Arriving Hong Kong & a 14 Day Qcation
Dec 7, 2021, 8:07 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,505
Arriving Hong Kong & a 14 Day Qcation
As part of Hong Kong's COVID 0 strategy to stamp out imported cases, arriving passengers are subject to rigorous testing and monitoring at the airport before being sent to a designated quarantine hotel. While fully-vaccinated passengers get a small break with up to 7 days shorter quarantine, I wasn't looking forward to my 14 days in isolation. By contrast, Canada doesn't impose any quarantine for fully-vaccinated arrivals.
But then, Hong Kong's vaccination rate isn't too high, and with a densely-populated cityscape, any small transmission into the community could blow up into a major outbreak very quickly.
The arrival processing is quite organized and structured - typical of Hong Kong's efficiency. This part will detail what to expect when you leave the plane and step into the city.
Upon exiting the plane into the terminal, I headed to the midfield concourse terminal, which has been converted into a COVID testing centre. From the gate, I walked towards the people mover station. Lines were set up to control the passenger flow. It was a short wait before we were let down to the platform. While the lines had yellow markings for social distancing, I didn't see any on the train itself.
At the midfield concourse terminal, you first have to show the QR code from the health declaration. There is an area where you can step aside to complete one if you haven't yet, although Toronto check-in had required it to be completed. So I just screenshot the code into my phone beforehand and I was through this checkpoint quickly.
I then proceeded upstairs to the departure level for registration. It was a long walk to the southern end of the building. They verified my QR code again and I was given a green card with a bar code to wear around my neck, then proceeded to do the nose and throat swab test.
After the test, I proceeded to the next station where they asked for my phone number and would call me to see if I can receive the call. I thought it was strange because they didn't scan my bar code for the phone number, which was on my declaration and that they should be verifying. By now, the route has looped around and I was on my way back to the middle of the terminal where it all started.
I would next meet a health officer, who checked my pre-departure documents, including the COVID test result for departure, the laboratory's accredition, and hotel reservation. I was then issued a quarantine notice letter with my details and quarantine hotel information, along with an information booklet that included a daily temperature tracking sheet, as well as a thermometer. He told me they won't actively check that tracking sheet and it was for my personal record only. Interestingly, I noticed the quarantine would end at 23:59 on the 14th day, so theoretically I could go home to spend the 14th night even though the entry requirement is to book 14 nights of quarantine hotel.
Now I was instructed to walk to the northern end of the terminal, where our flight's passengers would sit at Gate 202. Desks and chairs were set up throughout the gate areas in socially-distanced spacing. We all had to wait for our test results. Sandwiches, Ritz biscuits, and bottles of water were available. Each passenger is assigned a seat, with the location sticker placed on the green card worn around your neck. Washrooms are outside the gate area, where you could freely walk to. I didn't notice charge ports at my desk though, but luckily I charged everything on the plane expecting a wait here.
By now it was 9:45am, about an hour and a half since landing. I was happy I got a window seat that looked to the north runway and Tuen Mun in the distance.
After browsing the net and not even depleting the battery, staff came to distribute back my quarantine order. It was stamped "checked" on it, and I could pack up and leave. By now it was 11:52am. The 2 hour wait was very reasonable and we then proceeded to gate 210, where staff scanned our quarantine order and we descended down the jetbridge back to the arrivals level to take the train to the main terminal.
Back at the main terminal, we went through the standard immigration formalities. Our luggage had already been taken off the belt and neatly placed next to it for us to collect. By now it was 12:17pm.
After exiting customs, staff checked and directed quarantine order passengers to exit left for shuttle bus registration. Airport workers would exit into freedom to the right. At the registration counter, they stuck a label onto my green card for the bus line. They would release the line to the elevators for boarding at street level.
All checked luggage was sprayed before staff loaded them onto the bus. I just took my hand carry to board, with only 1 person seated in each row of 2 seats even if you are travelling with a companion. Why this matters when the 2 could have been sitting next to each other on the plane is beyond me. A staff followed the bus for the journey to the quarantine hotel. Upon arrival, they will unload the baggage and you have to wait on the bus until they call for you to get off, and you will need to show your quarantine order again to check into the hotel.
Next up - the hotel experience.
More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/ac15c-2021.htm
But then, Hong Kong's vaccination rate isn't too high, and with a densely-populated cityscape, any small transmission into the community could blow up into a major outbreak very quickly.
The arrival processing is quite organized and structured - typical of Hong Kong's efficiency. This part will detail what to expect when you leave the plane and step into the city.
Upon exiting the plane into the terminal, I headed to the midfield concourse terminal, which has been converted into a COVID testing centre. From the gate, I walked towards the people mover station. Lines were set up to control the passenger flow. It was a short wait before we were let down to the platform. While the lines had yellow markings for social distancing, I didn't see any on the train itself.
