Hong Kong has shortened its hotel quarantine period for overseas arrivals to three days, followed by four days of ‘home medical surveillance,’ South China Morning Post reports.
The new 3+4 system will start this Friday, August 12.
Uninfected inbound travelers will quarantine in a designated hotel for three days.
Upon leaving the hotel, their health code will turn and stay yellow throughout their four days of at-home monitoring.
As long as arrivals produce a negative antigen test every day throughout days four to seven, they will be allowed to use public transport, go to work and shop at markets and malls, even with their yellow code.
However, entrance to anywhere that requires using the “Leave Home Safe” app (Hong Kong’s health code) is prohibited, as is any activity where a mask isn’t required, such as gyms, restaurants and bars.
After four days of negative PCR tests, health codes will turn blue.
According to scientific data, PCR tests taken on the third day of quarantine uncover most infections, and after that the risk of transmission is less than 1%.
Quarantine time was reduced on the Chinese mainland to seven days for all international arrivals in June.
READ MORE: Only 7 Days Centralized Quarantine for ALL Overseas Arrivals
In line with the current COVID-19 pandemic prevention rules, returnees from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland and vice versa still need to undergo quarantine.
However, the city’s new Chief Executive, John Lee, has frequently stressed the importance of reopening the border with the Chinese mainland.
Almost every other country in the world has removed COVID-19 restrictions on international travel, but China remains committed to its zero-COVID policy, which seeks to eliminate the spread of the virus rather than “live with it.”
[Image via Wikimedia]
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