travelinmanS

Slim and none and slim is packing up his guitar and looking for an exit....

889

I wouldn't absolutely rule it out, but the Government's behaviour says it's not focused a whit on re-opening the territory. Even if cases drop practically to zero in other places -- as they have in Hong Kong -- there will always be "experts" with dire warnings of a second wave in the autumn that must be avoided at all cost. "All cost" having quite a literal meaning here.

JNelson113

Thank you for the information. Shoot. I was so excited.

889

Tucked away at the very end of a Standard story today on Taiwan loosening some entry restrictions:

"Back in Hong Kong, a source said the health code scheme with Macau and Guangdong to waive the 14-day mandatory quarantine has been shelved for the time being."

https://www.thestandard.com.hk/secti...ers-some-slack

helvetic

Note this isn't about citizenship, it's about country of origin. You could be a US citizen in China and enter HK fine today.

I think the chances are indeed slim, however.

helvetic

Womp. Guess nobody is getting in quarantine-free anytime soon.

I'm flying back to HK in a few days! Finally!

889

Either that or come July 7 quarantine on arrivals from "China" won't be renewed. No sense going through all the rigamarole of getting the code scheme to work if it's not a long-term arrangement.

So you can read the development either way. Just have to sit tight and see how things go.

helvetic

Arrived in HKG last night. I'll be pretty grumpy if come July 7th they just don't renew, as i get out of quarantine on the 2nd. Either way though, I didn't have much choice. My 30-day exempt business trip to Taiwan expired before July 7th anyways.

The airport arrival experience was quite the ordeal. Will post a more comprehensive review… but if TPE was bad, HKG was far far worse.

On the way in, zero questions about my resident status. Seeing I was coming from Taiwan, check in and border agents were well aware I could come in without any kind of visa. I'm certain they don't see too many foreigners coming in under this exemption however.

moondog

Assuming the quarantine is lifted on July 7, and I fly to HK on July 7, what do you think about the odds of being able to fly back to PVG on July 10? I have a normal RP, and don't want to lose it for the sake of this trip, much less get stuck in HK.

travelinmanS

I would say you have zero chance of coming back to Shanghai if you leave and go to HK. Even if by some miracle they opened up a bubble between HK and the mainland it would surely be based on passport and nationality rather than residence. You’re gonna be stuck in Shanghai with me for a lot longer than July

moondog

I won't go down there unless I'm certain I can return. My visa agent suspects this will be possible if the July 7 rules permit him to get HK endorsements on our RPs. Naturally this will be expensive because he will need to burn his own 关系 in order to certify us as "essential", but it could be worth it because going to HK is kind of important for both of us. I've actually gotten quite comfortable with Zoom during the course of the past 3 months, but Zoom doesn't permit us to bond with clients post-meeting.

helvetic

I would imagine it'd be based on travel history, not citizenship or residence. Like how you can currently enter HK from China freely based on your 14-day prior of travel history.

helvetic

You can already travel to HK freely from Shanghai, the only restriction being quarantine on the way in. If the July 7th rule isn't renewed (unlikely IMO given the situation in China is worse now than it was last month), then you'd be all good to go. The trickier part would be getting back into Shanghai. I believe residents need special authorization to re-enter and are subject to the usual 14-day quarantine.

travelinmanS

Since China has based everything on citizenship rather than residence so far, I'm guessing they'll go with citizenship. HK will of course look at travel history and residency rather than citizenship(as it does now) but that doesn't help out moondog since his key criteria is ability to return to Shanghai after visiting HK.

helvetic

Quick report on the arrival experience

TPE-HKG

- Booked Premium Eco (only available class) w/ BA miles D-10, at ~D-7 CX cancels my Sunday flight and rebooks me for Sat. Asked to be put up on the BR flight, but they refused to protect me on that (disappointed, I expect better from CX, and was hoping for J since no w on BR). Decided to wait until closer to the day and HUCA.

