Covid-19 information: Hong Kong

Latest News: HK allows flights from Ireland, U.K.; ban continues for flights from Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa (AppleDaily,04.05.2021). HK suspends Turkish Airlines flights from 03-16 May (The Standard, 02.05.2021). Travel bubble between HK and Singapore expected to begin on 26 May (Reuters, 25.04.2021).




International Restrictions:

*Entry to Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government will deny entry to Hong Kong to travellers that have visited the UK, Brazil, Ireland or South Africa for more than two hours within the past 21 days. Visit the Hong Kong SAR government’s website for further details.

Travellers arriving in Hong Kong on flights from overseas countries/territories, who are not Hong Kong residents, will be denied entry to Hong Kong. Non-Hong Kong residents travelling to Hong Kong from mainland China, Macao or Taiwan will also be denied entry if they have been to any overseas country/territory in the past 14 days. Spouses and minor children of Hong Kong residents are exempt from the above restrictions.

All travellers entering Hong Kong, including Hong Kong residents, will have to take a mandatory medical test for coronavirus on arrival and need to undergo 21-day compulsory quarantine. See Testing on arrival and Quarantine requirements below.

Travellers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport (with the exception of those travelling from mainland China, Macao and Taiwan) need to provide confirmation of a hotel room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel in Hong Kong for no less than 21 days, starting on the day of their arrival. You should check the government’s list of hotels when you make your booking. You must take designated transport, which is provided by the government, from the holding centre to your hotel. Travellers will then be subject to 21 days compulsory quarantine at that hotel and further testing for Covid-19. You can find further details on the Hong Kong SAR Government website.

Travellers who have visited “specified high-risk places” under the Hong Kong SAR government’s Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (CAP. 599H) (United States, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Ecuador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, Russia Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates) within the past 21 days, will need to provide a negative nucleic acid test result for COVID-19, taken no more than 72 hours prior to their departure.
You should check Hong Kong SAR government’s website for important details about the documents required.

Passengers transiting within a high risk place must be tested within 72 hours of their final departure from that country. All passengers, including departing, arriving and transfer/transit passengers need to wear face masks in all passenger accessible areas of Hong Kong International Airport.
For up-to-date advice on entry requirements and restrictions, visit the Hong Kong SAR government coronavirus website.

*Transiting Hong Kong: Transit services at Hong Kong International Airport resumed on 15 June 2020 for passengers who can be checked through from port of origin to final destination. Transiting between flights operated by different airlines is now allowed. Transiting through Hong Kong from, but not to, mainland China is now allowed. You should check with your travel agent or airline before travelling and check the Hong Kong International Airport website.

There is a risk you will be placed into isolation in hospital in Hong Kong or 21 days government quarantine. All passengers transiting Hong Kong International Airport will be subject to advanced screening measures, including temperature checks. Passengers deemed to have a high temperature will undergo further checks by the Port Health Office at the airport. If you meet further risk criteria, you will be transferred to a Hong Kong public hospital for mandatory checks/treatment, where it is highly likely you will be asked to complete a mandatory COVID-19 test. If you successfully pass health screening you need to sit in designated areas at boarding gates and use designated queues in dining facilities and shops, in line with Hong Kong International Airport anti-virus measures.

*Travel between Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China: All border crossings with mainland China remain closed indefinitely, with the exception of the Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. All passengers wanting to board a shuttle bus to cross the bridge departing from Hong Kong to Macau must present a certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within seven days of their departure. The special ferry service between Taipa Ferry Terminal in Macao and Hong Kong International Airport has now ceased operations. All ferry crossings between Hong Kong and mainland China are currently not in operation with the exception of the service from Shenzhen Shekou Port to Hong Kong International Airport. Kai Tak Cruise and Ocean Terminals are also closed to passengers indefinitely.

Arrivals from mainland China, Taiwan and Macao must quarantine at home or in a hotel for 14 days. Certain groups of people travelling from mainland China, Taiwan and Macao may be granted an exemption from quarantine requirements by applying in advance to the Chief Secretary of the Administration. These groups include people involved in receiving or providing education and those travelling for purposes relating to manufacturing operations, business activities or the provision of professional services in the interest of Hong Kong’s economic development.

*Health declaration form: All inbound travellers via Hong Kong International Airport need to submit a health declaration form.

