HONG KONG (Reuters) – People arriving in Hong Kong by international flights can immediately visit town’s restaurants, gyms and other venues for the primary time in almost three years, with the scrapping of restrictions that barred them from such places for the primary three days.
The ending on Wednesday of an amber code that had been previously issued to international arrivals was announced on Tuesday by Chief Executive John Lee. Arriving people now haven’t any movement restrictions but they should do a PCR COVID test on arrival and again two days after arriving.
Hong Kong’s government also scrapped a compulsory COVID-19 mobile application on Wednesday which was used for people to ascertain in at most venues from gyms and sweetness salons to offices.
People will still need to indicate a photograph or paper record of their COVID-19 vaccines at some venues which require it, the federal government said.
“I believe the federal government’s COVID policy has not at all times been consistent, it changes in line with what occur somewhere else,” said a 40-year old local resident who gave his surname as Ngai.
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“A lot of the residents want town to reopen soon and ease the restrictions.”
One other resident, 36-year-old Lisa Ketelsen, said: “I believe we’re headed the proper direction with the measures.”
In one other loosening measure, the federal government announced late on Tuesday that travellers arriving in Hong Kong are free to proceed on to mainland China or Macau so long as they meet the required criteria. Under previous COVID-19 rules, travellers had to attend three days in town before continuing to the mainland.
The move comes after China jettisoned among the world’s hardest restrictions meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Hong Kong has closely followed China’s zero-COVID policy since 2020 but began step by step easing restrictions in August, cutting mandated hotel quarantine to a few days before scrapping it completely in September, greater than two and a half years after the virus emerged.
The principles have weighed on Hong Kong’s economy since early 2020, speeding up an exodus of companies, expatriates and native families who departed amid a drive by Beijing to more closely control the previous British colony.
(Reporting by Farah Master and Carol Meng; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Copyright 2022 Thomson Reuters.
