HK Re-Opening to Non-Residents
Jul 8, 2022, 9:52 am
#256
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From HKFP today, Friday, July 8:
"Hong Kong’s Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said halting quarantine was 'an unreasonable expectation' for the time being: 'Some people hope for quarantine-free travel, which is to open-up completely. I am sorry, I believe not a single government would make such a promise [to reopen] at the moment, or set such a target.' Lo said."
"Hong Kong’s Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said halting quarantine was 'an unreasonable expectation' for the time being: 'Some people hope for quarantine-free travel, which is to open-up completely. I am sorry, I believe not a single government would make such a promise [to reopen] at the moment, or set such a target.' Lo said."
Jul 8, 2022, 12:41 pm
#258
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It's here at around 2 minutes
https://orientaldaily.on.cc/content/...20570;到
No translation error, that's what he said. Don't know if he meant governments in China.
There was also some nonsense about 0 celsius not being absolute zero
https://orientaldaily.on.cc/content/...20570;到
No translation error, that's what he said. Don't know if he meant governments in China.
There was also some nonsense about 0 celsius not being absolute zero
Jul 8, 2022, 2:48 pm
#259
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It's here at around 2 minutes
https://orientaldaily.on.cc/content/...20570;到
No translation error, that's what he said. Don't know if he meant governments in China.
There was also some nonsense about 0 celsius not being absolute zero
https://orientaldaily.on.cc/content/...20570;到
No translation error, that's what he said. Don't know if he meant governments in China.
There was also some nonsense about 0 celsius not being absolute zero
Jul 8, 2022, 10:09 pm
#260
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The city’s 24,000 designated hotel quarantine rooms for August until the end of October are struggling to meet demand, as recent decisions to slash isolation to seven days and reopen the border to non-residents prompted a surge of travelers who snapped up reservations sometimes months in advance.
The non-resident rule has also prompted Chinese travelers to use Hong Kong as a gateway to the mainland, where international flight connections are scarce as President Xi Jinping tries to shut out the virus. Monthly mainland Chinese arrivals at Hong Kong airport jumped nearly 11,000% between April and June to 30,222 -- accounting for one-third of airport passengers last month.
In that environment, travelers are struggling to book quarantine rooms, scalpers are entering the market and properties have raised their own prices.
The non-resident rule has also prompted Chinese travelers to use Hong Kong as a gateway to the mainland, where international flight connections are scarce as President Xi Jinping tries to shut out the virus. Monthly mainland Chinese arrivals at Hong Kong airport jumped nearly 11,000% between April and June to 30,222 -- accounting for one-third of airport passengers last month.
In that environment, travelers are struggling to book quarantine rooms, scalpers are entering the market and properties have raised their own prices.
Last edited by percysmith; Jul 8, 2022 at 10:48 pm
Jul 8, 2022, 10:47 pm
#261
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Oh I get it now. The Mainland scalpers do back-to-back (I was wondering how Mainland returnees can ensure they can get back to Mainland before they overstay - their passports only enable a 7-day legal stay):
And our DQH sold out to the Mainland scalpers:
"Miranda Yu, traveled through Hong Kong to reenter the mainland from the UK where she’d been studying, because she couldn’t find “direct flights from England to China.” Transiting through Europe would’ve cost about 50,000 yuan ($7,470), she said, whereas flying from the UK to Hong Kong was 5,000 yuan. From Hong Kong, she took a bus back to China via the Zhuhai bridge.
Yu says scalpers are already a staple of China’s quarantine hotel and bus ticket market. “No one can buy with original prices,” she added."
Yu says scalpers are already a staple of China’s quarantine hotel and bus ticket market. “No one can buy with original prices,” she added."
"As more Chinese travelers come through Hong Kong, scalpers are capitalizing. Vicki Wong, a Hong Kong-based construction firm sales coordinator, says she had to use a mainland agent to get a quarantine room for this summer -- and pay double the official rate.
“Before, even when a hotel’s official website said they were full, when you call or email them they could still find a room for you,” said Wong. “But when I’m looking for rooms for August, they all said they’re fully booked.”