At the midfield concourse terminal, you first have to show the QR code from the health declaration. There is an area where you can step aside to complete one if you haven't yet, although Toronto check-in had required it to be completed. So I just screenshot the code into my phone beforehand and I was through this checkpoint quickly.
I then proceeded upstairs to the departure level for registration. It was a long walk to the southern end of the building. They verified my QR code again and I was given a green card with a bar code to wear around my neck, then proceeded to do the nose and throat swab test.
After the test, I proceeded to the next station where they asked for my phone number and would call me to see if I can receive the call. I thought it was strange because they didn't scan my bar code for the phone number, which was on my declaration and that they should be verifying. By now, the route has looped around and I was on my way back to the middle of the terminal where it all started.
I would next meet a health officer, who checked my pre-departure documents, including the COVID test result for departure, the laboratory's accredition, and hotel reservation. I was then issued a quarantine notice letter with my details and quarantine hotel information, along with an information booklet that included a daily temperature tracking sheet, as well as a thermometer. He told me they won't actively check that tracking sheet and it was for my personal record only. Interestingly, I noticed the quarantine would end at 23:59 on the 14th day, so theoretically I could go home to spend the 14th night even though the entry requirement is to book 14 nights of quarantine hotel.
Now I was instructed to walk to the northern end of the terminal, where our flight's passengers would sit at Gate 202. Desks and chairs were set up throughout the gate areas in socially-distanced spacing. We all had to wait for our test results. Sandwiches, Ritz biscuits, and bottles of water were available. Each passenger is assigned a seat, with the location sticker placed on the green card worn around your neck. Washrooms are outside the gate area, where you could freely walk to. I didn't notice charge ports at my desk though, but luckily I charged everything on the plane expecting a wait here.
By now it was 9:45am, about an hour and a half since landing. I was happy I got a window seat that looked to the north runway and Tuen Mun in the distance.
After browsing the net and not even depleting the battery, staff came to distribute back my quarantine order. It was stamped "checked" on it, and I could pack up and leave. By now it was 11:52am. The 2 hour wait was very reasonable and we then proceeded to gate 210, where staff scanned our quarantine order and we descended down the jetbridge back to the arrivals level to take the train to the main terminal.
Back at the main terminal, we went through the standard immigration formalities. Our luggage had already been taken off the belt and neatly placed next to it for us to collect. By now it was 12:17pm.
After exiting customs, staff checked and directed quarantine order passengers to exit left for shuttle bus registration. Airport workers would exit into freedom to the right. At the registration counter, they stuck a label onto my green card for the bus line. They would release the line to the elevators for boarding at street level.
All checked luggage was sprayed before staff loaded them onto the bus. I just took my hand carry to board, with only 1 person seated in each row of 2 seats even if you are travelling with a companion. Why this matters when the 2 could have been sitting next to each other on the plane is beyond me. A staff followed the bus for the journey to the quarantine hotel. Upon arrival, they will unload the baggage and you have to wait on the bus until they call for you to get off, and you will need to show your quarantine order again to check into the hotel.
Next up - the hotel experience.
More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/ac15c-2021.htm
Dec 9, 2021, 7:14 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,505
As of my arrival in November, the government had a list of 36 designated quarantine hotels across budgets to choose from. At the crazy luxury end of the scale, a 166 square metre suite at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental was going for $49,500 a night for single occupancy, while a suite at the Sheraton in Tsim Sha Tsui costed $3190 a night.
With a much lower budget for my 14 day quarantine, I opted for Pentahotel, which is relatively new in an industrial part of town. My biggest draw was a proper work desk and a decent 200 square foot size. I had watched a few Youtube videos on the hotel's quarantine experience to make this decision and I was happy with what they've got for a decent price of $520 a night.
However, I wasn't the only one that saw this value for money option. As my flights got cancelled and changed in the lead-up to my departure date, I encountered some difficulties trying to change my reservation as the hotel was quite full. In the end, despite flight availability earlier, I had to postpone my trip back to Hong Kong so I could fit into the hotel's schedule. While I could theoretically cancel the hotel stay without penalty due to the flight changes, I didn't have much luck finding an alternative hotel at a similar price range elsewhere in the city at the last minute.
My access card was only valid for 1 entry and I emerged on the 7th floor to see the hallway full of tables. The standard setup is a table in front of each room. Clean items such as meals and fresh towels go on the top deck while garbage and dirty items go on the bottom deck.
This was where I experienced the first drama of my stay as my card didn't work. I tried to head back down the elevators to the lobby, but the buttons were disabled, presumabling to avoid escapes. I had to ring them up on my mobile for help instead.
