The Hospital Authority announced today that the special visiting arrangement will be extended from eight to 18 non-acute hospitals from May 29, with visiting quotas decided by individual wards based on their operations.

Visitors need not call the wards for booking as ward staff will contact them to schedule a visit, the authority noted.

Meanwhile, other hospitals and wards will continue to facilitate compassionate visiting arrangements and video visiting.

To minimise the infection risk for inpatients and staff, one-off visitors are required to present a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test result obtained within 72 hours before the scheduled visit. Regular visitors may conduct weekly testing.

Visitors who have completed their two-dose COVID-19 vaccination for at least 14 days can opt for rapid antigen testing within 24 hours before the visit. They have to purchase the test kit, conduct the test on their own, and show relevant materials together with the vaccination record to the ward staff for checking before entering the ward.

The rapid antigen test is also applicable for visits arranged on compassionate grounds or under urgent circumstances. Those who cannot conduct a nucleic acid test within 72 hours before the visit can perform rapid antigen testing within 24 hours before or right after the visit.

Rapid antigen test kits are sold at community pharmacies, hospital shops or vending machines.

The authority added that all visitors entering public hospitals are required to comply with infection control measures such as wearing surgical masks, temperature checking and filling in health declaration forms. They may scan the Hospital Visit QR code to fill in the health declaration form within 24 hours before the visit and show the QR code generated by the system to the ward staff.