Wong paid HK$21,000 ($2,687) for seven nights in a single room at the four-star Regal Kowloon Hotel, twice the government-listed price of HK$10,850. She got booking confirmation within three hours, despite the hotel website showing no availability. The Regal Kowloon Hotel did not respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment."
“Before, even when a hotel’s official website said they were full, when you call or email them they could still find a room for you,” said Wong. “But when I’m looking for rooms for August, they all said they’re fully booked.”
Wong paid HK$21,000 ($2,687) for seven nights in a single room at the four-star Regal Kowloon Hotel, twice the government-listed price of HK$10,850. She got booking confirmation within three hours, despite the hotel website showing no availability. The Regal Kowloon Hotel did not respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment."
Jul 9, 2022, 5:46 am
#262
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The Government is aware of the problem and is taking action to resolve it.
"The Government has all along been monitoring closely the operation of the DQH Scheme and noticed the scalping of guest rooms in DQHs in recent days. Having discussed with the hotel industry, the following measures are implemented with immediate effect to prevent the scalping of hotel rooms:
"DQHs should require their partner travel agents not to block book the guest rooms without booking details of guests. . . Hotels should ask the travel agents to itemise the fees charged on the receipt, and ensure that the hotel room rate is the same as the published rate listed on the Government website. . .
"We have reiterated to all DQHs that the Government will not tolerate any kind of scalping activities. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will take appropriate follow-up action if non-compliance cases are found."
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...2062400859.htm
"The Government has all along been monitoring closely the operation of the DQH Scheme and noticed the scalping of guest rooms in DQHs in recent days. Having discussed with the hotel industry, the following measures are implemented with immediate effect to prevent the scalping of hotel rooms:
"DQHs should require their partner travel agents not to block book the guest rooms without booking details of guests. . . Hotels should ask the travel agents to itemise the fees charged on the receipt, and ensure that the hotel room rate is the same as the published rate listed on the Government website. . .
"We have reiterated to all DQHs that the Government will not tolerate any kind of scalping activities. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will take appropriate follow-up action if non-compliance cases are found."
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...2062400859.htm
Jul 9, 2022, 6:48 am
#263
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From HKFP today, Friday, July 8:
"Hong Kong’s Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said halting quarantine was 'an unreasonable expectation' for the time being: 'Some people hope for quarantine-free travel, which is to open-up completely. I am sorry, I believe not a single government would make such a promise [to reopen] at the moment, or set such a target.' Lo said."
"Hong Kong’s Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said halting quarantine was 'an unreasonable expectation' for the time being: 'Some people hope for quarantine-free travel, which is to open-up completely. I am sorry, I believe not a single government would make such a promise [to reopen] at the moment, or set such a target.' Lo said."
On one had the government ditches the circuit breakers because they're "damaging" business but on the other hand comes out with the comments above.
Other than copying whatever the mainland does a few weeks later, what do they hope to achieve?
Jul 9, 2022, 4:08 pm
#264
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They're copying what Mainland has already done.
Propagating national policy is the beginning, end and the current mission of the SAR governments (I'm looking at Macau right now).
Jul 9, 2022, 4:28 pm
#265
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HK don't need to copy Mainland if that's true, am I right?
Jul 11, 2022, 12:26 pm
#266
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In the article below, which is not in the clip, he said that looks at what happened to US and UK when they opened up. 1mil died in US and 180K died in UK. If HK opened up, there will not be only 9000 death.
Jul 14, 2022, 7:35 am
#267
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Jul 14, 2022, 11:19 am
#268
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Colour codes are definitely them. I fail to see how that is conducive to reopening to the rest of the world, because it is real name SIM-dependent, there’ll need to be a massive operation in Chap Lap Kok to register visitors SIMs or sell and register local SIMs to them.
Not sure how Mainland is handling this but they’ve even less visitors than us. Those visitors will need codes from embassies and consulates to get to China from the get-go.
Jul 14, 2022, 12:25 pm
#269
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Ok this guy is also saying that there will be something like less quarantine by November. https://archive.ph/4gkVg
The newsweek article is from 11 July and the SCMP article is from 13 July
Who knows anymore?
The newsweek article is from 11 July and the SCMP article is from 13 July
Who knows anymore?