Current Hotel Quarantine Residents Get To Leave Early

People who have spent at least three nights in hotel quarantine will be allowed to leave their hotels from Tuesday, after the government reduced Hong Kong's hotel quarantine period to three days from seven.

Although the new shorter Covid quarantine period doesn't come into effect until Friday, anyone who arrived between August 3 and August 8 will be able to leave their hotels between Tuesday and Friday, as long as they have tested negative and follow government arrangements.

Those cleared to leave will still have to undergo medical surveillance for four more days. They will be given an amber code on their LeaveHomeSafe app, which means they won't be able to visit places that check vaccine passes, such as bars, gyms and restaurants.

They will also have to take PCR tests on days four, six, and nine and continue to take daily rapid tests. If at any time they test positive, their code will be turned to red and they must self-isolate.

But if they remain negative for Covid during the entire four-day period, the colour of their health code will be changed to blue and they will be free to visit all venues again with the vaccine pass.

The government also said from Friday it was streamlining arrival procedures for Hong Kong International Airport. It said anyone flying to the SAR from overseas or Taiwan, could now declare Covid vaccination records and give quarantine hotel reservation proof online.

Once accepted by the computer system, a green health declaration QR code would be generated, meaning the documents would not have to be shown again at check-in. The traveller also would be able to use express channels at the airport here to board transport to a quarantine hotel.

If the conditions weren't met however, a traveller would instead get a pink health declaration code and documents would then have to be presented at check-in.