3 meals are included as part of the hotel price and are delivered at set times during the day. Staff would ring your bell upon delivery. Garbage is collected 3 times a day also during a set period, which is surprisingly frequent but it's good to keep your room clean as there is no housekeeping service.
Pentahotel accepts deliveries from the outside world, including nearby restaurants and packages from friends and family. In case you have a sudden craving, their minibar menu is expensive but the selection is quite decent. A few odd items that stood out are a pack of condoms to cure your loneliness, a thermometer (which was already provided at the airport earlier), and lavender eye mask.
Recognizing the mental effects of being confined to your room for 14 days, a help line pamphlet is also included in case you need some counselling.
A key theme I noticed in the signage along the hallways and on the back of my door are threats of consequences if I leave the room or escape quarantine. The welcome kit included the details in multiple languages so you have no excuse to be not aware.
The final, and perhaps most important, item in my pack is the testing schedule, which staff explained is customized for me. All quarantined guests are subject to multiple COVID tests during their stay, and also afterwards. Coming from Canada, I fall under the Group B bucket with 4 tests during my 14-day hotel stay.
Since housekeeping is not provided, supplies have already been stockpiled in the room. Along the wall were disposable forks, spoons, knives, chopsticks, napkins, toothpicks, a box of bottled water, extra boxes of tissues and toilet paper, as well as bedsheets and towels that you need to change yourself.
Overall, the food was quite decent, made in-house and always delivered on-time within the specified period. I had the standard menu, where lunch is accompanied by fruit while soup and salad alternate for dinner, but there is no choice for the main. Residents with the more expensive "eat well" menu have a wider choice for their main dish.
Being confined in a small space for a long period is not a pleasant experience, and choosing the right hotel is likely the most painful step. Hong Kong's limited selection of quarantine hotels make securing a room an ordeal in itself, and with flights changing constantly due to the pandemic, you need to be flexible and willing to move your flight to fit the hotel's availability.
I picked the Pentahotel because of its reasonable price point, relative newness, proximity to the MTR station, and decent selection of restaurants with delivery just in case the hotel food doesn't meet my needs. The food turned out much better than I had expected, and I didn't need to order any delivery during my 2 week stay.
To stay sane, keep working during the day, and call up your friends when you have downtime, lining up a few calls a day to unwind and forget about being stuck inside. Also, join the Whatsapp support group for the hotel and do a regular exercise routine.
More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/hk-quarantine.htm
With a much lower budget for my 14 day quarantine, I opted for Pentahotel, which is relatively new in an industrial part of town. My biggest draw was a proper work desk and a decent 200 square foot size. I had watched a few Youtube videos on the hotel's quarantine experience to make this decision and I was happy with what they've got for a decent price of $520 a night.
However, I wasn't the only one that saw this value for money option. As my flights got cancelled and changed in the lead-up to my departure date, I encountered some difficulties trying to change my reservation as the hotel was quite full. In the end, despite flight availability earlier, I had to postpone my trip back to Hong Kong so I could fit into the hotel's schedule. While I could theoretically cancel the hotel stay without penalty due to the flight changes, I didn't have much luck finding an alternative hotel at a similar price range elsewhere in the city at the last minute.
My access card was only valid for 1 entry and I emerged on the 7th floor to see the hallway full of tables. The standard setup is a table in front of each room. Clean items such as meals and fresh towels go on the top deck while garbage and dirty items go on the bottom deck.
This was where I experienced the first drama of my stay as my card didn't work. I tried to head back down the elevators to the lobby, but the buttons were disabled, presumabling to avoid escapes. I had to ring them up on my mobile for help instead.
3 meals are included as part of the hotel price and are delivered at set times during the day. Staff would ring your bell upon delivery. Garbage is collected 3 times a day also during a set period, which is surprisingly frequent but it's good to keep your room clean as there is no housekeeping service.
Pentahotel accepts deliveries from the outside world, including nearby restaurants and packages from friends and family. In case you have a sudden craving, their minibar menu is expensive but the selection is quite decent. A few odd items that stood out are a pack of condoms to cure your loneliness, a thermometer (which was already provided at the airport earlier), and lavender eye mask.
Recognizing the mental effects of being confined to your room for 14 days, a help line pamphlet is also included in case you need some counselling.
A key theme I noticed in the signage along the hallways and on the back of my door are threats of consequences if I leave the room or escape quarantine. The welcome kit included the details in multiple languages so you have no excuse to be not aware.
The final, and perhaps most important, item in my pack is the testing schedule, which staff explained is customized for me. All quarantined guests are subject to multiple COVID tests during their stay, and also afterwards. Coming from Canada, I fall under the Group B bucket with 4 tests during my 14-day hotel stay.
