HK Re-Opening to Non-Residents
Aug 11, 2021, 2:33 am
#61
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Join Date: Oct 2014
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There's been quite an upsurge in airport arrivals this month: 1458 arrivals yesterday August 10 compared with 426 arrivals July 10, almost entirely HK residents in both instances.
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/message_...stat_menu.html
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/message_...stat_menu.html
Aug 12, 2021, 8:04 am
#62
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Earth. Residency:HKG formerly:YYZ
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There's been quite an upsurge in airport arrivals this month: 1458 arrivals yesterday August 10 compared with 426 arrivals July 10, almost entirely HK residents in both instances.
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/message_...stat_menu.html
https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/message_...stat_menu.html
Aug 14, 2021, 7:18 am
#64
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: HKG, BHX, MAN
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Posts: 1,493
Fully vaccinated non HK Residents are allowed to enter from group B and C countries with mandatory quarantine.
Aug 16, 2021, 2:24 am
#65
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,097
As of Aug 20, the following countries are being upgraded to Group A, High-Risk:
Bangladesh, Cambodia, France, Greece, Iran, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Non-residents, even if vaccinated, cannot enter HK if they have been in a Group A country in the past 21 days.
Note that with these additions it becomes increasingly difficult to reach Hong Kong from a Group B country without transiting a Group A country.
https://www.thestandard.com.hk/break...,-including-US
Bangladesh, Cambodia, France, Greece, Iran, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Non-residents, even if vaccinated, cannot enter HK if they have been in a Group A country in the past 21 days.
Note that with these additions it becomes increasingly difficult to reach Hong Kong from a Group B country without transiting a Group A country.
https://www.thestandard.com.hk/break...,-including-US
Aug 16, 2021, 9:32 am
#67
Join Date: Jun 2020
Programs: FlyingBlue
Posts: 2,424
When entry rules change every 10 days, planning ahead like this is a heavy gamble.
Canada is barely starting its 4th, delta-fueled wave. If HKSAR now considers High Risk EU countries where the Delta wave is subsiding, it's only a matter of time before Canada gets banned as well.
Last edited by maalloc; Aug 16, 2021 at 9:44 am
Aug 16, 2021, 9:43 am
#68
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,097
I go around in circles on the 21/14-day presence rule. If you're a vaccinated HK resident who was in a Group A country in the past 21 days, then you fall under the Group A restrictions, as I read them. But contrariwise does a non-resident who spent the past 14 days in Canada but was in the US before qualify for Group B treatment? Can anyone sort this out in a way that makes sense?
Aug 16, 2021, 10:29 am
#70
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And Group B rules apply to "Travellers who have stayed in Group B specified place(s) on the day of boarding for/arrival in Hong Kong or during the 14 days before that day."
That's the conundrum with Group A.
(Note that only vaccinated residents can enter from Group A.)
That's the conundrum with Group A.
(Note that only vaccinated residents can enter from Group A.)
Aug 16, 2021, 10:39 am
#71
Join Date: Jun 2020
Programs: FlyingBlue
Posts: 2,424
Indeed, that doesn't make sense. Let's see how the new rules end up being gazetted. The logical way would be to consider presence in all countries for 21 days before arrival.
Aug 16, 2021, 11:47 am
#72
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,097
These are the rules that have been in effect since Aug 9, only the membership of the groups is changing, so the formal rules have already been gazetted. I'm just too lazy to look them up at the moment.
EDIT: There are now reports that the Government may scrap the 7-day quarantine and replace it with 14 days hotel quarantine followed by 7 days at-home quarantine.
EDIT: There are now reports that the Government may scrap the 7-day quarantine and replace it with 14 days hotel quarantine followed by 7 days at-home quarantine.
Last edited by 889; Aug 16, 2021 at 12:16 pm
Aug 16, 2021, 12:35 pm
#73
Join Date: Jun 2020
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7 day quarantine might be OK for business/long holidays or family reunion after 1.5 years, but the pool of visitors who would accept (and could afford!) 21 days of quarantine for a short-term stay will be abysmal.
Aug 16, 2021, 6:05 pm
#74
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It's like the way they originally put two countries -- Australia and New Zealand -- from which travel is practically impossible into the "free to travel to Hong Kong" tier. Cosmetic only.
Further, look how the latest restrictions seem particularly aimed at transit points: France, the Netherlands, Turkey and UAE. You may be in a Group B country like Ukraine or Egypt or Mexico but find getting to HK without transiting a Group A country will take some inventiveness.
Further, look how the latest restrictions seem particularly aimed at transit points: France, the Netherlands, Turkey and UAE. You may be in a Group B country like Ukraine or Egypt or Mexico but find getting to HK without transiting a Group A country will take some inventiveness.
Last edited by 889; Aug 16, 2021 at 6:46 pm
Aug 17, 2021, 1:07 am
#75
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Posts: 3,097
Yes, on top of everything else the Government is scrapping the option of a 7-day quarantine with a positive antibody test. So it'll be 14 days hotel quarantine for a vaccinated non-resident who manages to enter from a medium-risk country.
And anybody thinking of a two-step approach through Singapore should know that Singapore Airlines and Scoot no longer accept transit passengers bound for HKG.
And anybody thinking of a two-step approach through Singapore should know that Singapore Airlines and Scoot no longer accept transit passengers bound for HKG.
Last edited by 889; Aug 17, 2021 at 2:31 am