From December 25, the majority of arrivals into Hong Kong must quarantine for 21 days.
In a shock announcement, the Hong Kong government has released a statement saying it will be introducing mandatory 21-day hotel quarantine for nearly all arrivals into the city.
Just this week, passengers from the United Kingdom were banned from boarding flights to Hong Kong. In addition, from December 24 the territory's mandatory two-week hotel quarantine was raised to three weeks for arrivals from Britain due to the emergence of a new, fast-spreading Covid strain.
However, this longer duration quarantine will now be applicable to the majority of Hong Kong arrivals as of December 25. The only exceptions are for those coming into the city from mainland China, Macau and Taiwan. Earlier this week, Macau extended its own mandatory quarantine period to 21 days for all arrivals, except for those travelling from Taiwan and medium-risk areas in mainland China.
Hong Kong has also stated that travellers who have spent more than two hours in South Africa in the 21 days before departure will be prohibited from boarding any Hong Kong-bound flight.
Passengers who arrived in Hong Kong on or after December 2 are required to complete their original two week mandatory quarantine in a hotel and then a further seven days of isolation at home. They must take an additional test on day 19 or 20 at a community testing centre. Once they have received a negative test result, they may stop isolating.
Currently passenger flights from the UK are prohibited to land in Hong Kong. Virgin Atlantic has suspended its Hong Kong London service and British Airways says it will be offering a “reduced and dynamic schedule”. Cathay Pacific has indicated that it will reinstate its London route on January 10, subject to government restrictions.
Keep up to date with all the breaking travel news in Asia Pacific by following our Facebook Page.