- Friday decide to fly earlier (that night) instead of Sat/Sun. Call CX and tell them that given cancellation I want to be put on that flight. They say it's BA's ticket and they can't change it (BS), but agent said she made a note on my record that it's protected onto the Fri flight and to deal with it at the airport.

- Busy day, I arrive at then airport at T-45min, with no actual ticket on the plane. Tell the agent about it, to which she says "it's BA ticket, call BA to deal with it." Had to push back quite forcefully for her to get her supervisor involved who approved putting me on the flight (now leaving in 30min) without a ticket. Airport is empty as ...., so getting to the flight was no issue. Nothing unusual at the airport departure experience except for (1) foreigners now use e-gates to leave immigration, and (2) more temperature control points.

- Zero questions about my right to enter HK. Taiwan agents are well-versed in HK's arrival policy allowing foreigners from TW despite the travel ban. They just checked how long I'd been in TW to ensure I qualified.

- Onboard plane, a bit of commotion as their manifest doesn't have me in the seat I asked for (window), but they figure out I am who I say I am and am in the right seat and become much friendlier. Lead FA does her elite hello, but no usual bottle of water at this point.

- Post takeoff, purser comes to introduce herself. I ask what service to expect on the flight and she offers to get me a drink. Immediately comes back with my G&T and a bowl of nuts. A bit later the FAs come around with the standard service, they gave everyone a mini bag with a cookie, pizza/quiche thing, and mini water. I realized at that point my drink was non-standard, nobody else in PE or Y got a drink. This is why I ....ing love Cathay, and will stay loyal to them whenever I can.

- Arrival into HKG is at a remote gate. We are bussed over to a converted area with an initial multi-step processing funnel. First separated into arrivals vs. transit. At this point, I had a half-dozen agents make sure my gweilo ... was in the right line and I was indeed not transiting.

- They check the declared phone number can receive a call, and verify my declaration. After a rather slow-moving line, you're assigned a make-shift counter where they check your docs and print you your quarantine order. They also give you an empty lanyard. Then it's on to another line to get your Carrie love bracelet, put on by an agent. Then another counter with more documents. Then you leave the area to head to the immigration hall, passing through a few more doc checks along the way.

- At the immigration hall, which is almost entirely empty, you do the standard immigration counter process. No e-gates for anyone. Then it's on to collect luggage. After luggage, you are directed through a makeshift barricaded funnel in the landslide arrivals hall that directs you to a side-door with a bus station. Take the coach to AsiaWorld Expo (15min)

Up until this point, the experience of SIN-TPE and TPE-HKG are almost identical (main difference TPE let you shop duty free before doing all the processing). In TPE this is the point where you just taxied home, instead of moving on to AWE.

- At AWE, first stop is to drop off your luggage and get a tag. Then back onto the bus to get dropped off at the other end of the complex. Then it's the testing process. First, another counter to get docs check, get given testing equipment, given an identification number to carry on your lanyard.

- Next, moved to another hall to watch an info video about the test. Then another hall to get directed to a private-ish booth to produce the sample alone.

- Sample is a spit-test. Little bottle with solution. funnel, packaging, a bunch of alcohol wipes. Spit into liquid with funnel. Wrap it all 2x properly. Walk to the other end of the hall and deposit your biohazard sample into a box. Then onto another hall. Then you are given a form. Pick a seat in a giant socially distant hall full of plastic chairs 6ft apart. Give back the form and wait to be assigned a hotel room. Wait for your lanyard ID number to be called… for hours.

- Finally, number is called. One more form, then luggage pickup, then to a bus. 45min drive over to the Regal Oriental in Kowloon City.

- More funneling and processing and checking of forms at the hotel. Finally got my room. Decent size, no desk chair. Food was awful. Told to wait for a call to check out after negative test.

- Landed 10:30pm, got hotel by 3am.

- 1:30pm next day I get a call to check out. Tested negative. Get my luggage come back down. Another 4-step funnel with various counters, instructions on quarantine restrictions, before being let out. Then I'm in the world, no supervision. People either being picked up by family or taking taxi, but you can get home however, even MTR. I took Uber.