Arrivals from high-risk countries in Hong Kong must head straight to government quarantine camp.
Arrivals from Britain must quarantine in Hong Kong's notorious Penny's Bay government quarantine camp.
This new ruling comes as Hong Kong tightens its borders further still this week as omicron fears continue to mount. The city is determined to keep the omicron variant out of the territory as it sticks doggedly to its zero-Covid strategy.
Britain was added to Hong Kong’s highest-risk category on December 20. Arrivals from the UK are now subject to a four-day stay at Penny’s Bay, which is located on Lantau Island. They will then be transferred to their pre-booked quarantine hotel to complete the remaining 17 days.
Britain joins the US and 12 African countries on the A+ high risk list who are all subject to a stint at Penny’s Bay. However, the required amount of time at Penny’s Bay has been slashed from seven to four days.
The addition of Britain to the high-risk list follows two imported omicron infections last week.
From December 24 all travellers, regardless of where they are flying from, will need to complete a PCR departure test within 48 hours of travel. However, Cathay has since tightened its own restrictions further still, meaning passengers must test within 24 hours.
The flight suspension mechanism is also to be tightened from December 27, meaning more flights could be subject to two-week bans.
British Airways has suspended flights between Hong Kong and London indefinitely due to fears of crew ending up in Penny’s Bay and Cathay has slashed flights over the Christmas period. Flights to Sydney have been reduced to two services a week and there are no flights to Melbourne, Perth or Brisbane until at least February. According to unconfirmed reports on local social media groups, there are just nine flights between Hong Kong and Sydney listed for January. Routes with the US have also been affected and Cathay’s New York service is currently subject to a two-week ban.
More information about Hong Kong's inbound travel requirements can be found online.
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