Hong Kong ends mandatory hotel quarantine

Hong Kong skyline at sunset

The Hong Kong government said that from today international arrivals will no longer have to go into mandatory hotel quarantine.

Travellers will also no longer be required to show a negative COVID test before boarding a plane heading to Hong Kong. The travellers will instead have to monitor themselves for possible infection for three days.

However, there are still some rules in place. Travellers can not visit common areas, such as restaurants or shopping malls, for the first three days after arrival. They also have to undergo PCR tests on days two and four.

This update sparked a rush of plane tickets to Hong Kong, with the Cathay Pacific website operating a queuing system to book. The airline intends to add more than 200 pairs of passenger flights in October to both regional and long-haul destinations.

“While we will continue to add back more flights as quickly as is feasible, it will take time to rebuild our capacity gradually,” a Cathay Pacific statement said.

“These adjustments will help boost sentiment for travel, thereby facilitating the gradual resumption of travel activities and strengthening of network connectivity to, from and through the Hong Kong aviation hub.”

Hong Kong has had some of the strictest COVID travel rules in the world as it followed China’s zero-COVID strategy, making its departure from the mainland policy a long-awaited decision following more than two years of restrictions.

This update comes as Japan announced that it was also relaxing its entry rules. Tourists will be able to visit Japan without a visa and without the need to go through a travel agent from 11 October.

The country has also dropped its cap on daily arrivals.

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