*Testing on arrival: All travellers ending their journey at Hong Kong International Airport will have to provide a saliva sample which will be tested for coronavirus. After collecting baggage, travellers will be taken by shuttle bus to the designated location. Travellers will have to wait for test results, before proceeding to their mandatory quarantine hotel.
Travellers will be required to remain at the airport, or a specified hotel overnight, whilst awaiting test results. Passengers arriving on morning flights must proceed to the Temporary Specimen Collection Centre located in the Midfield Concourse (MFC) in the restricted area of Hong Kong International Airport. You will receive test results on the same day. This could take 8 or more hours. Passengers arriving in the afternoon and evening will need to wait for test results overnight, and will be temporarily accommodated in the Department of Health Holding Centre for Test Results (HCTR) set up in the Rambler Hotel in Tsing Yi. Please note that children under the age of 16 cannot stay at the Rambler Hotel unaccompanied. Parents who stay with their child at the HCTR on the first night whilst awaiting test results, will have to continue to self-isolate for the full 14 days. If travelling unaccompanied, there is a risk that a child may have to stay alone overnight at the airport on arrival while awaiting test results. Further information is available on the Centre for Health Protection’s website.

Children over the age of 16 travelling to Hong Kong on their own must be met by an adult for checking in to the HCTR whilst they await test results. Please contact the Port Health Authority for the latest guidance (+852 3904 9333).

If the sample tests positive, the Hong Kong authorities will notify the individual and arrange for admission to a public hospital where they will remain in isolation until they test negative twice. If you are deemed to be a close contact of a positive case, you will be place in a Hong Kong government quarantine centre for 21 days. All arrivals including those who test negative for coronavirus need to undergo 21-day compulsory quarantine in a designated hotel. See “Quarantine requirements” below.

*Quarantine requirements: Quarantine is mostly spent at a designated hotel . Family members of someone who tests positive, or those who have been in close contact, will be placed in a government quarantine centre. Children travelling alone will also need to quarantine for 21 days on arrival in a designated hotel. It is down to hotel policy whether a child can self-isolate alone. Further details can be found on the Hong Kong SAR government’s website and you should call the Port Heath Division (+852 3904 9333) to understand the latest requirements if your child is travelling alone.

For up-to-date advice on entry requirements and restrictions, please visit the Hong Kong SAR government’s website

For all quarantine arrangements in Hong Kong:

• you’re not allowed to leave your designated quarantine location for 21 days. This means you’re also unable to leave Hong Kong for the duration of the quarantine

• if you’re allocated a government quarantine centre, you may be asked to contribute around (HK$200) per night towards the cost

• items that can be taken in to government quarantine are restricted. There is no smoking allowed and no alcohol. Depending on your centre, facilities may be basic: there may be no fridge and no air-conditioning

• you will be issued with a bluetooth-enabled wristband which will be activated at the airport and linked to a mobile app ‘StayHomeSafe’ on your phone. The bluetooth-enabled wristbands will alert the authorities if the wearer leaves their registered address with or without their phone

Failure to comply with the quarantine conditions may result in you being immediately taken to government quarantine facilities. You could face a 6-month prison sentence and a substantial fine. You should comply with the requirements of your quarantine arrangements.

See the Hong Kong government coronavirus website for further information.




Internal restrictions:

*Travel in Hong Kong: There are local travel restrictions in place upon arrival in Hong Kong including mandatory quarantine. Hong Kong residents are being asked to work from home where possible and avoid social gatherings.

It is possible that you may be mandatorily tested and/or placed in a government quarantine centre, if you are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. In some cases, all residents of a building where a positive case has been detected have been sent to quarantine centres for 21 days.

• For all quarantine arrangements in Hong Kong:

you are not permitted to leave your designated quarantine location for 21 days. This means you are also unable to leave Hong Kong for the duration of the quarantine

• if you are sent to a government quarantine centre, you may be asked to contribute around HK$200 per night towards the cost

• items that can be taken in to government quarantine are restricted. There is no smoking allowed and no alcohol. Depending on your centre, facilities may be basic: there may be no fridge and no air-conditioning

*Public spaces and services: Public gatherings have been restricted to a maximum of 4 people (members of the same household are exempt). The operations of various businesses, including restaurants and bars, have been limited.

The government has also introduced a mandatory requirement to wear face masks in all public spaces, including on public transport. Failure to comply may result in a fine of up to 5000 HKD.

For up to date information, you should follow the guidance from the Hong Kong authorities.