New rules for vaccinated travellers

June 21, 2021

Chief Executive Carrie Lam:
Based on what we were advised by the Joint Scientific Committee (on Emerging & Zoonotic Disease and Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases) earlier this month, we are now introducing an arrangement which will provide more convenience for travellers to resume coming to Hong Kong.

If a passenger is willing to take a (COVID-19) antibody test and the antibody test is positive - which means that he or she has antibodies - then the mandatory quarantine period at the designated hotel could be reduced from 14 days to seven days. I believe this will be much welcomed by a lot of business travellers coming to Hong Kong. In order for that fully vaccinated passenger to take an antibody test in Hong Kong, inevitably, he or she would have to stay in a hotel for a while, while waiting for the antibody test.

So that would mean that that passenger has to book on the basis of (staying in a hotel for) a longer period of quarantine - say 14 days. But if he or she is being advised - maybe on the second or third day - that the antibody test is positive and could actually leave the designated hotel a week earlier, then I would very much appeal to the Hong Kong hotels that they should allow that flexibility for the passengers, instead of charging them for the full 14 days. I have already asked the Commissioner for Tourism to start these negotiations with the hotel sector.

(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Government announced today that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and with a positive result of serology testing for antibodies will be allowed a shortened compulsory quarantine period of seven days upon arrival.

The restriction from entry to Hong Kong will be relaxed for fully vaccinated non-Hong Kong residents who have not stayed in extremely high-risk (Group A1) or very high-risk (Group A2) specified places.

Under the new measures, people arriving at Hong Kong who have only stayed in Group B or Group C specified places or Taiwan on the day of arrival or the 14 days before that day will be allowed a shortened compulsory quarantine period of seven days at designated quarantine hotels if they fulfil three required conditions.

They must be fully vaccinated with a vaccination record, obtain a negative nucleic acid test result during the test-and-hold period upon arrival, and possess positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test conducted within the past three months.

They are required to take two nucleic acid tests during the quarantine period, followed by a seven-day self-monitoring period and compulsory testing on the 12th, 16th and 19th days of arrival.

The Government also plans to allow non-Hong Kong residents who have been fully vaccinated with a vaccination record and who have only stayed in Group B specified places, Group C specified places or Taiwan to enter Hong Kong.

Such travellers must comply with the same quarantine and nucleic acid testing requirements as those applicable to Hong Kong residents, including a seven-day shortened compulsory quarantine period for those who possess positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test conducted within the past three months.

At a press conference this afternoon, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she believed the new arrangements will be welcomed by business travellers and she appealed to the hotels in the city to be more flexible in handling the room bookings by such passengers.

“If a passenger is willing to take a COVID-19 antibody test and the antibody test is positive - which means that he or she has antibodies - then the mandatory quarantine period at the designated hotel could be reduced from 14 days to seven days.

“I believe this will be much welcomed by a lot of business travellers coming to Hong Kong. In order for that fully vaccinated passenger to take an antibody test in Hong Kong, inevitably, he or she would have to stay in a hotel for a while, while waiting for the antibody test.

“So that would mean that that passenger has to book on the basis of staying in a hotel for a longer period of quarantine - say 14 days. But if he or she is being advised - maybe on the second or third day - that the antibody test is positive and could actually leave the designated hotel a week earlier, then I would very much appeal to the Hong Kong hotels that they should allow that flexibility for the passengers, instead of charging them for the full 14 days.

“I have already asked the Commissioner for Tourism to start these negotiations with the hotel sector.”

The first phase of the new arrangements will be launched on June 30. The Government intends to implement the second-phase arrangements within July to provide self-paid serology antibody testing service for inbound travellers at the airport. The entry by relevant non-Hong Kong residents will be relaxed then.