Inbound to Hong Kong COVID-19 Quarantine & Restrictions
May 30, 2021, 11:48 pm
#631
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 2
Without quarantine, the low/med budget hotels would be filing for bankruptcy left and right.
I still travel between US and HK and quarantining is expensive.
Funny thing is most flights from LAX-HKG / HKG-LAX are full. You would think people would refrain from traveling but nope. Last flight I was on coming and returning from LAX, it was packed, at least 90%. Barely any open seats or social distancing.
Also keep in mind for those that are starting to travel, book your hotels early. Don't wait last minute like me because all 8000 "designated rooms" are fully booked for the month of June. Definitely need to book 1-2 months in advance.
Quarantine sucks especially when I'm vaccinated but honestly the amount of irresponsible people in this world, you just never know. I really hope they reduce the quarantine period because 14 days for vaccinated pax like myself is just illogical. But realistically speaking I don't foresee any changes till after summer. I think they will see how the cases are being handled in each country and based on the #of cases they will deem whether or not they are High, Medium, or Low. 14 days will be cut down to 7 and etc. Seeing how things are we won't have normal travel till end of 2022
I still travel between US and HK and quarantining is expensive.
Funny thing is most flights from LAX-HKG / HKG-LAX are full. You would think people would refrain from traveling but nope. Last flight I was on coming and returning from LAX, it was packed, at least 90%. Barely any open seats or social distancing.
Also keep in mind for those that are starting to travel, book your hotels early. Don't wait last minute like me because all 8000 "designated rooms" are fully booked for the month of June. Definitely need to book 1-2 months in advance.
Quarantine sucks especially when I'm vaccinated but honestly the amount of irresponsible people in this world, you just never know. I really hope they reduce the quarantine period because 14 days for vaccinated pax like myself is just illogical. But realistically speaking I don't foresee any changes till after summer. I think they will see how the cases are being handled in each country and based on the #of cases they will deem whether or not they are High, Medium, or Low. 14 days will be cut down to 7 and etc. Seeing how things are we won't have normal travel till end of 2022
Last edited by Danimalchen; May 30, 2021 at 11:54 pm
May 31, 2021, 5:01 am
#632
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: HKG, BHX, MAN
Programs: Qatar Gold (OWS), Asiana Diamond (*G)
Posts: 1,493
The HKSAR Government Covid-19 page doesn't require passengers to stay at home during the 7 days of self-monitoring unless arriving from Singapore.
May 31, 2021, 6:32 am
#633
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Hong Kong, France
Programs: FB , BA Gold
Posts: 15,556
It seems that the government announced that UK will be classify as "high-risk" (moved down to group B), while Vietnam and Thailand will move up to Group B. Nothing official yet.
May 31, 2021, 8:00 pm
#634
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Earth. Residency:HKG formerly:YYZ
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Many thanks. I guess that I got alarmed because I was looking at a page specific to Singapore arrivals, which has this new constraint.
It seems that the government announced that UK will be classify as "high-risk" (moved down to group B), while Vietnam and Thailand will move up to Group B. Nothing official yet.
It seems that the government announced that UK will be classify as "high-risk" (moved down to group B), while Vietnam and Thailand will move up to Group B. Nothing official yet.
Jun 19, 2021, 10:16 pm
#635
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,800
Further proof Government quarantine is an admin policy not science
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...eek-quarantine
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...eek-quarantine
Hong Kong Pauses Plan to Exempt Bankers From Full Quarantine - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...tel-quarantine
Jun 19, 2021, 10:40 pm
#636
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: CX Green, QF Platinum, BAEC Silver, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 10,780
Policy got nicked
Hong Kong Pauses Plan to Exempt Bankers From Full Quarantine - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...tel-quarantine
Hong Kong Pauses Plan to Exempt Bankers From Full Quarantine - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...tel-quarantine
Jun 20, 2021, 1:53 am
#637
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Hong Kong, France
Programs: FB , BA Gold
Posts: 15,556
Jun 21, 2021, 12:20 am
#638
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,800
Hong Kong mooted antibody tests on all arrivals https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cath...l#post33235128
Dropped for now because we haven't figured out logistically how it works.
Not sure if a blood draw test can be created to determine vaccine antibody vs virus antibody, but if there's a way, we'll look into it.
Dropped for now because we haven't figured out logistically how it works.
Not sure if a blood draw test can be created to determine vaccine antibody vs virus antibody, but if there's a way, we'll look into it.
