing cases remain tightly controlled, while further shortening the waiting time for arrivals at the airport,” he said.
If a traveller tests positive after rapid or PCR testing, they will be transferred to a designated hotel for isolation or admitted to hospital for treatment, while those who receive negative results will be allowed to proceed to their chosen quarantine hotel.
Inbound travellers, both Hong Kong residents and visitors, who have been inoculated twice outside the city, can also declare their non-local jab or recovery records to authorities from Thursday to receive a provisional vaccine pass.
Meanwhile, at least 100 people waited in the morning to get the QR code document, which can be used under the city’s vaccine pass scheme for entry to premises such as restaurants, shopping centres and supermarkets.
At Sha Tin post office, merchandiser Thomas Ng, 48, said he arrived early at 7.15am ahead of the 9am opening to get his vaccination records verified but complained the system was chaotic with unclear government instructions.
Ng received his first and second doses of a vaccine in Beijing in February and April last year. He returned to Hong Kong last December but only realised recently that he needed to verify his records as he was barred from entering restaurants this month.
“I need to get the pass. Otherwise, I won’t be able to enter restaurants. It is not logical. The government should have documented and verified my first two shots when I received my third dose in Hong Kong. Then, all the confusion could have been avoided,” he said.
“Everything was chaotic. The logistics were unclear. There was no sign telling how to submit my application. I tried calling the health authorities and the post office the previous day, but no one answered my phone calls.”
Lawmaker Gary Zhang Xinyu, for the New Territories North constituency, called on the government to quickly relaunch its online registration system for those who had received shots outside Hong Kong to obtain the temporary vaccine pass.
“We visited a lot of post offices on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories [on Thursday] from 9am and found that many people queued up there. Some people told me they started lining up at 7am but very quickly the daily quotas were filled,” he said.
“The government shouldn’t put this burden on the post offices. It should roll out its online system quickly.”
The Hong Kong Tourism Board has relaunched the third round of a campaign offering 80,000 free tours and staycation discounts worth HK$40 million after it was suspended during the fifth wave of Covid-19 infections.
Under the spend-to-redeem programme, people who pay at least HK$800 at dining and retail shops can book a place on a local tour. Sixty thousand spots will be offered on more than 300 themed trips, including neighbourhood, harbour and culinary tours in an effort to boost domestic tourism after the easing of social-distancing curbs in the city.
The board also said it would offer discounts worth HK$500 for 20,000 hotel bookings. Hongkongers who spend at least HK$800 can earn a HK$500 price cut for a staycation package at 100 participating hotels.
Guests can start booking stays from May 24 and must check in before July 17. Participating properties include The Peninsula, The Upper House and Hong Kong Disneyland hotel.
The board had launched the third instalment of the campaign in December last year but suspended it due to a fifth wave of infections in the city. Receipts from December 10 last year and onwards are eligible for redemption, while residents can register from May 17 for tours between May 24 and August 31.
Hong Kong’s strict travel curbs have brought the local tourism industry to a standstill since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. International travellers, including tourists, were recently allowed to visit the city on May 1, but they have to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine.
Less than 300 non-resident travellers have arrived at Hong Kong International Airport since the ban was lifted. According to data provided by the board, 1,800 visitors arrived in Hong Kong in March 2022, a 73 per cent drop from the previous year. Hong Kong saw a total of 11,490 arrivals within the three months of 2022, 30 per cent lower than the same period last year.
The tourism body will receive an additional HK$600 million from the government, according to the annual budget announced in February, amounting to a total of HK$1.35 billion worth of funding for the board this year. To stimulate domestic tourism, the board will unveil three rounds of offers in the coming months, including a campaign promoting the arts in May.
When social-distancing rules are further relaxed, it will also introduce a series of events and offers to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese sovereignty, according to executive director Dane Cheng.
Tour participants must fulfil the requirements of the vaccine pass scheme, under which those aged 12 and above are required to have received a second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by April 30, and get their third shot by May 31 to enter venues such as restaurants and shopping centres. Some tour operators may also require participants to take a Rapid Antigen Test before the tour.