Hong Kong reduces mandatory covid quarantine for travelers

By: Brittany Stallman

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Hong Kong reduces mandatory covid quarantine for travelers

Hong Kong will reduce its mandatory hotel quarantine for international travelers from one week to three days, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced in a relaxation of harsh COVID-19 restrictions that have affected flights.

Hong Kong, once a global logistics and transport hub, has been cut off from the rest of the world for more than two years due to its strict adherence to China’s “zero covid” policy.

Under one of the world’s toughest coronavirus regulations, Hong Kong had required those arriving from abroad and Taiwan to undergo mandatory quarantine and repeated testing inside a designated hotel room.

The restriction sparked complaints from residents and businessmen.

Lee announced Monday that the quarantine period for arrivals will be shortened to three days of quarantine at the hotel plus four days of health monitoring at home or at a hotel of their choice.

Along with the new quarantine provisions, Hong Kong will apply a system of sanitary codes similar to that of mainland China in a tracking app developed by the government.

With this system, an infected person will receive a code red that will prevent them from leaving isolation.

Arriving foreigners will receive a yellow code and will not be able to enter places such as restaurants, bars, gyms and cinemas during their four days of self-monitoring.

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