What looked like a joke is going to be policy: we are really going to carry out antibody tests for shortened quarantine https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...-19-quarantine
So you can come with whatever silly immunity passport or none at all - a nurse is going to blood draw you anyways.
So you can come with whatever silly immunity passport or none at all - a nurse is going to blood draw you anyways.
Jun 21, 2021, 1:01 am
#639
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: Alaska
Posts: 2,188
What looked like a joke is going to be policy: we are really going to carry out antibody tests for shortened quarantine https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...-19-quarantine
So you can come with whatever silly immunity passport or none at all - a nurse is going to blood draw you anyways.
So you can come with whatever silly immunity passport or none at all - a nurse is going to blood draw you anyways.
There are too many fake/unofficial immunization records. And antibodies are not formed for some vaccinated.
Jun 21, 2021, 1:09 am
#640
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,800
Jun 21, 2021, 1:11 am
#641
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
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Posts: 19,800
Also not 100% sure if there's consistent science to support antibody testing as immunity proof. Currently it seems more like a masochist approach to re-enable travel:
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/...ion-fda-safety
https://www.otandp.com/knowledge-bas...been-effective
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/...ion-fda-safety
https://www.otandp.com/knowledge-bas...been-effective
Jun 21, 2021, 1:21 am
#642
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: Alaska
Posts: 2,188
Also not 100% sure if there's consistent science to support antibody testing as immunity proof. Currently it seems more like a masochist approach to re-enable travel:
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/...ion-fda-safety
https://www.otandp.com/knowledge-bas...been-effective
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/...ion-fda-safety
https://www.otandp.com/knowledge-bas...been-effective
I am pretty sure that eventually it will be reduced to mainly antibody tests for certain groups of countries and selectively for the rest.
Jun 21, 2021, 1:32 am
#643
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,800
Also an arrival can continue to choose 14/21 days' quarantine.
I don't think tourists or even (executive) business travellers will put up with this.
It's really for permanent and non-permanent (i.e. long-term visa) residents - which is our current immigration policy anyway.
- returning students (and their helicopter parents)
- arriving domestic helpers (maids)
- arriving expat workers
--- foreseeable that expat workers can take home leave and return under this - of course, 7 days and a blood draw means they have to be quite keen, or have to attend a family emergency
- Hong Kongers residing overseas visiting HK
--- except for Group D country returnees (namely Australia and New Zealand) who have 7-day quarantine without antibody test already
- really keen business owners
--- HK outbound ones, we aren't re-opening business travel to overseas businessmen just yet
It's really for permanent and non-permanent (i.e. long-term visa) residents - which is our current immigration policy anyway.
- returning students (and their helicopter parents)
- arriving domestic helpers (maids)
- arriving expat workers
--- foreseeable that expat workers can take home leave and return under this - of course, 7 days and a blood draw means they have to be quite keen, or have to attend a family emergency
- Hong Kongers residing overseas visiting HK
--- except for Group D country returnees (namely Australia and New Zealand) who have 7-day quarantine without antibody test already
- really keen business owners
--- HK outbound ones, we aren't re-opening business travel to overseas businessmen just yet
We couldn't have so successfully imposed Group A on Indian arrivals had we not imposed them on British arrivals first. We'd end up with all sorts of racial discrimination BS like Australia (whose first Group A was India)
No way US/UK are going to get free pass on this one.
The only exemption will be arrivals from other parts of China.
Jun 21, 2021, 2:11 am
#644
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: Alaska
Posts: 2,188
This one no way
We couldn't have so successfully imposed Group A on Indian arrivals had we not imposed them on British arrivals first. We'd end up with all sorts of racial discrimination BS like Australia (whose first Group A was India)
No way US/UK are going to get free pass on this one.
The only exemption will be arrivals from other parts of China.
The 7-day quarantine requirement is still here, is to protect the locals as the overall vaccination rate is still low. There is really no comparison with UK/US when they have reached significant higher vaccination rate than HK. As for kids, too bad. They have to go through quarantine, just because the locals refuse to get vaccination. Use Singapore as an example, the recent Delta variant spreads through kids, too.
I can foresee that after vaccination rate reaches herd immunity, the rule can be significantly relaxed to certain more trustworthy countries.
Jun 21, 2021, 2:15 am
#645
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,800
And political, too
What makes you think HKSARG finds US and UK particularly trustworthy ATM?
What makes you think HKSARG finds US and UK particularly trustworthy ATM?