Since housekeeping is not provided, supplies have already been stockpiled in the room. Along the wall were disposable forks, spoons, knives, chopsticks, napkins, toothpicks, a box of bottled water, extra boxes of tissues and toilet paper, as well as bedsheets and towels that you need to change yourself.
Overall, the food was quite decent, made in-house and always delivered on-time within the specified period. I had the standard menu, where lunch is accompanied by fruit while soup and salad alternate for dinner, but there is no choice for the main. Residents with the more expensive "eat well" menu have a wider choice for their main dish.
Being confined in a small space for a long period is not a pleasant experience, and choosing the right hotel is likely the most painful step. Hong Kong's limited selection of quarantine hotels make securing a room an ordeal in itself, and with flights changing constantly due to the pandemic, you need to be flexible and willing to move your flight to fit the hotel's availability.
I picked the Pentahotel because of its reasonable price point, relative newness, proximity to the MTR station, and decent selection of restaurants with delivery just in case the hotel food doesn't meet my needs. The food turned out much better than I had expected, and I didn't need to order any delivery during my 2 week stay.
To stay sane, keep working during the day, and call up your friends when you have downtime, lining up a few calls a day to unwind and forget about being stuck inside. Also, join the Whatsapp support group for the hotel and do a regular exercise routine.
More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/hk-quarantine.htm
Dec 10, 2021, 2:01 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,505
They cook the meals on-site so even though it wasn't super hot by the time it reached my door, it wasn't the basic restaurant fare I had expected. They charged HKD$520 (about USD $70) a night which includes all 3 meals.
Dec 12, 2021, 5:19 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 11,584
This is really fascinating. Thank you for posting.
I can't understand why every country doesn't do this to save lives. It boosts fledging hospitality and reduces community transmission whether you're vaccinated, booster(s) or not. I for one would support every UK arrival having a mandatory 14 days quarantine based on HK and no scam prices. The biggest issue is going to be the terrible food, but you have had a lovely time of it there
.
We could really learn a lot from HK.
I can't understand why every country doesn't do this to save lives. It boosts fledging hospitality and reduces community transmission whether you're vaccinated, booster(s) or not. I for one would support every UK arrival having a mandatory 14 days quarantine based on HK and no scam prices. The biggest issue is going to be the terrible food, but you have had a lovely time of it there
.We could really learn a lot from HK.
Dec 12, 2021, 7:55 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,505
This is really fascinating. Thank you for posting.
I can't understand why every country doesn't do this to save lives. It boosts fledging hospitality and reduces community transmission whether you're vaccinated, booster(s) or not. I for one would support every UK arrival having a mandatory 14 days quarantine based on HK and no scam prices. The biggest issue is going to be the terrible food, but you have had a lovely time of it there .
We could really learn a lot from HK.
I can't understand why every country doesn't do this to save lives. It boosts fledging hospitality and reduces community transmission whether you're vaccinated, booster(s) or not. I for one would support every UK arrival having a mandatory 14 days quarantine based on HK and no scam prices. The biggest issue is going to be the terrible food, but you have had a lovely time of it there .
We could really learn a lot from HK.
I was fairly lucky as the Penta's food turned out much better than expected, and the locale had a lot of decent restaurants for take-out delivery as well. I've seen a lot of horror stories from other hotels in this and even higher budget range. It's a hit and miss but at least the prices are fairly decent compared to the ones I've seen in Canada when they had the 3 day quarantine awaiting test results earlier in the year. Not sure how much the UK is charging now for their quarantine?
Dec 12, 2021, 8:36 pm
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: South Bend, IN
Programs: AA EXP 3 MM; Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite
Posts: 18,562
This is really fascinating. Thank you for posting.
I can't understand why every country doesn't do this to save lives. It boosts fledging hospitality and reduces community transmission whether you're vaccinated, booster(s) or not. I for one would support every UK arrival having a mandatory 14 days quarantine based on HK and no scam prices. The biggest issue is going to be the terrible food, but you have had a lovely time of it there.
We could really learn a lot from HK.
I can't understand why every country doesn't do this to save lives. It boosts fledging hospitality and reduces community transmission whether you're vaccinated, booster(s) or not. I for one would support every UK arrival having a mandatory 14 days quarantine based on HK and no scam prices. The biggest issue is going to be the terrible food, but you have had a lovely time of it there
.We could really learn a lot from HK.
Great report hkskyline. Really appreciate you sharing.
Dec 16, 2021, 8:21 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,505
Here's a report from Bloomberg about Penny's Bay, the government-run quarantine camp that an increasingly number of arrivals have to stay due to omicron : https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...nny-s-bay-camp
While my qhotel was much nicer, I do think this camp has a better environment as it is less dense, the sun can shine in, and the windows can open.
While my qhotel was much nicer, I do think this camp has a better environment as it is less dense, the sun can shine in, and the windows can open.